When a devastating tsunami strikes Kenta's village his beloved soccer ball is swept away and washes up on a beach on the other side of the world.

Soon after a young girl arrives in Japan, she, her grandmother, her aunties, and some cousins celebrate cultural traditions together while visiting a bath house.

After many years of retirement, an old Kamishibai man--a Japanese street performer who tells stories and sells candies--decides to make his rounds once more even though such entertainment declined after the advent of television.

Wink loves being the most famous ninja in Japan but when he needs a nap his fans will not leave him alone, and so he seeks guidance from his former teacher, Master Zutsu.

After Jiro encounters a life-like garden statue of a tall bird, he falls asleep and dreams of the story his mother once told him about a grateful crane.

When Yoko's grandparents send her a beautful antique doll all the way from Japan, Yoko the cat couldn't be happier. She places Miki on a windowsill and brings her candy every day. On Girls' Festival Day, Yoko wants to show Miki to her class and tell them all about the Japanese holiday. In her Big No voice Mama says, "We don't trouble trouble or trouble will trouble us." But Yoko is so excited about Girls' Day that she can't resist taking Miki to school....

Fox loves looking out over the village from his forest home, but he gets curious when he sees that Kikuchi's sushi restaurant always has a line out the door. Sushi must be delicious. When Fox goes to investigate, Kikuchi teaches him all about sushi-how to prepare rice for it, how to catch fish for it, and, most important, how to eat it! Adorable illustrations portray Fox's story, and pages in the back provide added information about sushi and Japan....

A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America which he later also undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries.