Memoir Excerpts

When we didn’t go into town, Otosan spent most of his time outside unless it was time to eat. Listen to find out why afternoon teatime was problematic.

Since I rarely drive, I don’t feel super confident behind the wheel. I know I can drive if I must, but I will find any excuse to get out of it. Living in Tokyo, even in the suburbs, I am spoiled by public transportation. With all the trains and buses, driving is unnecessary. When I…

It was a long drive to either hospital, so we didn’t visit Okasan every day. I knew that she would be OK and that the real reason I stayed in Hiroshima that summer was to be with Otosan. One of the days we stayed home and didn’t go to visit Okasan was my 43rd birthday.…

We used to visit Hiroshima 2-3 times a year. Once at the beginning of May for a string of national holidays coined Golden Week. Then again, in the middle of August for Obon, a time when ancestors are called back and honored. And a final visit at New Year’s when everyone in the family gathered…

After sensationalizing Otosan’s history, the TV show dramatized how Akira and I met years later working at a university. The scene ended with the actors playing Marci and Akira making a trip to Hiroshima to meet the parents. The story was left hanging, hinting that Otosan was strict and perhaps a little scary because of…

Before his mother’s surgery, Akira and I rarely talked about the future because we both already knew that someday the care of his parents would fall to us. That “someday” always seemed so far away, especially when his parents were so capable. I didn’t question the “someday” plan because in Japanese families, traditionally, the eldest…