American woman's 60-year-old search for her Japanese nanny has a bittersweet ending

I just saw this on Fuji-TV.

In the 1960s, American officers stationed in Japan had it made. As Japan was still recovering from the disastrous war, American officers stationed there often hired Japanese cooks and maids to help out in their homes. One such maid was a Japanese woman known as "Tami", or "Tammy". Tami was more than just a live-in maid, however, as she was like a nanny to one of her employer's kids named Kaeri. Even more than a nanny, she was a close friend and confidante. Kaeri thought she was in her 20s at the time.

Tami and Kaeri spent a few happy years together, and Kaeri treasured the pictures she had of her and Tami together. Unfortunately, she and Tami lost contact after Kaeri's dad was transferred back to the US in the mid-1960s.

Fast forward 60 years, and Kaeri was determined to find out what had become of her dear nanny. After an article appeared in a Japanese newspaper, Fuji TV got word of Kaeri's quest, and set about interviewing people in her old neighborhood to see if anyone remembered Tami.

After a month of interviewing locals who could have known of Tami, Fuji TV finally found a couple who might have been related to Tami. But the name they remembered was actually "Taniko", and she had been in her 30s at the time.

As it turned out, though, Tami had been the husband's mother, and she had worked as a maid in the 1960s. While her name had been "Taniko", she preferred the nickname that Kaeri had given her, the more American-sounding name of Tami (Tammy). After Kaeri's family left, Tami got married and raised a family. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago, in her 80s. While Kaeri was sad to hear the news, she was glad to hear that her dear nanny had at least lived a good life.