Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa ask

 

So many images flood my mind as I close the cover of this tender book. I see bottles of pale blue soda, called Fressy; a pygmy hippopotamus named Pochiko; a brown Mercedes driven by a suave and elegant uncle; and an asthmatic girl named Mina, whose presence is not only in the cover, but throughout the entire novel.

Mina’s cousin, Tomoko, has come to live with her family. In this way, her mother can continue her education in order to gain a better job. It is during her stay with her relatives, that Tomoko relates the family’s lives. There is Grandmother Rosa, from Germany, who is Mina’s grandmother; her mother, and two gentle Japanese people who help care for the home:  Yoneda-san, the cook, and Kobayashi-san, the gardener.

It is an innocent tale, told by a thirteen year old middle school girl. She tells of the special room where Mina takes “light-baths” to help combat her asthma. She tells of going to the library for Mina, who is far too fragile to make the trip herself, and checking out books such as The House of Sleeping Beauties by Kawabata. The librarian is impressed by Tomoko’s knowledge, which is really only a repetition of Mina’s interpretations.

I am charmed by Mina riding Pochiko to school, in a harness her father has created especially for this purpose. Her father, the president of Fressy, the owner of the aforementioned Mercedes, can do anything. He makes the family laugh. He fixes whatever needs to be repaired. He is endlessly patient and sophisticated. But, he often goes away for long periods of time with no explanation.

That is when his wife goes to the smoking room and quietly drinks her whiskey.

But, when Tomoko makes a discovery, everything seems to change. He stays home. Mina gets better. Life continues, even to the last Christmas celebration that Grandmother Rosa prepares. One with stuffed chicken, a real tree filled with ornaments, and lit candles in every candlestick the house contains. 

I will leave another surprise for you, which is what Mina does with the matchboxes she collects. 

This is a book which most certainly should be included in your Japanese literature awareness. It was a marvelous way to begin the Japanese Literature Challenge 18, as well as the New Year 2025.