• A Wonderful Memento

    I can’t for the life of me remember how I first heard about Teruko Okura, but maybe this ghostly appearance is appropriate to her work. Okura is one of Japan’s first female mystery writers (According to wikipedia, the first to be published in paperback. I have not confirmed this). She also has an amazing literary…

    Read the rest


  • The New Year

    The New Year

    It’s a bit strange to share a story about New Years while Tokyo is still in the clutches of the summer heat, but The New Year by Kanoko Okamoto will take you to the dusty, windswept streets of Ginza, 1937 regardless of the temperature. Kanoko Okamoto is maybe best known as the mother of artist…

    Read the rest


  • The Beauty of the Sky

    The Beauty of the Sky

    For Women in Translation Month this August, I’m planning to share a few short translations. These are all stories pieces available in the public domain and the Japanese can be found on Aozora Bunko. I’ll link to the specific texts at the end of each story as well. This first one is a really tiny…

    Read the rest