Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey (96 page)

I spoke to Okamisan one more time before we left, and thanked her for her hospitality. I told her we would return. I told her that even though the inn—not to mention all of T
hoku—had undergone tremendous hardship, and would no doubt continue to do so in the future, the fact that the
zashiki warashi
was doing her job meant that brighter days were still ahead. Otherwise, I said, she would be preparing to leave, and would not have appeared to my son or helped my husband. When we left the
ryokan
, I pictured an invisible, beautiful young girl in her kimono, standing under the cherry tree and watching us leave, before turning her attention to see who else might need her help.

THE END

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

A book is a journey, and I am grateful to the many people who helped me along the way. Thank you to Irene Skolnick, my agent, who said to me, “I think you are going to write a memoir one day.” You were right. Thank you to my editor, Alane Salierno Mason, for her early belief in this project and keen eye and intelligence. Anna Mageras kept us all on track. Additional thanks to Remy Cawley and Megha Majumdar, and to Mary Babcock for superb copyediting. Thank you everyone at Norton for bringing this book to life.

I am grateful to the Japan–United States Friendship Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, both of which made it possible for me to live in Japan in 2013. In particular, to Margaret Mihori, Christopher Blesdel, and Minami Imamura. Thank you to Endo Shigeru for his patience and kindness. A special thank you to Kaneta Tai
and to the staff at T
hoku University. Akasaka Norio and Hijikata Kisashi deepened my knowledge of T
hoku and folklore. Tokita Nobuhiko opened his beautiful temples and home to my family. Thank you to the many priests I met in Japan, including Minami Jikisai, K
ho Maruko, Nagaoka Shunjo, and Asano Masami. I greatly appreciate Hara Sanaeko’s wonderful hospitality.

Thank you to family and friends in Japan: Ogawa Ry
nosuke
and Momoe, Mita Semp
, Nobata Katsunari and Akemi, Nomoto Hideo, Sakurai Isao, and Morino Sakiko.

Special thanks to friends who knew just what to say when I needed to hear it: Maud Newton, Kaytie Lee, Hasanthika Sirisena, Tomas Morin, Ellis Avery, Jeffrey Lependorf, Michael Taeckens, and Laurence Hobgood. I am grateful to Marine Noguchi, Amanda Tranmer, Amelia Mockett, Lori Fromowitz, and the staff at Baachanchi. Saori Nishikawa and family and Sekiya, Hoon, and Ryko kept my spirits up with brunch, coffee, and friendship.

Thank you to Yuji Miyoshi for the use of his beautiful photograph of Mt. Osore, and to Ian Drummond for his creative input at an important moment.

Finally, a special thank you to my mother, who made everything possible. To my grandparents and my father—I will always miss you. Thank you to my husband, Gordon Drummond, for reading drafts and putting up with all the travel, and to Ewan Drummond for following me on so many adventures. May we all have many more adventures together.

ALSO BY MARIE MUTSUKI MOCKETT

Picking Bones from Ash: A Novel

Copyright © 2015 by Marie Mutsuki Mockett

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