At the end of each day, Japanese soldiers jog with Canadians through the apple orchard outside the base, in the shadow of the balloon-shaped radar antennae of the Israeli listening station on Mount Avital. They play baseball with the Canadians and soccer with the Poles. Canadian soldiers eschew the beef lasagne of their own cooks and chow down in the noisy mess hall on tempura and miso soup prepared by Furusho's three cooks. In the unseasonably hot sun, Furusho surveys the small rock garden he built outside his barracks. Next to the gray stones and tiny green bushes lazes Buddy, the company's guard dog.
Buddy lies about all day on a green mat, barely moving.
The joke among the soldiers is that the dog appears to do little but, if anyone tries anything, he would leap into action. That's maybe how they would like to see themselves. The lives of the Japanese soldiers here are not much more exciting than Buddy's. And if Buddy stays bored, that's good news for Japan. Time Inc. All rights reserved.