identity
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Dear Sosobo
Dear Sosobo,
Let me begin with an apology. I didn’t know what to call you; I had to look it up in a Japanese-English dictionary: sosobo. I’m sure I’ve never heard this word before. I would have remembered its rhythm, like the chorus of a children’s song, so-so-bo. Why didn’t I know this word? Perhaps we are too American and fooling ourselves when we think we have cultural pride, when we dance at Obon, celebrate Oshо̄gatsu, or light incense on family shrines. Maybe there’s something else we are missing, closer to our core, everyday things, like the word for …
