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

The rest of Shota's voyage was perfect, a wonderful sail, with all the excitement of a foreign county attached. He'd been tired from all the action, but pushed through to enjoy his adventure. He didn't think he'd done very much, not like Captain Minoru. Not nearly as much as Azuki-chan and Tsuruko-san, and certainly not as much as Princess Renko.


All of them together hadn't done as much as the two adult dragons. The dragons had made a peace, too, a peace that ended the current conflict. Uncle was involved in that somehow.


Shota re-lived every thrilling second of the voyage to Pusan and back with every telling of his tale. He had many wonderful stories of the sights, sounds and sparrows of Pusan, and now he was home.


Chapter 77