Tale of a Barber

Seventeen years ago a young Japanese named Kunitaro Imaeda left his native country and went to Africa to make his fortune. In Nairobi, Kenya Colony, Kunitaro Imaeda opened a barber shop. Kunitaro prospered. Kunitaro saved.

Then Japan and Great Britain came close to war. Kunitaro Imaeda decided to leave Africa. But Kunitaro could not take his savings with him because the law forbade the removal of more than 200 shillings, which equal 170 yen, or $40. Kunitaro had 118,000 shillings, 100,000 yen, or $23,620. So on the advice of a fellow countryman, a dealer in animals, he invested in giraffes, on which there is no export embargo.

Kunitaro sailed home, bearing giraffes. Two died aboard ship, but Kunitaro still had quite a bevy of giraffes. The Japanese Ministry of Commerce and Industry granted him permission to import the giraffes, on condition that they be exported to a "third power" within two months. In the U.S. Kunitaro might have found a good market for his giraffes (see p. 34), but he waited too long. By last week trade with the U.S. had almost ceased. Kunitaro was desperate.

His two months were nearly up. He wanted to give up the giraffe business and return to the craft of barbering. To make matters worse one of his giraffes was expecting a blessed event.

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