The Guardian Weekend | 13 February 2021 The Guardian Weekend | 13 February 2021 31 31only fi ve of the women Hayashi met have made
brief returns. In all, 43 Japanese wives were
permitted to return to their home country for
a few days as part of special “homecoming”
programmes held in 1997, 1998 and 2002.
The women’s encounters with Hayashi
were a rare connection to the home towns
they had left behind; for some , she was their
only remaining human connection with the
country of their birth. All eight women she
photographed – now in their 70s and 80s – had
been widowed, and three have since died. For the
past year, Hayashi has had to put further visits on
hold due to the pandemic.
Hayashi recalls that they laughed and smiled
whenever she visited, holding her hand and
introducing her to children and grandchildren.
After a while, Hayashi’s North Korean minders
would leave the room, leaving them to talk freely.Yoshie Arai got married when she was 18 and
left Japan in 1960. Below: with her husband and
children shortly before they left. Below left: with
a print of the area in which she had lived in Tokyo
‘When you get older,
you start thinking about the old
days in your home town’→