The Family’s Diplomatic Future

The Character of Rain

This flow traces Father’s diplomatic posting as a source of both the family’s Japanese life and its eventual displacement.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Arrival in Osaka Arrival in Osaka from "The Character of Rain". Arrival in Osaka A posting abroad Father leaves Belgium for a diplomatic assignment in Osaka. Japan quickly becomes the country he loves most.

Arrival in Osaka from "The Character of Rain". Arrival in Osaka A posting abroad Father leaves Belgium for a diplomatic assignment in Osaka. Japan quickly becomes the country he loves most.

Arrival in Osaka A posting abroad Father leaves Belgium for a diplomatic assignment in Osaka. Japan quickly becomes the country he loves most. A family in transition The posting places the family in a culture that will shape the Narrator (God)'s first memories. The parents’ work creates the home the child later fears losing.

Life in Shukugawa Life in Shukugawa from "The Character of Rain". Life in Shukugawa A settled household The family lives in a house in Shukugawa, surrounded by a garden and mountain landscape.

Life in Shukugawa from "The Character of Rain". Life in Shukugawa A settled household The family lives in a house in Shukugawa, surrounded by a garden and mountain landscape.

Life in Shukugawa A settled household The family lives in a house in Shukugawa, surrounded by a garden and mountain landscape. Daily life includes Japanese customs, local nannies, and the children’s school lives. Belonging grows The setting becomes the Narrator (God)'s emotional homeland. A diplomatic assignment has created a childhood world that feels permanent to the child.

Father’s Noh Apprenticeship Father’s Noh Apprenticeship from "The Character of Rain". Father’s Noh Apprenticeship A demanding commitment Father trains with a master every morning, balancing a diplomatic career with the discipline of traditional…

Father’s Noh Apprenticeship from "The Character of Rain". Father’s Noh Apprenticeship A demanding commitment Father trains with a master every morning, balancing a diplomatic career with the discipline of traditional…

Father’s Noh Apprenticeship A demanding commitment Father trains with a master every morning, balancing a diplomatic career with the discipline of traditional performance. The choice grows from courtesy but becomes an enduring devotion. A divided public identity To the Narrator (God), Father’s job remains mysterious and his artistic life initially sounds alarming. Father’s Japan contains dimensions that the child can only partly understand.

A Posting Must End A Posting Must End from "The Character of Rain". A Posting Must End The parents’ constraint Mother explains that Father’s career requires the family to leave Japan eventually.

A Posting Must End from "The Character of Rain". A Posting Must End The parents’ constraint Mother explains that Father’s career requires the family to leave Japan eventually.

A Posting Must End The parents’ constraint Mother explains that Father’s career requires the family to leave Japan eventually. The child argues that Belgium is too far away to punish him if he refuses. Duty against desire Diplomatic service gives Father a professional obligation that outweighs the child’s wish to stay. The family’s next destination is unknown, making the threat especially difficult to grasp.

The Departure Deferred The Departure Deferred from "The Character of Rain". The Departure Deferred A temporary reprieve Father says the family will remain in Japan for two or three more years.

The Departure Deferred from "The Character of Rain". The Departure Deferred A temporary reprieve Father says the family will remain in Japan for two or three more years.

The Departure Deferred A temporary reprieve Father says the family will remain in Japan for two or three more years. To the child, this is both comforting and unbearable, because the eventual departure remains certain. A permanent wound begins The delay does not restore the earlier sense of safety. The Narrator (God) starts to experience every additional year as precious time that will be taken back.

1967, before the Narrator (God)'s birth

By February 1970

During the Osaka assignment

At age three

After the first argument about leaving