When I was seven or eight, in Japan, ticket gates of railway stations were still operated by human hands. At each gate, a station staff would check and punch a hole on the ticket one by one. I used to love having my ticket punched whenever I travelled by train. On the way to my […]
Person at a ticket gate Read More »
When I was little, I used to accompany my mother for her shopping. My mother rarely bought anything for herself, but there were many occasions when she shopped for others. A few times a year in Japan, there are official gift-giving seasons when people send slightly expensive gifts to those who have daily blessed them
Shopping, Grapes and Fairytales Read More »
When I was between the age of seven and nine, girls around me started having opinions about the “best” hair care practice. We were not reading any fashion magazines or books at that age, and most of the things we preached to each other was based on what we saw or heard from adults around
To comb or not to comb: little girls’ hair theories Read More »
When I was in high school, I used to attend a cram school taking extra lessons in science subjects to enhance my overall study progress. A few evenings a week, after my regular school classes, I travelled to my cram school near the train station and attended the lectures. The teachers I had at the
A Daddy’s Negotiation Read More »
My mother has a sister six years older than her. When my mother was a baby, her sister was the one who carried my mother on the back and looked after her while attending the house chore. Since the father was sick in bed and could not do a lot of physical work at the
Last summer, I went to visit my family in Japan for the first time since the pandemic started. I spent two months and a half in my hometown at my parents’ house, working remotely and hanging out with my parents on weekends. It was a cherished time. Toward the end of my stay, while I
The Spring I entered junior high school, a teacher approached me and said that I should become a member of the students’ committee which was responsible for the hosting of major school events and representing students’ voice in the school community. In Japan, public junior high schools tend to have the least democratic and most
Memory of a Lonely Election Read More »
One summer, when I was about eight, my maternal grandmother came to visit us for several days. During her stay, my mother took her out to the city centre for some special shopping and I accompanied them. Shopping together was one of their favourite activities. Since neither of them was a big shopper, going for
This story took place when I was eight or nine. That time, I used to look forward to Saturdays when I went to attend classes at a local music school. My main interest was not the music lesson itself was to meet my two childhood best friends there. Once our classes were over, we would
The Bathroom Train Read More »
Throughout my young childhood, I used to visit my maternal grandmother’s house a few times a year for a long stay. My eldest cousin was still living in the same house, and I always looked forward to seeing her since she always found time to play with me even though she was quite busy working
“You gotta dress up.” Read More »
