1. Filipinos – Japanese children – Personal narratives. 2. Filipinos – Japanese children – Social conditions. The sixteen personal essays by young Japanese-Filipinos in this collection consist of diverse, moving emotions and spontaneous, deeply honest reflections. A boy grows up in a nightclub in Japan, where his mother works as an entertainer. A girl receives Japanese citizenship despite being constantly refused by her father. Another Japanese-Filipino child discovers that her father has not included her name in the koseki tohon, or the family registry, and thus she has no claim to a Japanese citizenship. Inspired by faith and powered by filial love, these writers recount their journeys and struggles without the burden of anger or bitterness. Their stories are expressions of undying hope and are a testament to the triumph of the human spirit.