This is a collection of short stories that reveal the unique Japanese culture and mindset in the decades following the end of World War II in 1945--depicting the lives of a bar hostess, bartender, businessman, carpenter, a spoiled rich girl, a doctor, a student, and other individuals whose world was often described as hai-iro no sekai, or a world that was the color and taste of ashes. Many of the traits intimately described in these stories remain a significant part of the Japanese character, and contribute to an understanding of present-day Japan.