The Street of a Thousand Blossoms A Novel [Paperback]

It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows early signs of promise at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of Noh theater masks.

But as the ripples of war spread to their quiet neighborhood, the brothers must put their dreams on holdand forge their own paths in a new Japan. Meanwhile, the two young daughters of a renowned sumo master find their lives increasingly intertwined with the fortunes of their father's star pupil, Hiroshi.

The Street of a Thousand Blossomsis a powerfully moving masterpiece about tradition and change, loss and renewal, and love and family from a glorious storyteller at the height of her powers.

1. Tradition plays an important role in THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS,and one way for traditions to be passed down from generation to generation is through storytelling. Discuss various stories in the novel and their significance for some of the characters.

2. What lessons do Hiroshi and Kenji learn from their grandparents, and how do those lessons serve them in a changing world? How would you compare the marriage between Yoshio and Fumiko to those of their grandsons?

3. Even though no one in the novel ever fights on a battlefield, in what ways does the war shape their lives? How might their lives have been different if there had been no war?

4. Yoshio tells his grandsons on page 23: Just remember&.Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you're fighting for. What implications does this have for Hiroshiwho literally becomes a great fighteras well as for other characters in the story?

5. Both Kenji and Aki feel like ghosts among the living. In what other ways are they similarand different? Why do you think Kenji survives, while Aki gives up?

6. Art and beauty are obviously central in the lives of Kenji and Akira,l#-