market to purchase fresh pastries, wondrous imitation French and Danish varieties. The shopkeeper set aside three for him. He read a bit till noon, or answered mail, or sketched out alternative outlines for his book on the Cold War and by 1:00 p.m. was on the Hankyu line to downtown Osaka, most probably to see a double feature at the Dai Mai Chika, a cheap theater that specialized in older American films. Translations in Japanese appear along the right edge of the screen—side titles. Clint Eastwood was a favorite of Osaka audiences, as well as all films with cartoon-like violence. The side titles were disconcerting. It was peculiar to hear the audience laugh before the joke was spoken in English on the screen. They have an advantage even watching our films, Moran thought. The theater was near the American Center Library. On particularly disorienting or lonely days Moran ended up in the library reading its collection of magazines and newspapers until closing time at 9:30 p.m.
