Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 to Shizuo Ishiguro and Shizuko Ishiguro (née Michida). He has his older sister, Fumiko, and also his younger one, Yoko, who was born later in England. While his father was not a typical Japanese man since he had been born in Shanghai, his mother is an epitome of Japanese woman, having some classical manners which were permeated in Japan of that time (Hunnewell n.p.). They lived in the traditional Japanese house with tatami, zabuton, and katana (see Fig. 1). Kazuo’s memories of his life there are so clear that he can recollect the conversations, the outings, his kindergarten, and even the geographies of the resident area at that time (Holland n.p.; Shonaka, Kazuo Ishiguro; see Fig. 2).
When five years had passed, however, his family was forced to move to Guilford, southern England, due to Shizuo’s job as an oceanographer (see Fig. 3).
Figure 1. Shizuo as an oceanographer
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At home, they kept speaking Japanese, and the education to tie their children to Japan had continued for many years. For example, some popular Japanese stuffs (e.g., books, magazines, and puzzles) were regularly sent from Kazuo’s grandfather, who was then in Japan, in prospect of their return (Ishiguro and Oe 110; Mackenzie n.p.; Feeney n.p.; Wroe n.p.; Hunnewell n.p.). Although, when Kazuo was fifteen, the sojourn turned to be permanent, all family members including Kazuo cultivated a strong emotional tie to Japan, and eventually became to observe British society always with a slight distance in this Japanese milieu (Swaim 92). Later, in 200, he recounts his familial