Patriarchal narratives
Before 2016, how easy had it been to point out the sexist/racist remarks without making the commenter defensive or downright offensive? “It’s just locker-room talk.”“He doesn’t mean it.”“Not too bad.” […]
Awakening – 2016
The autumn I started untangling myself from D was when the country was at the crossroad to choose the new commander in chief between two candidates. Even to an observer […]
Outcome
I didn’t go back to see the exam result for the Business Dept. the next day. I didn’t even review answers, so there was no way I passed. A few […]
Exam result
The exam results were to be sent by mail, but it was customary to put up the bulletin board on campus to announce accepted students. There’d be a group of […]
Entrance exams
As the new year was approaching, the third-year students started to apply for universities. One exam cost about 30,000 yen ($300), but many students applied to 3 to 10 schools. […]
Free women in the library
What got me through the confinement of high school was the hope of leaving the first 18 years of my life behind. I studied hard. I was exhausted and would […]
Impressing the impressive
I lost touch with Izumi after high school, and then she emailed me seven years later when Miki invited both of us to her wedding. We talked on the phone […]
Izumi’s path
By the third year in high school, my energy was at the record low. I started to be absent from school frequently, and when I went to school, I took […]
Toxic parents
My relationship with my parents was toxic. My father only spoke to me when he was drunk. He would enjoy provoking me with hurtful words, and when he was doing […]
Miki’s dream
I had expected all the girls in the school wanted to go to university, as it was one of the top schools in the district. But Miki was different. She […]