“Ojiichan’s Gift” by Chieri Uegaki and Genevieve Simms

“Ojiichan’s Gift” tells the story of a girl named Mayumi and her grandfather, who she calls Ojiichan (pronounced: o-gee-chahn) is a Japanese word for Grandpa. Mayumi lives half-way around the world from Japan. She spends two months in Japan every summer, learning from her grandfather how to take care of his beautiful Japanese garden. A Japanese-style garden does not have any flowers or grassy areas, it is made out of big rocks and pebbles, delicately curated alongside neatly cut bushes and trees. Mayumi enjoys raking the most. She enjoys making patterns stroking the pebbles to make wavy, zigzag, and straight lines. She also learns to make rings around the rocks which appear like waves in water. One summer, Mayumi returns to Japan and realizes everything has changed around Ojiichan’s house. The garden was a mess. Ojiichan is now in a wheelchair and can no longer live in his house. Mayumi, visibly upset, kicks the gravel away to let go of her frustrations. Yet in the end, she finds that raking the garden is the least she could do. While raking, Mayumi is inspired to make a gift for Ojiichan, which is a lacquered bento box (lunch box) that houses a miniature garden. She also makes one for herself to take home, to share a piece of home with her beloved Ojiichan.

This book speaks volumes to me for two reasons: 1) Like Mayumi, I am also a person of Japanese descent who spent a good amount of time of childhood and adulthood away from Japan and my grandparents, 2) I am a parent of a child of Japanese descent, who will experience Japan and time with grandparents in small spurts like Mayumi. When you’re young, grandparents never seemed to age. They appear to be “old” but somehow youthful forever. Then a few years pass, and you realize that a few years in your youth amounts to much more progressive decay for an elderly person. The story reminds me of the time when I became upset that I could not be near my grandparents who suddenly seemed to lose their mobility and needed help around the house. As a parent, it makes me wonder if my child will face this same pain in her future. Equally, it makes me ponder how I could bridge her connection to her Japanese grandparents while they spend many months away from each other.

Written so beautifully and deeply, “Ojiichan’s Gift” inspires readers to embrace family time. This book speaks to families that live far away from grandparents, but it also speaks to this time of pandemic where everyone is spending many months away from each other. The story is a gentle reminder to cherish every moment you have together and to keep your loved ones close, even when you are physically distant. 

“Ojiichan’s Gift”の主人公マユミは両親と遠い外国で暮らしていて、日本に帰れるのは毎年学校が休みの二ヶ月間だけ。その間、彼女はおじいちゃんの日本庭園の手入れを楽しく学んでいます。大きくなるにつれ手伝えることも増え、最初は庭の世話もすっかり上手になったマユミ。ですがある夏のこと、日本に帰ってきたマユミは庭園を見てがっかりしてしまいます。おじいちゃんが足を悪くして車椅子で生活することになり、庭園を手入れ出来なくなってしまったのです。いつも帰ってくる家とは違う景色に戸惑うマユミ。それでも何かしようと、マユミは庭園の手入れを始めます。居心地の良い場所から離れて暮らす辛さを誰よりも理解している彼女は、おじいちゃんのためにお弁当箱を使ったミニ庭園を贈ります。そして自分用にもう一つ同じものを。遠く離れていても通じ合っていたいというマユミの願いが込められたプレゼントに感動させられます。

子供にとって祖父母や近所のおじさん、おばさん、という存在は大きいものでしょう。「老い」や年齢を感じ取らない子供にとって、老人は見た目ではすでに年寄りで、中身は若々しく見えるものだと思います。私自身、二十代に入るまでは祖父母の老いは気に留めませんでした。ですがある年急に怪我が増えたり、入退院が増えたりと一変して実感したことを今でも覚えています。このお話に出てくるマユミと同じく、私の娘も夏休みや冬休みだけしか祖父母に会えません。マユミとおじいちゃんの間には日本庭園の世話という共通の趣味がありましたが、娘と私の父にはどんな共通点がこれから生まれるのだろう、とこの本を読んでふと考えさせられました。二人はマユミとおじいちゃんのように分かり合えるのだろうか。海外生活をしている方や日本国内でも遠くに離れて住んでいる家族も多いかも知れません。近くに住んでいても、コロナ禍の中会えずにいる家族もたくさんいるでしょう。この本を通じて、何か遠くにいても繋がり合える接点を探してみるのもいいかも知れませんね。