My mother was born in Utashinai, the smallest city in Japan. Utashinai has only one high school and two hotels. But what it lacked in options, it made up for in beauty. The winters were pristine. Travelers would come from all over to ski on the spectacular slopes. But the best thing about Utashinai was the quiet. It was a great place to get away from the frenzy of Tokyo. While most residents enjoyed small town life, my mother, Mayako, hated it. She dreamed of being in the big city. She longed to spread her wings and see what the world had to offer. When she was sixteen, she got her chance. The
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