A 93-year-old Japanese woman in Hokkaido received a doll Wednesday from U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, who wanted to return the favor her father received from the woman more than 50 years ago.
The gift, accompanied by a letter from the ambassador, was delivered to a nursing home in Kitami on the northernmost main island where Tsuyako Matsumoto resides, in time for the March 3 hina matsuri, or the Doll Festival in Japan.
"I'm happy. This will be a lifetime memory. Thank you," a teary Matsumoto said, embracing the Kit Kittredge doll while lying in her bed. The ambassador refrained from giving the gift in person in consideration of Matsumoto's health.