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

Noriko nearly ran the rest of the way through the woods. She had carefully schooled gaits for silence, to eliminate the rhythm of normal steps, to confound those searching for footprints, and the one she used now, to move very quickly without making that apparent to an onlooker who only saw her and didn't pace her. She arrived back at the Inn just as Toyoda-san did, but before Yuta returned. She calmed her breathing and her mind and body with it as she went to procure refreshments and ready the books for the Inn's owner.


"The police questioned me. Me!" the querulous woman announced after being settled on a cushion in the lounge area with a pot of tea and a tray of special cakes.


"I heard about that," Noriko said after greeting her. "I was told what happened, but I personally heard nothing." That wasn't even a lie. She heard nothing because she was among those making the noise.


Chapter 123