Until the Beans Are Cooked

Awa Naoko (1943–1993) was an award-winning writer of modern fairy tales. She studied Japanese literature at Japan Women’s University. In Japan, Awa is known for her timeless, lyrical prose, which explores relationships between humanity and nature. “Until the Beans Are Cooked” is a translation of “Hanamame no nieru made,” the title story of Awa’s 1993 book, which contains six stories of Sayo, a twelve-year-old girl who does not have a mother. In it, Grandmother tells Sayo how her father met her mother, the daughter of a Yamanba (mountain witch).