How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Kiyoshi Tanimoto, pastor of the Hiroshima Methodist Church, paused at the door of a rich man's house in Koi, the city's western suburb, and prepared to unload a handcart full of things he had evacuated from town in fear of the massive B29 raid which everyone expected Hiroshima to suffer. (1.1)
When the book opens, we learn that the residents of the city had been living in pretty much constant fear of attack. Because of that anxiety, Mr. Tanimoto and others had been moving personal belongings out of the city center to safe locations in the 'burbs.
Quote #2
Of all the important cities of Japan, only two, Kyoto and Hiroshima, had not been visited in strength by B-san, or Mr. B, as the Japanese, with a mixture of respect and unhappy familiarity, called the B-29; and Mr. Tanimoto, like all his neighbors and friends, was almost sick with anxiety. (1.2)
Hiroshima residents were especially anxious since they were one of the only major Japanese cities that hadn't sustained a major hit in World War II up to that point. It seems like the worst most people were expecting were B-29 attacks.
Quote #3
The frequency of the warnings and the continued abstinence of Mr. B with respect to Hiroshima had made its citizens jittery; a rumor was going around that the Americans were saving something special for the city. (1.2)
As if B-29 attacks weren't enough reason to be afraid, it seems that the fact there hadn't been one of those attacks yet made some people worried that something even worse or extra "special" was on its way… and, of course, these people were right.