Six months had passed since the four of us moved to this house. I liked our new house, particularly our tatami room (room with dried rush straw mat flooring). When I opened the shoji door (sliding paper door), the scent of the green tatami grass filled the room. The room had an alcove in which my mother displayed a fresh flower arrangement. The rectangular table was matched with the burgundy red zabuton (Japanese cushion). This room felt solemn and austere. It created a wabi sabi space for me. Read More …
childhood
The Ephemeral Cherry Trees
I breathed deeply. The soft spring air touched my cheek gently and tenderly. The rows of cherry trees were in full blossom. They made long arches like a tunnel. Ever since I was a little child, this had always been my favorite park. As an innocent little girl, cheerful and full of energy, I had played most every day until the skies took on a wine hue, and my mother came to take me home. Read More …
The Lullaby
An unusually quiet morning … no bustling city noises, only a hushed stillness. I opened the curtain. No wonder I didn’t hear any sounds this morning. The white snow covered every corner of our backyard. No cars, no public buses or any people in the street. Our winter break had just begun two days ago, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to go to school today. Read More …
The Incense
My Father’s shonanoka (The Buddhist service held on the sixth day after cremation) came. A Buddhist monk came to my house to read a special Buddhist chant sutra for my father’s spirit. Read More …
The Hot Summer
The cicadas were too loud. The sky was bright and blue. The white cloud looked like a sofuto crimu (cold ice cream). It was a typical hot summer morning in the August. Read More …
