While obtaining a Western education at a prestigious Japanese boarding school in 1890, sixteen-year-old Toyo also receives traditional samurai training which has profound effects on both his baseball game and his relationship with his father.
Japan
Materials from Japan
Turtle Bay
Taro is fascinated by the strange actions of old Jiro-San, who sweeps the sand on the beach while waiting for the arrival of Japanese sea turtles ready to lay their eggs.
Grandpa’s Town
A young Japanese boy, worried that his grandfather is lonely, accompanies him to the public bath.
Chibi: A True Story From Japan
When a wild duck decides to make her nesting place in the Mitsui Office Park in downtown Tokyo, a news photographer becomes the duck’s devoted protector.
Girl From The Snow Country
Playing in the snow, Mi-chan forms small rabbits using leaves for ears and red berries from the market for eyes.
Kodomo: Children Of Japan
A lively introduction to the world of Japanese children draws on interviews with seven youngsters from Hiroshima and Kyoto to describe their education, sports, families, and many other activities, both traditional and modern.
Kensuke’s Kingdom
When Michael and his dog Stella are swept off his family’s yacht, they wash up on a desert island and are struggling to survive–until they realize they are not alone. Original illustrated version.
Kazunomiya: Prisoner Of Heaven
Princess Kazunomiya, half-sister of the Emperor of Japan, relates in her diary and in poems the confusing events occurring in the Imperial Palace in 1858, including political and romantic intrigue.
The Night Of The Fireflies
Toshio takes his sister, Miko, through the woods to the river, where they join other children in capturing fireflies and placing them in lanterns.
Zen Shorts
When Stillwater the giant panda moves into the neighborhood, the stories he tells to three siblings teach them to look at the world in new ways.