childhood memories

Throughout my childhood, my father used to read me bedside stories. When I was six, he started reading The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. In the Japanese translated version, the whole series consisted of six books, and it took us three years to complete the whole thing. Every night, I would […]

The year when I was four, I spent a long period (could have been a few weeks, or a month) at my maternal grandmother’s place when both my parents were busy taking care of my little brother while he went through his heart operation. In my grandmother’s house, there was a room with a Buddhist

In Japan, there is a major chain called 100-yen shop. You can think of it as the Japanese counterpart of a dollar store. It started becoming popular about the time when I entered primary school. The very first branch of 100-yen shop opened in my hometown when I was six. At the time, my family

I have a small scar on my chin that was made when I was four years old while I was playing in the playground with my friends. In Japan, there is a thing called a basket swing, which is a swing with two facing seats hung from a metal frame and is a very popular

When I was the age between four and five, my father made a business trip to Tokyo several times a year, and he would often bring back a small souvenir for me and my brother. The moment he reached home, he would come to find us in our tiny house with the sentence “I’ve got

In Japan, there is a fast food chain called MOS Burger. It’s inspired by the American burger chains like MacDonald’s and KFC but with more focus on the quality of food and drinks, and the burger chain is particularly appreciated by families with young children. When I was six, my family moved to the suburb,

One autumn when I was about ten years old, I was visiting my grandmother’s house with my mother. My uncle and his wife (whom I call my aunt in this story) also lived in the same house, and even though they were usually very busy and I didn’t get to spend too much time with

At my primary school, each year, we planted and grew different kind of plants or vegetables in the school garden. In my first year at school, each of us was given a small planter and we grew morning glories. Each day we watered the plant and observed the way they grew. I wasn’t a dedicated

During the winter season in Ottawa, wherever you go, you can find a pop-up skate rink. When the weather is cold enough, you can even skate on the canal or on the lake. You can feel that skating is really part of people’s life here. Unlike Ottawa, in the region of Japan where I grew