childhood memories

In this memory, I’m about ten. I’m walking down the street with my mother when we come across the mother of someone we know. She and my mother start chatting, and after a while, I hear a question. “Do you have any sibling?” That routine question. I almost sigh because I know exactly how this […]

In this memory, I’m twelve years old. We are in the middle of a large family gathering at my aunt’s house, and I’m sitting at the dining table with my grandmother. Suddenly, she mentions my late little brother who passed away when he was turning three. She tells me about the day he was born

I’m four years old in this memory. One summer day, I’m staring at the kitchen floor of our tiny half-dilapidated apartment. I’d just slithered on my stomach from the living room, and now, half of my body is sprawled on the kitchen floor while the other half remains in the living room. The cool touch

In this memory, I’m four years old. I’m in the backroom of our tiny half-dilapidated apartment, lying on my stomach with my eyes pressed against the floor. Several shiny green strips mark the gaps between the Japanese straw mats covering the floor, and one of them is right in front of my eyes. These green

In this memory, I’m nine years old. One hot summer day, I’m sitting in the hallway playing with marbles. Next to me is my father, sprawled on the floor reading a book. We are both waiting for our guests to arrive. Today, my father’s good old friend will be visiting us from Tokyo with his

When I was about twelve, a solar eclipse crossed Japan including my hometown. Though partial, it was said to be significant enough for people to see the sky darken for a short period of time. That morning, I was studying at my dining table sitting next to my mother when the phone rang. It was

My earliest memories begin somewhere around the time when I turned three. Compared to my later memories, they are sporadic, and the scenes I do remember tend to be blurry. Among those blurs, however, are a few scenes that stand out with vivid clarity. I believe I was three in this memory. One bright sunny

When I was about seven, a new bookstore opened near my house. In the suburb where we lived, we didn’t have many bookstores, most of which were secondhand, so, the news of a new firsthand bookstore sparked interest in all of us. One weekend afternoon, shortly after the store opened, my family made our first

In this memory, I’m five years old. One winter morning, I find my mother in the tiny balcony of our half-dilapidated apartment, hanging blankets on the railing. She does this whenever it’s sunny outside, but today is the first time I’m intrigued by it. As I gaze at the thick blankets swaying loosely in the

I’m about four in this memory. I’m visiting my maternal grandmother’s house, and one day, I beg my elder cousin to take me out to an event happening in the city centre. I know she has a car and can drive me there. She’s taken me to different places in her car before. Today, however,