Before World War II, Kobe was a very international city, says Yuko Ono. She grew up in tranquil surroundings there. In her girlhood she was accustomed to the presence of several non-Japanese residents, who loved Kobe for its ranging hills, mild winters and idyllic waterside setting. Ono liked the city's international atmosphere.

For herself, she said, "I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. I was studying at a small but rather famous college run by a Frenchman who was well known for his art. I particularly enjoyed child psychology. But we lost our house in wartime firebombing. My parents went to Kyushu, and I had to go to stay in a dormitory. There wasn't enough food, and because of malnutrition I was losing my health. My father took me away."

That was a setback for an aspiring young woman who, strictly brought up in a traditional family, was serious, steady and ambitious.

Ono is 75 now. In spite of that initial disappointment, she turned her life to good account. As she looks back, she emphasizes the good fortune that sometimes came her way and helped tip the balance in her favor. Overall, however, her successes are the result of her always having studied hard and worked hard.

"I decided to learn English," she said. "I had to work to support myself. I had the good chance to meet an American woman who was in charge of the library run by the American Occupation forces in Kumamoto. She helped me. There were many English classes in the library, so I continued studying there. Then I passed the examination to become a secretary in the library. I was also required to teach English to local children."

When her brother graduated from Keio University, Ono's father gave her permission to go to live with him in Tokyo. "It took me 36 hours on the train, and I was alone, but I really wanted to go," she said. Her brother introduced her to a company that was selling cameras and binoculars, items highly in demand by American servicemen then living in Tokyo. "They needed help and some explanations, and I began working as an interpreter," Ono said.

Around that time, Japan Airlines came into being and began modest domestic operations. "A few thousand girls rushed to become flight attendants," Ono said. "I was one of them. I took the exam, never expecting I had a chance, but I was selected." When JAL inaugurated its first international route to San Francisco, Ono was on board. "I loved flying," she said. "I gave it up when I married. I met my husband when he was one of my passengers." He was a businessman living in those early postwar years in Argentina. The couple married in Japan, then went to live in Brazil, where their first daughter was born. Their second daughter came along later in Japan.

The family transferred on a business posting to London. In England, education for the daughters became a priority. Their mother applied herself to finding a school for them. She investigated many before settling on one in Littlehampton. The girls became boarders there in West Sussex. The seaport and resort of Littlehampton, set against the scenic South Downs, kindled love for the place that has never waned. Ono commemorated Littlehampton in her own way when, eventually, she inaugurated her own school in Tokyo. She called it Hampton.

She opened her school at her home, accepting initially about 10 youngsters of primary school age. "In about two years, I had 100 students," she said. "Both my daughters helped. We really care for this school." In time she expanded her operations to include supplying teachers to public schools when they asked for help. "Occasionally I still teach," she said. "Mostly I take care of the management side."

Each year in August, Ono takes groups of students to stay in Folkestone, also a resort town on the south coast of England. This region is very popular with Japanese people, who have made many abiding connections here. Ono's students attend summer classes in Folkestone and experience life in a historic English town that looks across the English Channel to France. "They learn a lot more than English in Folkestone," Ono said. "They change a lot, in just a month. Summer in England is very worthwhile for them. It is marvelous to see how they enjoy a different daily life in an international situation."