Okayamakko

This book is a translation of all the award-winning essays written by Japanese junior high school students and the editor's commentaries that appeared in the 60th Anniversary Collection of Okayamakko (literally Okayama children), published by the Okayama Teachers' Union and the Editorial Committee of Okayamakko in 2012. In their essays, children examine the various aspects of their families, friends, the natural world, and the society that surrounds them with a straightforward gaze and capture these elements with honesty and rich sensibility. The purpose of this book is to share these diverse voices of Japanese children with the world and to promote international understanding of Japan. The real picture of Japan cannot be seen only from its major industries, popular tourist attractions, and famous cultural assets. The lives of ordinary children living in Okayama, a region of Japan, are also a life-sized version of real Japan. We hope that both children and the young at heart will enjoy reading this book, which is the fruit of more than half a century of steady education in composition as a form of human education.