Claire Youmans first went to Japan in 1992 and was immediately captivated.  After years of travel and study, she continues to be charmed and amazed by a fascinating history and a culture that's both endearingly quirky and entirely unique. She is a retired lawyer who now lives in Tokyo. Her family, including her daughter and two grandsons, live in Seattle, USA.

In 2014, she started Tales of the Meiji Era with The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy's unparalleled blend of historical fantasy in the first book of the series, Coming Home.  She continues exploring the combination of history and folklore to share her love and fascination with a very different country and culture. 

Exciting adventures continue to unfold in this delightful fantastical yet historical world as social and political changes expand, technology explodes, and two very unusual children grow up.  



The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy

Azuki, the Toki-girl, stood on the front gallery of their newly enlarged house clutching a neatly bound twig broom. Despite the lowering clouds, she could see over the compound wall down the hill where the horses, Blackie and Red Wind, pushed aside the last of the snow to graze on the first of the season's grass. She smiled and sniffed the freshening air. It was already a brand-new year! In the Lunar Calendar, New Year's marks the start of spring, and there were signs of it everywhere in swelling buds and hints of green.


Chapter 51