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 girl who became a toki, landed flat on her back on the practice mats of her Aunt Noriko's dojo. What had she done wrong? She looked up at her aunt by marriage, gasping for breath, the wind completely knocked out of her.


Noriko shook her head, then turned sharply to fix her nephew, the Sparrow-boy Shota, who snickered under his breath, with a gimlet gaze.


"Your turn next," she said, "And I won't pull my throw. Don't think you'll do better, because you won't." She turned back to Azuki.


"Do you know where you went wrong?" she asked, extending a hand to pull the girl to her feet. She didn't expect an answer  Azuki was still getting her breath back.


"Here." Noriko explained. "When I did this," she said, twisting her body and placing her left foot forward at an angle, "you should have extended your left foot."


Azuki gave her a quizzical gaze. Speaking was still a little too difficult.


Chapter 150