In this memory, I am five years old. In the winter, my mother, brother, and I visit my grandmother’s house again. One day, while my brother and I are sunbathing and playing on the couch in the corridor facing the south windows of the house, my grandmother appears with a beautiful red kimono in her […]
Picture of a Princess and Her Grandmother Read More »
It is where you belong nowhereTravelling at the speed of light Possibility splits open in your face Old beliefs you’ve held onto tight That have kept you caged for so long Are now falling apart fast You are flying through the sky So, now what? What are you going to do? Answer me, please Before
The Place In-between Read More »
This is a memory from the time when I was five. When I am at kindergarten, my mother and brother enjoy their snack time just by themselves. In late morning, they sit at the tiny kitchen table and help themselves to two pieces of chocolate biscuits and a cup of milk tea. My mother is
My brother and chocolate biscuits Read More »
In this memory, I am four years old. March comes, and the annual YAMAHA music showcase takes place in a concert hall outside the city centre. It has been a year since our group class started. This is an occasion for us to perform in front of our family members and show them how much
A Family Photograph That Is Complete Read More »
I am four years old in this memory. Early August, my maternal grandmother comes to stay with us for the Sendai Tanabata Festival, our town’s major summer attraction. From 6th to 8th August, all the local stores inside the shopping arcades in the city centre hang traditional bamboo decorations from the outside ceiling, and visitors
The Tanabata Festival and a Flying Balloon Read More »
It is a reminderOf good times that once existedWith those people who once livedThey are not here anymore But I think of youAs I look at this photographDo you also remember that time?The day captured in this photograph? Then I realizeYou don’t need a photographTo remember anythingYou don’t even need to remember No longer bound
In October 1996, my family moves to a new house in a suburban residential area. This is something my parents have been planning since nearly a year ago when my brother was still alive. Though our old tiny half-dilapidated apartment lacks nothing in my opinion, according to my parents, it is not designed to be
A question that was not asked Read More »
This story is a continuation of the post titled The Alternative Reality. Shortly after I finish the little book about my brother’s memories, a fun idea takes form in my mind. My brother used to have a collection of toy buses. What if these toy buses had lives? What if they could go on an
Alternative Reality Continues Read More »
It is winter 2000. In our arts & crafts class, we work on paper prints. With a large blank sheet of paper in front of me, I listen to my teacher explain the procedure to the class, and a brilliant design idea pops up in my head. My brother is riding on his ride-on car,
Time does not bound me Read More »
Dreaming soulsThat’s what they once wereWith their own visions and desiresFor this unique life Their unique talentsTheir unique interestsTheir unique charactersEager to blossom into flowers But something came on their wayLike a cometTook everything with itLanded on a one-dimensional stage Who knew the depth of this trap?Once you’re in thereIt’ll become your entire universeYou’ll be
One-dimensional Illusion Read More »
