The Lantern of Lost Memories

Imagine waking up in a cosy photo studio in the mountains, between this world and the next. A kind man hands you a hot drink and a stack of photographs, one from every day of your life. There are hundreds, even thousands of them. They capture your best days and your worst, memories you treasure and those you try to forget. And then there are the rest, those in-between days that we didn't know were leading to the great highs and lows. Then, you are asked to pick one photograph from each year to be placed in a beautiful Japanese lantern, to be set spinning so that your life will flash before your eyes before you move on.

This is the task set for each guest who arrives in Hirasaka's photo studio. Like our most thumbed-over photos, our favourite memories can be tarnished in time too, so Hirasaka guides the guests back in time to relive one special day over again, to take a fresh photo and find peace.

About the Author

Sanaka Hiiragi was born in 1974 in the Kagawa Prefecture. She graduated from Kobe Women’s University, majored in literature and completed her studies at Himeji Dokkyo University. After living and working overseas as a Japanese Language teacher for seven years, her debut novel, The Battle of Marriage Island, was nominated for the Konomys Award in 2012 and was chosen as ‘The Hidden Jade’ by the editors in 2013. She is a big fan of cameras, photography and kimono art.