The Cherry Blossom Rarely Smiles

When Romanian college student Ioana Nitobe Lee first meets Ken, she doesn’t know much about him. She doesn’t know, for example, that he is the son of Japanese aristocrats. She doesn’t know that their relationship will pose many challenges. All she knows is that she loves him, and that is enough for her.

Then Ken proposes, and Lee happily accepts. It looks like the start of a fairy tale life, but Lee is in for a harsh reality check when she follows Ken back to Japan. In a strange and unfamiliar country, Lee has to learn how to connect with her new in-laws and navigate a foreign culture. Lee is curious and eager to learn, but that may not be enough to help her overcome the huge cultural divide.

Although she loves Ken, Lee longs for her parents, her friends, and her homeland, and she begins to feel torn between two worlds. Does her future lie in Japan with her partner or back in Romania with her family?

The Cherry Blossom Rarely Smiles is a gentle and heartwarming tale of love, family, culture shock, and acceptance.