Kao and Mirai

Kao and Mirai are mother and son living in Tokyo, Japan. They live in a house with a dog and Mirai’s dad. Grandmother lives next door. Kao and Mirai’s house has been standing since before the war. During World War II air raids, it was the only house in the neighbourhood that wasn’t burned down, so many people sheltered there. The house narrowly escaped destruction because an incendiary bomb happened to get stuck on a silver tray inside a wardrobe.

Kao treasures her memories of visiting her sister in Australia, especially memories of going on drives and swimming in the sea.

• NAKAYAMA Matsujiro