The Street of a Thousand Blossoms- A novel by Gail Tsukiyama

This novel takes place in Tokyo in 1939. Hiroshi and Kenji, two orphaned brothers, must put their dreams on hold as war plagues their neighborhood. Tsukiyama does a great job depicting life during WW2 as the tow brothers watch life as they know it wither away. I chose The Street of a Thousand Blossoms because I am curious to know what life was like during WW2 in an another country besides the United States. Also after reading some book reviews it appears to be a good read. I expect to learn about Japanese culture as well as common life during a war. Maybe even lean a little but about putting dreams on hold and picking up your life after the war has resided.