Tomo: Friendship through Fiction: An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories Paperback – March 6, 2012

Editor Holly Thompson and Stone Bridge Press pulled this collection of mostly original stories and translations together in less than a year, in time for the anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, but there is nothing slapdash about it. This is a book that will endure.Thirty-six writers (plus 10 translators) contributed a dazzling variety of stories featuring ninja, scientists, baseball players, yokai (spirits), pop stars, Little-Bo-Beep-look-alike Harajuku girls, and ordinary kids. Interestingly, a lot of writers chose to write across gender.It's impossible for me to choose a favorite, or even favorites, but I especially enjoyed Andrew Fukuda's "Lost," about an amnesiac girl post-earthquake; "Aftershocks" by Ann Slater, about the reverberations of the 3/11 disasters in a bicultural family in Tokyo; "Kodama," an illustrated story in notebook form by Debbie Ridpath Ohi; and "Fleecy Clouds" by Arie Nashiya. But ask me tomorrow, and I might name different stories. I enjoyed every single one.The proceeds of this book will benefit teens in northeastern Japan who survived the earthquake and tsunami.

Hats off to Holly Thompson for conceiving the idea and then implementing it in this wonderful anthology. Great stories. I hope that it will be a huge success for the young people affected by the quake and tsunami in Tohoku. Congratulations! Tenki Davis Tomo: Friendship through Fiction: An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories

This project, based a collection of young adult short stories, verse, and graphic stories, is very ambitious. It brings together well-known writers with those who are just starting out, and proceeds are benefiting the Japanese NPO, Hope for Tomorrow, which helps young entrepreneurs in Tohoku. The word tomo means friend in Japanese.This book spans basically all the major genres of Japanese literature - from ninjas to ghosts to verse to blog posts and everything in between. You would think that a book that does that would be either academic and huge or completely haphazard. But somehow editor Holly Thompson has managed to put together a book that is not only very current but also unified despite the different styles. The threads of hope and bonds (kizuna) weave through the stories and the varying characters, tying them together without any repetition.This is a young adult book, so naturally the pitter patter of young love is a constant theme and is described adeptly by Thersa Matsuura in The Zodiac Tree and Sarah Ogawa in One. The superstitions of Japan are illuminated well in The Ghost Who Came To Breakfast from Alan Gratz and Yamada-san's Toaster by Kelly Luce. Relationships between teens and their parents are convincingly portrayed in House of Trust by Sachiko Kashiwaba (translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa) and I Hate Harajuku Girls by Katrina Toshiko Grigg-Saito. Somehow, Debbie Ohi is able to pull in all of these elements in her handwritten (graphic?) story, Kodama, and it is extremely accessible due to the format (sketchbook entry).I love historical fiction so The Bridge to Lillooet from Trevor Kew, about young people in internment camps in WW2 Canada playing baseballe with local Mounties, has whet my appetite for more, as did supernatural mystery Staring at the Haiku, about antique dolls who confound young ghostbloggers, from John Paul Catton.The writers are good at introducing other parts of Japanese literature into English as well. Louise George Kittaka shows the cheesy puns beloved of old Japanese men and television producers all over this country. Science-fiction story Anton and Kiyohime by Fumio Takano and translated by Hart Larrabee incorporates an exciting nagauta. Mariko Nagai's poem uses the onomatopeia Japanese verse is most famous for as well as being a joy to read out. Also, I was thrilled to read my first Ainu story, transcribed by Yukie Chiri and translated by Deborah Davidson.Thompson chose to place the disaster-related stories at the beginning of the book and I really appreciate this decision. There is no white-washing of the enormity of this event, but the message I got was that the youth of Japan are going to move beyond it. This collection of stories leaves the reader with an amazing sense of hope for the future of Japan.It's nigh on impossible trying to pick the best of this great bunch. This is not only a great book commemorating the spirit of the Tohoku people, it is a darn good read, and the English book I would recommend first to anyone who wants to dip their toes into Japanese literature.

Tomo is a charity anthology (in the wake of the recent tsunami) that brings together a wide range of voices writing about young people related to Japan in some way. Japanese, ex-pat, male, female, young, old, professional and amateur; the authors of this anthology represent a varied array of experiences with disasters, youth, and Japan.Holly Thompson, whom I know from the fabulous children's book, "Wakame Gatherers" (which never fails to make me cry when I read it) edited the anthology.It's well worth reading. There are "slice of life" stories along with stories of the fantastic, folktales. classics (Kenji Miyazawa), manga, and poetry.You won't get bored.The story opens with Andrew Fukuda's "Lost", about a girl awakening after a disaster who has lost her memory and must start over.But it is the last stories of the anthology (in the section titled "Families and Connections") that resonated with me the most. (No surprise as I am married to a Tokyo boy and have two bicultural/biracial daughters forming their own identities in the US)."The Law of Gravity" by Yuko Katakawa and translated by Deborah Iwabuchi features the voice of a young Japanese man, Kai, who is questioning the "perfect son" role he has played all his life for his parents; who all but ignore his little sister, Maika. It is Maika who ends up giving Kai a reason for continuing, and it is in their relationship that I find a bitter hope; parents can never really know the life of their children, but siblings can sometimes be the greatest support to eachother."Paper Lanterns" by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill uses the conceit of a dead friend who accompanies a haafu (biracial) girl to visit her grandparents in Japan to be the voice of the "clueless foreigner." The snarky voice of the dead friend clashing with the half-exasperated, half-embarassed voice of Mina as she explains funerary customs brings to light the complicated ways we deal with grief."I Hate Harajuku Girls" by Katrina Toshiko Grigg-Saito is a tale of another biracial girl, for the first time in Japan confronting in reality the place her beloved father had only shown her in tales. She attempts to come to terms with fer father's death by finding a certain shrine he loved, and instead confronts some stereotypes."Peace on Earth" features Taiga, a biracial son of an American mother and Japanese father living in Tokyo after the earthquake and tsunami. While the world around them begins to recover from disaster, Taiga's family also deals with upsets and differences. This story really hit home for me; especially the descriptions of the sacrifices each parent makes for the other's country, as well as the mundane things such as blueberry pancakes vs. Miso soup and rice for breakfast!This Book's Snack Rating: a smorgasbord of voice, styles, and genres all flowing together into a thoughtful feast on youth, disaster, and Japan.

日本人著者の一人です。読者の便宜のため、目次を掲載いたします。Foreword: One Year After -HollyThompsonLost -Andrew FukudaShuya's Commute - Liza DalbyHalf Life -Deni Y. BichardKazoku -Tak ToyoshimaAftershocks -Ann Tash SlaterBad Day for Baseball -Graham SalisburyHalf a Heart -Mariko NagaiThe Bridge to Lillooet -Trevor KewBlue Shells -Naoko Awa, translated by Toshtya KameiBorne by the Wind -Charles De WolfThe Ghost Who Came to Breakfast -Alan Gratzouse of Trust -Sachiko Kashiwaba, translated by Avery Fischer UdagawaStaring at the Haiku -John Paul CattonKodama -Debbie Ridpath Ohi"Where the Silver Droplets Fall" transcribead and translated from Ainuinto Japanese by Yukie Chiri, translateda nd illustrated by Deborah DavidsonYamada-san's Toaster -Kelly LuceJet Black and the Ninja Wind -Leza Lowitz and Shogo OketaniHachiro -Ryusuk Seaito, translated by Sako IkegamiThe Lost Property Office -Marji NapperAnton and Kiyohime -Fumio Takano, Translated by Hart LarrabeeLove Right on the Yesterday -WendyN elsonT okunaga2 27The Dragon and the Poet -Kenji Miyazawa , translatedb　Misa Dikengil LindbergJust Wan-derful 　 　-Louise　George　KittakaIchinichi on the Yamanote -Claire DawnA Song for Benzaiten -Catherine Rose TorresFleecy Clouds -Arie Nashiya, translated by Juliet Winters CarpenterThe Zodiac Tree -Thersa MatsuuraOne -Sarah OgawaLove Letter -Megumi Fujino, translated by Lynne E. RiggsSigns -Kaitlin StainbrookWings on the Wind -Yuichi Kimura, translated by Alexander O.Smith .The Law of Gravity -Yuko Katakawa, translated by Deborah IwabuchiThe Mountain Drum -Chloe DalbyPaper Lanterns -Jennifer Fumiko CahillI Hate Harajuku Girls -Katrina Toshiko Grigg-SaitoPeace on Earlh -Suzanne Kamata2012年3月の時点で、日本語版作成中。出版社、企業協賛など、ご協力を！　東北の子供たちもおなじものが読めますように！、

Published exactly a year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Northern Japan in March, 2011, this stunning collection covers all the bases: There is truly something in here for all tastes, with themes ranging from family and friendship, love and war, to science fiction and the supernatural. Several of the stories have been translated from the original Japanese, but the majority have been specially written for "Tomo". While the stories are aimed at young adults and feature teenage protagonists, this book can be equally enjoyed by adults.I have gifted copies of "Tomo" to friends in such diverse places as New Zealand, Sweden and Singapore, and all remarked on how much they enjoyed the collection. Whether you have an interest in Japan, or are simply looking for high-quality fiction that is both timeless and fresh, then "Tomo" will not disappoint! Moreover, everyone involved in the book, including the editor, writers and translators, donated their time and effort for free to the project. Proceeds from sales of "Tomo" will be used to support young people in areas affected by the earthquake.