Rebecca Otowa heeft een leven opgebouwd op het platteland van Japan als beheerder van een eeuwenoude boerderij. Haar schrijven duikt in thema's van persoonlijke transformatie en het nastreven van een radicale nieuwe richting, geïnspireerd door haar eigen gedurfde overgangen. Otowa verkent de interactie tussen traditie en moderniteit, waarbij ze vaak de ritmes van het Japanse plattelandsleven contrasteert met de echo's van haar verleden. Haar vertelstem onderscheidt zich door zijn introspectieve diepgang en een diepe waardering voor de stille schoonheid die te vinden is in het dagelijks bestaan en familiale verbindingen.
An American fifth grader shares his immersive experience as an exchange student in Japan, documenting four thrilling months living with a Japanese family. Through engaging diary entries, he explores cultural elements such as food, customs, and school life, aided by his Japanese siblings. His adventures include making traditional dishes, learning origami, practicing Aikido, and visiting unique locales like a Ninja village. This vibrant narrative serves as an exciting and informative introduction to Japanese culture for young readers.
"Otowa has woven a series of delightful vignettes of life in Japan, from a true historical story of feuding villages to a man who steals shoes at temples…and some highlighting the cultural differences between Japanese and American sensibilities, especially for women." -- Ginny Tapley-Takemori, translator of Convenience Store WomanFrom the unique standpoint of an American woman who married into a Japanese family and has lived in Japan for more than thirty years, Rebecca Otowa weaves enchanting tales of her adopted home that portray the perspective of both the Japanese and the foreigner on the universal issues that face us all--love, work, marriage, death, and family conflict.The collection Illustrated throughout with the author's own black-and-white drawings, this captivating volume offers a unique and lovingly rendered insight into everyday life in modern Japan.
"This portrait of Japanese country life reminds us that at its core, a happy and healthy life is based on the bonds of food, family, tradition, community, and the richness of nature" —John Einarsen, Founding Editor and Art Director of Kyoto JournalWhat would it be like to move to Japan, leaving everyone you know behind, to become part of a traditional Japanese household? At Home in Japan tells an extraordinary true story of a foreign woman who goes through an amazing transformation, as she makes a move from a suburban lifestyle in California to a new life, living in Japan. She dedicates 30 years of her life as a housewife, custodian and chatelaine of a 350–year–old farmhouse in rural Japan.This astonishing book traces a circular path from were Rebecca began, to living under Japanese customs, from the basic day to day details of life in the house and village, through relationships with family, neighbors and the natural and supernatural entities with which the family shares the house. Rebecca Otowa then focuses on her inner life, touching on some of the pivotal memories of her time in Japan, the lessons in perception that Japan has taught her and the ways in which she has been changed by living in Japan.An insightful and compelling read, At Home in Japan is a beautifully written and illustrated reminiscence of a once simple life made extraordinary.
