A Brazilian author and granddaughter of Japanese immigrants launches a YA fantasy weaving Amazonian myth, WWII history, and the red thread of fate.
Aiko Watanabe is a thirteen-year-old Nikkei-Brazilian girl born in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon. She navigates bullying at school and constant fights at home — until her grandmother Masumi hands her a bamboo flute with hidden powers and an impossible mission: find Kimiko, a friend lost at sea during World War II.
That is the premise of Bamboo Flute (Flauta de Bambu), the debut YA novel by Giu Yukari Murakami, a writer from Pará state and granddaughter of Japanese immigrants. The book bridges the Amazon rainforest and the supernatural world of yokai — creatures from Japanese folklore — in a story driven by memory, ancestry, and the search for identity.
Where the Rivers Meet the Sea
The author built the book’s aesthetic around a powerful natural image. “The aesthetic of the book is based on the ‘meeting of the waters’ — the Amazonian river where my protagonist lives, and the ocean her grandparents crossed after emigrating from Japan,” says Giu Yukari. The pororoca — the dramatic tidal bore where river current clashes with the Atlantic — becomes the engine of Aiko’s fantastical journey.
Alongside her friend Nilo, Aiko discovers that magic may be woven into her own family history. The flute inherited from Masumi plays a song that opens pathways through the water and surfaces hidden truths. Through it, Aiko embarks on an adventure spanning two continents, two wars, and generations of untold stories.
The Red Thread Across Generations
One of the novel’s central motifs is the Akai Ito — the red thread of fate in Japanese tradition. The belief holds that people destined to meet are invisibly connected, regardless of time or distance. In the book, this concept takes on concrete force: Masumi and Kimiko were separated as children, but destiny — channeled through the flute — may still bring them together.
The aesthetic of the book is based on the ‘meeting of the waters’ — the Amazonian river where my protagonist lives, and the ocean her grandparents crossed after emigrating from Japan.
Giu Yukari Murakami, author
Author and Illustrator with Remarkable Careers
Giu Yukari (縁) Murakami (村上) has published short fiction in English and Japanese. In 2023, her story “Nas bordas de quem eu sou” was exhibited at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro. In 2025, “Pelas mãos de batchan” was adapted for the screen through the Sesc RJ Pulsar Culture Grant. Bamboo Flute marks her debut in long-form fiction.
The illustrations are by Hiro Kawahara, a professional with over thirty years of experience. He designed McDonald’s tray liners for two decades, published seven books, and won the Cátedra Unesco PUC Award for YA literature in 2017. In 2025, he received first prize at the 18th Japan International Awards, one of the world’s most prestigious comics honors.
Event Info
- Book: Bamboo Flute (Flauta de Bambu)
- Author: Giu Yukari Murakami
- Illustrations: Hiro Kawahara
- Pages: 328
- Price: BRL 84.90
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