When Minori’s father, Jeffrey, brings home news that his office will be closing that April, unsure of what will happen, her family is forced to make a decision that will separate them from each other for the unseeable future.

After a series of goodbyes; goodbye to her apartment; goodbye to her obaachan; goodbye to her ma, Minori and Jeffrey find themselves in America, the country of Jeffrey’s birth. Separated from her ma by the vastness of the Pacific, and a 17-hour time difference, Minori must begin to navigate a world wholly unfamiliar to her.

With the immigration process seemingly at a standstill, and the reunion with her ma stretching further and further into the future, together they set out on another journey. A journey to elevate a child’s voice. A journey to fill a void in immigration narratives. A journey to share their experience.

Slowly they begin to work towards a collaboration. Towards an illustrated book. Through the eyes and hands of Jeffrey, and through the words of Minori.

With the collaboration still in progress and ever evolving, Jeffrey now attempts to delve deeper into the narrative, Time Separated : Separated Time, he sought to tell with Minori.