This was an interesting story that takes place in Japan from pre-WWII to the mid-60s. The story skips around in time a little bit and there are quite of few Japanese terms used through out the story, which wasn't a bad thing but I found that I got confused sometimes as to who was who and what some of the terms meant. I did learn a lot about Sumo wrestling, Noh Theater and the effects of the bombs on Japan on the lives of the typical Japanese family. I enjoyed learning more about aspects of the Japanese culture that I knew nothing about before. Overall, it thought it was a good read. My reading group had a lively and interesting conversation about this one because several members were alive during the war or right after it and they had interesting insights and memories that the book brought out.