How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Mukashi mukashi o-o mukashi …," Obasan says, holding the photograph. "In ancient times, in ancient times, in very very ancient times..." (10.1)
The phrase "mukashi mukashi" is the Japanese equivalent of "once upon a time." Here, Obasan is using this phrase to talk about a picture of Naomi and her mother, so the language that she uses makes it seem as if that time was only a fairy tale.
Quote #2
Seeing Obasan now, older than the grandmother I knew as a child, older than any person I know today, I feel that each breath she takes is weighted with her mortality. She is the old woman of many Japanese legends, alone and waiting in her ancient time for the honor that is an old person's reward. (10.3)
There are lots of Obasans in Japanese fairy tales. Almost every female character is either a princess or an Obasan. By calling her Aunt Obasan instead of calling her Aunt Ayako or even Ayako Obasan, Naomi references these fairy tale women.
Quote #3
Each night from the very beginning, before I could talk, there were the same stories, the voices of my mother or my father or Obasan or Grandma Kato, soft through the filter of my sleepiness, carrying me away to a shadowy ancestry. "Tonight, which story? Momotaro again?" (10.4)
This should tell you how important literature is to Naomi. Before she can even talk, she's immersed in the world of fairy tales. She won't tell you this, but she's definitely a book nerd.