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Make Japan (or Japanese culture) an element of your story.

Posted in Narrative on Mar 24, 2023

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✍️ 37 stories

Grateful Nuisance

Submitted to Contest #191

Arigatameiwaku: when someone does a favor for you that you didn’t want or ask for, and the favor causes you trouble, but social customs require you to express gratitude regardless. A Japanese word made up of ‘arigatai’ (‘grateful)’ and ‘meiwaku’ (‘nuisance’). “I’m going to help,” said Doug. Melanie could almost hear him beaming through the phone, proud of his own selfless offer. “Oh no, dad - there’s really no need. We have everything under control - ” “No, no,” he insisted. “I’ll help. I have all this free time now. What else would I ...

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Yuuna’s Ghost

Submitted to Contest #191

Suggested by, ‘101 Zen Koans,’ by Secret of Zen. Riku’s young wife, Yuuna, became ill. The doctor’s tried everything but told Riku to prepare, her death was nigh. Riku loved Yuuna deeply. Seeing her suffer tortured him. He gladly tended to her smallest need until she was gone. When she became too weak to stand, she said, “I may not last the night. But I’ll always be with you. Promise me, you won’t find another woman. If you do, I’ll haunt your memories and bring you trouble all your days.” Yuuna passed away that night. Riku mourned her...

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Killer Capuchin

Submitted to Contest #191

Wearing a fur collared kimono (which in Japanese refers to all traditional clothing), Shigeru braved the snow biting at his face. Fuka-gatsu, boots woven from barley straw kept his feet warm as they left deep imprints in the white powder. Looking up from the pristine ground before him rewarded Shigeru with a snowflake in the eye. He flinched, slipping on ice beneath the snow. His chestnut brown eyes blinked as he caught himself. Bone chilling cold snuck through his gloves in a heartbeat. Jumping back up, the hunter brushed the snow from his ...

22 likes 32 comments 32
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FALL SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP EIGHT

Submitted to Contest #191

“What’s that?”“I don’t see anything.”“There! It’s right there! Look! It’s green!”“Corey, it’s nothing. It’s probably just parsley.”“I can’t eat it.” “Honey, this is a very nice restaurant. They made this especially for you. It’s just pasta and butter.”“Then what’s that green thing?”“Here, let’s just take it out.”“But it’s already touched everything!”“Waiter?”It was about to happen again. I just could not fathom how a couple of foodies, avid students of life with a profound appreciation for great food a...

21 likes 17 comments 17
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Expat Stories: An Auction in Osaka

Submitted to Contest #191

In Osaka, during the first week of my new job, the only work I’ve done is to buy flowers. The rest of the time, I sit inside Ishikawa Real Estate’s small and crowded office, waiting for something to do while flipping through a manga under my desk, studying Japanese, and trying not to bother any of the real estate agents.The owner walks in. Everyone sits up at their desks. Like a commanding general, Mr Ishikawa has gray hair, rock solid posture, and an aura of extreme confidence. He looks amused each morning to see an American working for his...

21 likes 15 comments 15
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even your mistakes

Submitted to Contest #191

— whoosh —The 12-foot tenkara fly-fishing bamboo-rod whipped through the air, releasing the thin line that touched down in the stream over twenty feet away.The rising sun painted the sakura cherry blossoms in the rose color of dawn, reflecting a light pink sheen in the old man’s steel-gray hair.The old man knew the water was too cold for the trout to be active and biting, but he loved the sunrise, the cool air of early spring, everything opening up to life again. The world was young.I feel alive, he thought.“Hel...

19 likes 11 comments 11
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Wildflower

Submitted to Contest #191

Jenny steadied herself with her left hand as she squatted among the rubble. With her right hand, she tried to push aside a slab of siding jammed against the remains of the patio table. She’d taken off her work gloves when the insurance agent stopped by, and then plunged back into the debris, forgetting where she’d set them. With shards of glass covering the ground, she moved cautiously. But she thought she’d seen a familiar bit of red ceramic among the jumble of splintered boards and branches. She kept pushing through bits and pieces. One ...

16 likes 7 comments 7
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Lost Moment

Submitted to Contest #191

Travel by Tokyo Metro is an experience. Initially it looks very confusing as compared to the metros in Paris and Stockholm, but once, one gets a hang of things it is indeed a pleasure to travel by it. The Tokyo Metro has come a long way since Tokyo Underground Railway Company opened the first subway section between Asakusa and Ueno. I feel that one can get a bird’s eye view of Japanese society on some sectors, while travelling in the subway trains. Tokyo Metro’s Ginza, Kyobashi, Toranomon, Gaienmae and Aoyama-Itchome stations now presen...

14 likes 1 comment 1
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A Whisper Amongst the Petals

Submitted to Contest #191

(A side-story to: Might as Well Have Been Wind in the Bells) I only came to the village for a look, fraternizing with humans has been highly discouraged throughout my life. But I find myself standing stock still, just outside town. Something’s calling to me, an electric feel in the air. I can’t place it. My keen eyes flicker across the landscape, searching for the source. The scenery is mountainous and green, full of beautiful rock formations and ornamented with twisted trees and bushes. The scene is alluring and peaceful, and yet, uns...

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Sakura's Spring Festivities

Submitted to Contest #191

Once upon a time, in the beautiful country of Japan, there lived a young girl named Sakura. She was named after the beautiful cherry blossom tree that blooms every spring in Japan. Sakura had always loved this time of year when the cherry blossoms would start to appear, and the entire country would come alive with festivities and celebrations. Every year, Sakura would eagerly wait for the cherry blossoms to start blooming. She loved watching the delicate pink and white petals slowly opening up, and she would spend hours sitting under the tre...

13 likes 1 comment 1
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Nozomi

Submitted to Contest #191

David O’Meara was a successful advertising executive with a large marketing firm on the east coast. He was well liked by his colleagues and subordinates, but outside of work he had no social life. He never married, rarely dated, and had no children. Most everyone knew David kept to himself. In fact, outside of a few random encounters in the park with colleagues, he wasn’t seen.David lived a mostly moderate life and never did anything in excess. He lived in a modest apartment albeit it was in the best high-rise in the city. He ate in most of ...

11 likes 8 comments 8
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The Heart of the Art Thief

Submitted to Contest #191

Part I: Blushing PetalsUnder the cherry blossom trees, the streets of Tokyo were abuzz with life as the blooming season painted the city in soft hues of pink. Hikari, a talented photographer with a penchant for capturing ephemeral moments, found solace in the delicate petals. Her camera hung around her neck like a trusted companion, each click preserving a memory.Hikari had always been captivated by the art of capturing moments in time. As a little girl growing up in Tokyo, she would often play with her father's old Polaroid camera, taking s...

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Haikus and the Shiba Inu Adventure

Submitted to Contest #191

This adventure hereIs told in Haiku poems Our story begins…The mountains sat quietInside the temple, he satThe Shiba InuBreathe in and breathe out It was meditation hourIt had been since dawnNash was his real name He was a trained and skilled dogHis master was Kai“Meditation done”“Time now to follow the ball”Kai threw Nash the ballNash caught it mid-airHe rolled it back panting hard“Remember your breath”“Tai Chi begins there”“You must respond not react”“We must be aware”The ball squeaked loudlyNash fought the urge to chase it“...

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A Taste of Japan

Submitted to Contest #191

Our friendship began with a lot of bitterness and no care for the beautiful culture I was going to show him but by the end, Kenny the tourist learned some things about Japanese culture. And I gave him something to return to. A Fantastic Culture. Chapter 1 - Sakura. I work as a tourist guide around Tokyo but I'd also go around other places too. This particular time I had to deal with the most annoying customer of all, Kenny, who didn't even bow when he met me. Now Kenny hasn't told me his name yet but so far all I've gotten from him is b...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Cherry Blossom On A Hill of Restless Hearts

Submitted to Contest #191

It was like I was trapped in a moment. Though she was warm against me, I felt like I was frozen in carbonite. Putting two things next two each other often highlights each others' personality traits, which explained why the beauty of Mount Pleasant High bloomed so brilliantly next to the Aaron Christopher, the reserved wallflower (aka me). She felt like a marshmallow with flesh, but somehow also felt like an anchor on my arm. It was like not wanting to move because a dog was sitting on my lap and I didn’t want to disturb the moment at perfect...

9 likes 4 comments 4
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