For most of my life, this face has been one of the first to greet me in the morning and one of the last I’ve seen at night. 

She is a kokeshi doll lamp that my mother acquired in the 1950s or ’60s in Saskatchewan. I remember her standing sentinel on my dresser when I was a child, and almost ever since she has dwelt on my dresser or nightstand.

I wonder whether this sweet-faced doll played a role in setting me on the path to appreciating the Japanese aesthetic and culture. We never know where these feelings and connections begin …

What object has accompanied you for your whole life?

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I wrote about how two years in Japan changed my life in my memoir, The Same Moon.