Sensei: teacher
Shogun: early military commander appointed by the emperor
Clothing
Geta: wooden clogs raised on platform soles
Kimono: long robe with wide sleeves
Obi: broad band around waist of kimono tied with large bow in back
Obi-jime: narrow tie to hold obi in place and support the bow
Dolls
Gofun: oyster shell mixture to cover doll’s face and hands
Hinamatsuri: girls’ festival with treasured sets of dolls including emperor, empress, and court
Hina ningyo: human-like doll for girls’ festival
Kokeshi: limbless cylindrical wooden doll with painted kimono and round head
Torei Ningyo: Dolls of Return Gratitude
House
Fusuma screen: sliding door used to separate rooms
Koto: stringed musical instrument held flat to play
Shoji screen: a light sliding door or window made of translucent paper over wood frame
Tatami: floor mat woven of rice stems
Expressions
Arigato: thank you
Arigatogozaimasu: more formal, thank you very much
Gomen: casual apology, sorry
Gomenasai: apology, I’m sorry
Hai: yes
Konnichiwa: good afternoon
Sumimasen: formal apology used for older people or superiors
Miscellaneous
Bento box: lunch box
Futon: padded mattress with heavy cover that can be folded away during the day
Haiku: a three-line poem with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third
Hara-kiri: formal suicide with sword
Kanji: characters used in written Japanese
Omiai: an arranged meeting where a couple to be married may meet for the first time
Shamisen: three-stringed musical instrument resembling a lute
Tsunami: enormous ocean surge, usually due to earthquake; can be devastating
Yen, Rin, Sen: early forms of money, with yen the most valuable; rin and sen are no longer used
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2015 by Shirley Parenteau
Cover illustration copyright © 2015 by Kelly Murphy
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
First electronic edition 2015
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2014954534
Candlewick Press
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Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
visit us at www.candlewick.com
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