The characters are speaking in English. Japanese will be in Romaji.
"Ana, your father and I have an announcement," Ana's mother said at the dinner table one night.
Ana looked up from her gross broccoli. "What?" she asked.
Ana's mother nodded to Ana's father, who said, "We're going to move to Japan."
Ana dropped her fork. "Huh? Japan?"
"That's right," Ana's mother said. "It'll be an adventure!"
"Where's Japan?" Ana asked.
"In the far east," Ana's mother said.
Ana climbed out of her chair and grabbed a map. She carried it to the table. She set it down and slid back into her chair. She found Cornwall on the map and then looked for Japan. "Devon?" she asked.
Ana's mother laughed. "No, not directly east. Japan is very far east. It's another country."
Ana looked at the east end. She looked through all the place names and soon spotted Japan. She pointed to it. "Here?"
Ana's mother nodded and smiled. "Yup. We're going to fly in a plane to get there."
"What's it like in Japan?" Ana asked.
"We won't know for sure until we get there," said Ana's mother. "But I've heard nice things about it. I think you'll like living there, Ana."
Ana was really curious about Japan. When she finally finished eating her disgusting broccoli, she went to her room and turned on her computer. She searched for 'Japan'. What she found was pretty pink trees called cherry blossom trees, really cute outfits, and festivals with fireworks in the summer. Japan sounded wonderful.
The next day, before Ana left for kindergarten, her mother handed her a book. Ana flipped through the pages. The book was all about Japan!
"Thanks, Mama!" Ana said as she ran to catch the bus.
Ana read the book as she rode the bus. Three stops after hers, her friend Beth got on. "Good morning, Ana!" greeted Beth as she sat down beside her friend. "What's that you're reading?"
"It's all about Japan," said Ana. "I'm going to move there."
"You're moving away?" said Beth. "Aw, that's too bad. I'll really miss you."
"I won't be gone, Beth," said Ana. "Wherever I am, I feel all my friends are right there beside me."
"I bet you'll find some Japanese friends," said Beth. "And forget all about me."
"No I won't!" said Ana. "Don't you worry one bit!"
Beth sighed. "Well... what's it like in Japan?"
"Pretty," said Ana. She pointed to a picture of a Japanese forest in the spring.
"Wow," said Beth. "Hey Ana, you'll have to learn Japanese, right?"
"Oh yeah..." said Ana. "That sounds so hard!"
"But you're really smart, Ana!" said Beth. "Learning Japanese will be a piece of cake for you!"
"You think so?" said Ana.
"I know so!" said Beth.
Every day when Ana got home from school, her mother would try to talk with her in Japanese.
"Niwatori o shitai desu ka?" Ana's mom asked her one evening. (Would you like to try some chicken?)
"Hai!" said Ana. "Niwatori wa oishii desu!" (Yes! Chicken is delicious!) She grabbed her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" (Thank you for the food!)
Beth even learned some Japanese from Ana. The two of them spoke Japanese to each other under the oak tree at the playground at recess. They had so much fun together.
As Ana got better and better at Japanese, the children at her school began to think she was really cool. A boy on the bus teased her one day, telling her that when she moved to Japan all the Japanese people would think she's weird because she's English. Ana responded by calling him names in Japanese, provoking giggles from nearby students.
"Yokudekimashita!" said Beth. (Good job!) "Ana-chan, when are you moving to Japan? Do you know yet?"
"Ten days," said Ana. "I'll write to you!"
Beth gave Ana a hug.
Ana and Beth had a tearful goodbye. Ana sat beside her mother on her way to Japan. "Sayounara... Igirisu..." Ana mumbled as the plane took off. (Goodbye... England...)
Ana fell asleep very quickly.
Eventually Ana was awoken by her mother. "We'll be there in a few minutes," Ana's mother said. "Look out the window."
Ana watched the window. The plane soon landed, and everyone started to get off.
Before Ana and her parents left the airport, Ana had to put on a rain jacket and rain boots. It was pouring outside. Ana's umbrella was little, but she fit under it well.
Ana ran right into the house with her muddy boots when they arrived at their new home.
"Ana, take off your shoes before running around the house," said Ana's mother. Ana ran back to the door and kicked off her boots, then ran away again. "Line them up properly! This is Japan, and you need to know how to behave in a Japanese home! You can't run around the house with your shoes on here, and you can't leave them like this either!" Ana was almost too hyped up to cooperate, but she did. Ana's father laughed, slipping his shoes off in the doorway and putting them side by side.
Ana raced down the halls. "Where's my bedroom!?" she yelled to her parents. She turned a corner and almost slipped in her slippery socks. She ran to the other end of the house and tried to open a door. "Hey, this door is stuck!"
Ana's father appeared behind her. "It's not stuck," he said, sliding it open. "It's a sliding screen door."
"Oh!" said Ana. She giggled and ran around the empty room a few times, then fell purposely to the tatami floor. "So where's my room?"
"You have a couple choices," said Ana's father. Ana followed him out of the room.
Ana had soon chosen her room and started to unpack. She didn't have a bed yet, and she was sleeping in a futon until she got one. Ana slept pretty well that night.
The next morning, Ana woke up early and spent a lot of the day helping her parents unpack everything. She would start school in a few days.
Ana took Frusciante outside that afternoon and saw two Japanese girls her age walk by her house. They looked over at her, and Ana waved. The girls smiled and waved back. "Ohayou!" said Ana. (Good morning!)
"Ohayou!" said one girl.
"Kawaii kinpatsu!" said the second. (What cute blond hair!)
Ana smiled back. "Arigatou!" (Thank you!)