One of the beloved Japanese Children’s Song, Akatombo (Red Dragonfly), was composed by Kosaku Yamada in 1927 with the lyrics written by Rofu Miki. The lyrics say that “when I see a red dragonfly, I get a nostalgic feeling and recall my hometown and my mother”. It is said that the lyrics was from Miki’s own experience.

Before his passing, my grandfather (who was so kind) owned numerous rice fields in Japan. Every autumn, swarms of red dragonfly fly over the golden rice fields. Each time I p...