In 2006, I was very surprised to win a Japan Foundation Award together with my late husband, Joe Price, but I was also delighted.

We were happy to be of use to our beloved Japan.

I was of course born in Japan and brought up there, but Joe was a born-and-bred American. However, the Japanese character became ingrained into him, and he was mistaken for a Japanese person, even in America—he was sometimes asked why he was called Joe.

When he returned to Japan, he loved to stroll around Azabu Jūban, going into side streets and eating udon or tempura, and enjoying Japan even more than a Japanese person.

He loved Japan deeply, saying such a place could not have come into being without a long history, and when he passed away we received so many flowers from Japan that the room was full of them.

Etsuko Price

(Original text in Japanese)

The Japan Foundation Award / Special Prizes (2006) - Profile

This message was kindly written by Mrs. Price shortly before she passed away in August 2023. We pray that she may rest in eternal peace.