The Street of a Thousand Blossoms [B1822]

2008 PB in nice clean condition. It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows early signs of promise at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of Noh theater masks. But as the ripples of war spread to their quiet neighborhood, the brothers must put their dreams on hold--and forge their own paths in a new Japan. Meanwhile, the two young daughters of a renowned sumo master find their lives increasingly intertwined with the fortunes of their father's star pupil, Hiroshi. The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is a powerfully moving masterpiece about tradition and change, loss and renewal, and love and family from a glorious storyteller at the height of her powers.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This book is a beautiful immersion into Japan between 1939-1966. Through the story we learn about the customs, the challenges of history and the humble resilience of a nation and its people. There was a strong sense of place, the street of a thousand blossoms, and of the seasons. beyond the tragedy and futility of war there was a beautiful focus on resilience, love, and beauty. That was really what this book was about. There was a full circle moment that I did not realize was there until I finished it and looked again at the opening chapter. It was a day of no regrets... And what do you see? So much beauty."; "This book was great, but also sad, and the ending absolutely devasted me."; "I love this book more and more the farther I get from reading it. I think about it all of the time. Sometimes the pace went too slow, but overall it was amazing and I learned a lot about Japanese culture and history."