baishakunin: Go-between for arranged marriages; matchmaker.

haiseki: Discrimination; ostracism; rejection.

hiragana: The Japanese alphabet, written with a cursive style.

Issei: First-generation Japanese immigrant in America.

katakana: The Japanese alphabet, written with a square style.

Obon: The summer Bon festival, a Buddhist festival, which honors ancestors.

shakuhachi: Five-holed bamboo wind instrument.

shamisen: A Japanese instrument, similar to a banjo.

sumi: Black-and-white ink painting.