Japan

Materials from Japan

The Owl Who Wanted To See The Sun

There are birds that live under the light of the sun and others that only know the night. The owl was a great admirer of the moon. As a true night bird, she had no idea what the sun does. It was only natural, then, that the conversation of the great toad awoke her curiosity. A curiosity that kept growing until it dominated her completely. She had to see the sun, no one could stop her. But the adventure cost her dearly. Caught un an argument witha daytime bird, she ended up with exposing her vision to the sun’s rays, leading to a tragic end: the permanent loss of her vision. A tragedy in the animal world serves as a life lesson for the world of men.

Up From The Sea

On the day the tsunami strikes, Kai loses nearly everyone and everything he cares about. But a trip to New York to meet kids whose lives were changed by 9/11 gives him new hope and the chance to look for his estranged American father. Visiting Ground Zero on its tenth anniversary, Kai learns that the only way to make something good come out of disaster is to return and rebuild.

Somewhere Among

Eleven-year-old Ema has always been of two worlds–her father’s Japanese heritage and her mother’s life in America. She lives in Japan and has spent summers in California for as long as she can remember, but this year she and her mother are staying with her grandparents in western Tokyo as they await the arrival of Ema’s baby sibling.

Featured in WOW Review Volume IX, Issue 3.

The Monster On The Road Is Me

Koda Okita is a high school student in modern-day Japan who isn’t very popular. He suffers from narcolepsy and has to wear a watermelon-sized helmet to protect his head in case he falls. But Koda couldn’t care less about his low social standing. He is content with taking long bike rides and hanging out in the convenience store parking lot with his school-dropout friend, Haru.

Samurai Rising

When Yoshitsune was just a baby, his father went to war with a rival samurai family and lost. His father was killed, his mother captured, and his surviving half-brother banished. Yoshitsune was sent away to live in a monastery.

Samurai Rising is a WOW Recommends: Book of the Month for February 2017.

The Storm

A little boy is excited about a trip to the beach with his parents planned for the following day. But a bad storm is coming, and he has started to worry they won’t be able to go. He watches as the sky grows darker through the afternoon. His mother and father close the shutters and bring the potted plants indoors. Then the storm arrives.