Fifty Words for Rain

It is the summer of 1950. Nori is now 10 years old. Her grandparents, Yuko and Kohei Kamiza, have taken her in and educated her, but she isn’t allowed to leave the attic of the estate. Kohei is advisor to the emperor while Yuko is the emperor’s cousin; they are both proud of their status and want to hide away their granddaughter, whom they think of as a shameful secret. A maid, Akiko, is Nori’s primary caretaker. Nori hopes that Seiko will return one day to take her away from the estate.

Yuko orders a strict cosmetic regimen for Nori, including regular skin-bleaching baths. Nori’s father is Black, and her grandparents are prejudiced against her not only because of her status as an illegitimate child but also because of her darker skin and curly hair. During one of Yuko’s visits, she asks Nori if she has begun her menstrual cycle. Nori does not understand what she means. Yuko takes a wooden spoon and makes Nori bend over. Before she hits Nori, Yuko tells her that she is “a cursed, wretched thing” (22), and then proceeds to strike her 14 times. Nori cries after Yuko leaves, waiting for Akiko to treat her wounds.

Nori prays three times each day at a small prayer altar, which is her favorite possession. She apologizes to God for whatever she has done to deserve the beating, and asks Him to take care of her mother.

In January of 1951, Yuko announces that Nori has a brother, Akira, who is Seiko’s legitimate son. The boy is only 15 and his father died of an illness, so he is coming to live with them at the estate. Yuko celebrates the imminent arrival of a male heir. Nori feels hopeful when she hears this. She believes that Akira is a test from Seiko; if Nori passes, perhaps the three of them will live together.

When Nori meets Akira for the first time, she tries to impress him with her basic education, but she ends up embarrassing herself and is sent back to the attic. Nori hopes she will be allowed to consider Akira a brother.

Six days pass after Akira’s arrival. Nori learns where his room is and sneaks out to it at night, disobeying Yuko’s rules for the first time. Nori tells Akira that Yuko has forbidden her from speaking to Akira, and Akira is angry to hear this. He tells Nori “that isn’t how the world works” (56), and he gives her permission to speak to him at any time. Akira already dislikes his grandparents and their traditional ways, and he begins to sympathize with Nori. When she tells him she has never tasted ice cream, he ensures that she gets bowlfuls of ice cream to eat.

Two days later, Yuko visits Nori in the attic to tell her that she is now allowed to wander around the house from nine a.m. to five p.m. every day, though she is still forbidden from going outside. Nori realizes that Akira’s intervention has won her these privileges, and she is grateful.

Winter becomes spring, and Nori shadows Akira everywhere he goes. Nori discovers that Akira is a musical genius and loves to listen to him play violin in Seiko’s old music room. Though Akira talks with her, he doesn’t initiate the conversations. One afternoon, Nori tells him she likes the song he is playing and wants to know what it’s called. Akira says it is “Ave Maria,” and he sneers at Nori for liking it since it is so simple.

Nori asks Akira to teach her to play. Though he is reluctant at first, he eventually agrees. He is a tough, impatient teacher, but Nori perseveres, bonding with him through music.

One day, Nori falls extremely ill with scarlet fever; Seiko, too, had gotten sick with it as a child. Yuko doesn’t want to pay for the expensive treatment, but Akira insists; he says he will take care of the cost. Akira remains at Nori’s bedside throughout her illness.

As the summer of 1951 passes, Akira travels for music competitions; he brings Nori gifts from every trip. Nori treasures the presents, but becomes anxious and fears abandonment when he is gone. During one of their violin lessons, Akira learns about how Yuko beats Nori. Furious, he fights with Yuko to end the abuse.

Akira prefers to practice the violin alone, so he sends Nori away when he practices. Nori becomes upset at this. Akira scolds her and tells her that he will be starting school again soon; Nori will have to be by herself once again when he is away. Nori tells him that she knows that the Americans are in Kyoto and that they won the war. She “suspects that her father was an American” (100). She thinks it would account for the darker complexion of her skin, which Akiko calls “colored.” She is also worried that her father is a soldier. Akira assures Nori that she was conceived before the US joined World War II; regardless of her genetics, he says that she is Japanese, not American.

Akira tells her the truth about her father. He says that he was a cook. Their mother did not want to marry him. They did not hate each other, but there was little love between them. Akira was four when Seiko left him and Akira’s father. He remembers that she was always out with men. He says that he doesn’t know where she is, and it’s not important to him. They agree that they do not hate Seiko, but Nori promises herself that she will never cry again for her mother. Akira hugs her and leaves. Nori finally realizes Seiko is never coming back; she chose freedom over her children.

The next day, Akira wakes Nori early and takes her with him when he has a long argument with Yuko, demanding that Nori be allowed outside in the garden. Nori is apprehensive, fearing Yuko’s wrath; Akira retorts that while Yuko hates Nori, she has been kinder to Nori than Kohei or Akira’s father would have been. He tells her that if she had been born in his father’s house, he would have killed Nori out of obedience to old traditions since illegitimate children were usually not allowed to survive. Still, he says that it is only because of Yuko’s desperation for Akira’s loyalty that she shows Nori any leniency. Nori finally steps outside; having not seen the sky in three years, she runs around excitedly.

Akira moves all their activities, including violin lessons, outdoors for the day. Nori attempts to climb every tree she can. It begins raining, and Akira tries to protect his violin, saying that he dislikes the rain. Nori, however, is fond of rain, as it offered her solace when she was restricted to the attic. She dances in it, saying “ame” over and over, which is the Japanese word for rain.

Akira reveals that he will be returning to school the following day. He will be busy during the days and have homework at night. Nori tells him that the rain makes her feel less lonely. She tells him, “The poets say there’s fifty words for rain. One for each and every kind you can imagine” (120).

The day Akira leaves for school, Yuko summons Nori. Nori is presented to two strangers; one of them, a woman named Kiyomi, asks about her background. Yuko speaks to Nori privately and asks her what she treasures most in the world; Nori says it is Akira. Yuko tells Nori that Yuko’s treasure and purpose in life is the family, and she asks Nori to support them. Nori agrees, and immediately after, Yuko commands the strangers to take Nori away; though Nori doesn’t know it yet, they are to take her away to a brothel. Confused, Nori fights back, but they knock her unconscious.