This was an "action-packed" episode by the standards of
Showa Monogatari, don't you think? A lot transpired this time around.
Throughout the drought sequence I kept wondering how Tokyo would be able to handle the influx of tourists for the Olympics. Doing a little
research i see that the "Summer" Olympics took place quite a bit later then than they do today, with the Opening Ceremonies on October 10th. If the anniversary of the end of the War they spoke of meant the day that Japan officially surrendered, that occurred on September 2, 1945, so there must be about a month ahead of us before the Games begin.
About a
million households in Tokyo had their water usage restricted that summer. I can't find a good public source on when the shortage ended though. It's hard to believe that just the one rainstorm that appears at the end of the episode would have been sufficient. Oh, well, there's always sake and beer. Apparently the shortages in 1964
stimulated the development of wastewater reuse facilities in the Tokyo region.
Props to GotWoot for their translation, especially the parts about the older son being attacked as "bourgeois!" I'm glad they picked up the baton, so to speak; they're doing an excellent job!
That elderly friend of the oba-san must dye her hair! The contrast between her and the two gray-haired ladies was funny.
By the way, I happened upon
this informative piece on recent scholarship about whether the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the events that led the Japanese to surrender. There's good evidence to believe that the Soviet entry into the War soon after the bombings might instead have played the pivotal role.
Like Dop, I'm loving the music choices in this show. To me they buttress the show's portrayal of the transition from traditional to modern Japan with their mix of more classical Japanese melodies and more modern, American-influenced pop and jazz.