A most poignant story ... thanks for sharing it, Gene.
And I sure am glad I can help partially lift the veil of mystery
surrounding the mirror!
Have you tried Googling for "Imbamura" by the way? Kindly please refer to the attached pics. The village happens to be northeast of Tokyo. And there's this body of water (marshland?) right next to Imbamura. Which probably explains why there's an image of a crane in the mirror ...