Paris Review – Letter from Japan, Sam Stephenson

Smith had photographed his wedding, and the picture made it into his 1975 book, Minamata. Photograph by Takeshi Ishikawa. After the visit to the store, Ishikawa called a taxi so we could head back to the hotel. ... Kyoko had another younger sister, Toyoko, who died of Minamata disease at age eight. When Kyoko was very young, before Junko and Toyoko were born, she often went fishing for the family dinner. Mercury-infected fish swam slower and closer to the water's surface, ...