Yu still remembers her mother¡¯s firm words: ¡°You¡¯re using your other hand.¡±

¡°She wasn¡¯t exactly forceful, but when I was little she would say this whenever I grabbed a crayon or spoon with my left hand,¡± recounted the 45-year-old. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the fact that she said it so kindly that left such a strong impression on me. It¡¯s never left my mind.¡±

Having grown up in Osaka, Yu ¡ª who believes she is naturally left-handed ¡ª learned to eat and write with her right hand but plays most sports with her left hand. She declined to give her surname.