The community of tiny half-dilapidated apartments where I spent my childhood was located in an old neighbourhood of my hometown, and every summer, there was a local festival held at the small shinto shrine right next to our community. On the day of event, many food and toy vendors lined up in the square, and […]
When I was between the age of four and five and lived in the community of tiny half-dilapidated apartments, I used to play almost every day with my two best friends. On many days, we played outside, but we also enjoyed playing at each other’s home. Both of my friends had a much larger collection
When I was about four, my family visited a local aquarium. I had been there a few times already, but it was the first time for my baby brother. It was around the time when he had started talking and reading some picture books. At the aquarium, my mother and I made a team and
That’s not a mouse, that’s a sea lion. Read More »
When I was ten, my family made a very first trip abroad to England. While we were there, one day, my mother and I visited my mother’s old friend who lived in London. After dinner, her elder son, who was about sixteen years old at the time, invited me to play a video game with
Video Game in the Attic Read More »
When I was about eight, a family acquaintance gave me a box of dolls and toy plush. They used to belong to her daughter, but now that her daughter was an adult and no longer needed dolls, she wanted to give them away to somebody who would appreciate them. My mother told her that I
A boy and his teddy bear Read More »
In the community of tiny half-dilapidated apartments where I spent my childhood, there were many old trees of age over fifty. Rows of cherry trees, a huge willow, some persimmon trees and Japanese plum trees were among them. Of all the trees, one of the Japanese plum trees was my absolute favourite. It stood on
A Japanese Plum Tree Read More »
I spent my late teens experiencing quite a severe case of social anxiety. When I was in high school, it reached a point where I didn’t know how to speak or move around in the classroom. As soon as I got to school, my body would shut down and I stopped functioning. So, I used
A bottle of friendship Read More »
Between the time when I was seven and eight, I used to attend classes at a small music school in my hometown on Saturdays. I always looked forward to it not because of the music lesson but because I could spend time with my two childhood best friends, who also attended the same music school.
It was when I was seven or eight during a lazy phase of my life. I was daily scolded by my mother for not folding my pajamas after taking them off in the morning. “Sweetie, you didn’t fold your clothes again! Fold them and put them away properly, please.” “I’ll do it later, I’m busy
Folding and Cheating Read More »
When I was little and lived in the community of tiny half-dilapidated apartments, my friends and their families were as close to me as my own family. Whenever a new sister or brother was born to one of my friends’ family, we all went to visit the hospital together to meet the new-born. When I
