Sachiyo Harada was walking down Paris¡¯ Avenue de l¡¯Opera when a young girl saw her, smiled and exclaimed, ¡°Ah! You¡¯re the onigiri (rice ball) girl!¡±
Harada was born in Hokkaido, but after 20 years of living and working in Tokyo, she was in need of a break. Her business of designing kimonos as a freelancer and making bags under her own brand was a success, but the work and travel of attending international fashion shows, including multiple visits to Paris Fashion Week, had led to burnout. In need of a reset, at the age of 38 Harada moved to Paris in 2003 for a sabbatical and what she calls her ¡°second chance at life¡± in the City of Light.
Taking a moment to collect herself on the Avenue de l¡¯Opera, Harada realized that the year before she had made classic onigiri and miso soup for staff at a fashion show in the city, and the young girl was the daughter of one of the attendees.
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