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شبی در قطار راه شیری
امشب در شهر جیووانی، شب جشن کهکشان راه شیری است. جیووانی به جشن نمیرسد و نمیتواند به دوستانش بپیوندد، اما ناگهان میبیند که سوار بر قطاری اسرارآمیز شدهاست و دارد در کهکشان راه شیری سفر میکند. او مناظر شگفتانگیزی را میبیند و با مردمانی مرموز ملاقات میکند که به او ارزش شادزیستن و شادکردنِ دیگران را میآموزند.
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1934
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About the author
Kenji Miyazawa
990 books343 followersHis name is written as 宮沢賢治 in Japanese, and translated as 宮澤賢治 in Traditional Chinese.
Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) was born in Iwate, one of the northernmost prefectures in Japan. In high school, he studied Zen Buddhism and developed a lifelong devotion to the Lotus Sutra, a major influence on his writing. After graduating from an agricultural college, he moved to Tokyo to begin his writing career but had to return home to care for a sick sister. He remained in his home in Iwate for the rest of his life. One of his best-known works is the novel Night on the Galactic Railroad, which was adapted into anime in the late twentieth century, as were many of his short stories. Much of his poetry is still popular in Japan today.
Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) was born in Iwate, one of the northernmost prefectures in Japan. In high school, he studied Zen Buddhism and developed a lifelong devotion to the Lotus Sutra, a major influence on his writing. After graduating from an agricultural college, he moved to Tokyo to begin his writing career but had to return home to care for a sick sister. He remained in his home in Iwate for the rest of his life. One of his best-known works is the novel Night on the Galactic Railroad, which was adapted into anime in the late twentieth century, as were many of his short stories. Much of his poetry is still popular in Japan today.
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June 12, 2023
Namu myoho renge kyo. This is the mantra of Nichiren Buddhism. It means ‘Veneration to the Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Law.’ To understand Kenji Miyazawa and his marvelous Milky Way Railroad, one must understand his devotion to Nichiren Buddhism.
Nichiren Buddhists believe that the whole of the dharma is in the title of the Lotus Sutra and that enlightenment can be achieved in this lifetime through faith in the Lotus Sutra. This faith is expressed by chanting Namu myoho renge kyo. Moreover, Nichiren Buddhists believe this is the only way to achieve enlightenment in our time, for we live in a time of declining dharma.
Kenji was writing Milky Way Railroad as part of an ongoing effort to proselytize for the faith he held so dearly, but he died before completing his project.
There is an earlier and a later draft of the novel. The earlier draft contains scenes that were omitted from the later draft. The later draft is clearly a refinement of the first. There is no telling what other edits Kenji would have made had he lived long enough to finish his book. Yet even unfinished, Milky Way Railroad is a beautiful work of art.
The translation by Joseph Sigrist and D. M. Stroud differs most noticeably from that of Sarah M. Strong by including some passages from the earlier draft. Strong also includes these earlier passages, but she puts them in a separate section of her book, omitting them from the main text.
This review is about Sigrist and Stroud’s Milky Way Railroad, but will occasionally include references to Strong’s Night of the Milky Way Railway, especially where the two texts differ in content or emphasis.
Dream Journey
Milky Way Railroad is a dream journey. And it is not just a dream for Giovanni. It is a dream for the reader too. The first thing the reader notices about the story is that the main characters of this Japanese novel have Italian names. Later in the story Giovanni meets Americans who all have Japanese names. Thus has Kenji subverted our expectations right from the start. He reproduces the experience of dreaming by rendering the familiar unfamiliar and vice versa.
The dream elements are more numerous in the earlier draft. In the later draft, Kenji employs them with greater subtlety. For example, the train stops at Swan Station for a twenty minute rest stop, but when Giovanni and his friend Campanella disembark, they are alone. None of the other passengers or railroad employees are anywhere to be seen (67). Later the Bird Catcher is suddenly outside of the train and then just as suddenly back inside (73, 76). These and a few other such mysterious happenings are enough to convey the surreal atmosphere of the dream.
The Way to Heaven
Milky Way Railroad is not just a dream journey. It is a dream journey to heaven. The train is the vehicle. The Sanskrit word yana, as in Mahayana, means vehicle. It is the way to get to heaven. Giovanni’s ticket to heaven is a Nichiren mandala. In “The Mysterious Forest,” he expresses his eagerness to get to heaven and wonders if anyone will go with him. He is saddened at the thought that no one will go all the way to heaven with him (104).
When Kenji became a Nichiren Buddhist, he became a passionate proselytizer for the faith. Before his conversion, he was a Jodo Buddhist like his family. Jodo Buddhists worship the celestial Buddha Amida and pray to be reborn in the paradise of his Pure Land. After his conversion, Kenji wanted to convert his family from Jodo Buddhism to Nichiren Buddhism. This was a source of constant tension between Kenji and his family.
However, the greatest tension was caused by his efforts to convert his best friend Hosaka Kanai. Apparently his religious fervor strained the friendship to the point that his friend avoided his company. This distressed Kenji, not merely because of the strained friendship, but more importantly, because his friend’s soul was in danger.
There is both beauty and pathos in these vigorous attempts at conversion. From the point of view of his loved ones, it must have been exasperating. But from Kenji’s point of view, it was a matter of life and death. If they didn’t become Nichiren Buddhists and chant the daimoku, they would not escape samsara; they would not achieve enlightenment in this lifetime. And he was determined to save them. How could he not be? How could he not do everything in his power to save those dearest to him? Milky Way Railroad gives some insight into the mind of the religious proselytizer.
The religious nature of this story is more evident in Strong’s translation than in Sigrist and Stroud’s. Some of the differences may be less meaningful to the Western reader. For example, in “The Milky Way Festival,” Sigrist and Stroud translate “Sagittarius, send down the rain” (36)! Strong translates it as “Centaurus, send the dew” (17)! Dew is a traditional Japanese symbol of ephemerality.
However, other differences in translation are obvious even to the reader with no knowledge of Japanese religion or philosophy. Consider the following.
In “Giovanni’s Ticket,” Sigrist and Stroud translate “It’s a ticket for going straight to outer space” (80). Strong translates “What you have here is a ticket that even lets you go to the real heaven” (53).
In “Shipwrecked Children,” Sigrist and Stroud translate “And in order to reach true happiness, you have to suffer a lot” (90-91). Strong translates “If it is for the sake of attaining the supreme happiness, tragedy, too, in all sorts of forms can be the divine will” (58).
In “The Mysterious Forest,” Sigrist and Stroud translate “...isn’t there anyone who’ll stay with me all the way to the end” (104)? Strong translates “...who will go on and on with me forever (63)?
Strong’s translation choices ~ “the real heaven,” “the divine will,” and “forever” ~ better convey the religious message of the story than Sigrist and Stroud’s choices.
The Wonders of Science
Sigrist and Stroud’s choice of “outer space” rather than “real heaven” clearly plays down the religious meaning of the story, but it does fit in squarely with one of Kenji’s other themes ~ science. The novel opens with Giovanni, Campanella, and the other schoolchildren having a lesson in astronomy.
Throughout the novel Kenji uses scientific vocabulary: “locomotive,” “compass,” “watch repair shop,” “neon light,” and “phosphorescence,” to mention only a handful. In “Home,” Giovanni expresses pride in “the big crab shell and the reindeer antlers” his father donated to the school (29). In “Northern Cross and Pliocene Seashore,” Giovanni and Campanella meet a paleontologist looking for fossils.
Science was not merely an abstract interest for Kenji. He was an agricultural scientist. Moreover, his interest in science and his devotion to religion were not two different sides of him. They were intimately intertwined. As a Nichiren Buddhist, Kenji was deeply concerned about the plight of the poor. As an agricultural scientist, he wanted to work to alleviate this suffering.
In Milky Way Railroad, Giovanni is poor. And because he is poor, he is ridiculed by his schoolmates (with the exception of Campanella). When the other children run off to play at the Milky Way Festival after school, Giovanni must go to his after-school job. Kenji’s hopes of feeding the poor through agricultural science are later symbolized by the lush cornfields of America that the children see from the train windows in “From the New World.”
Science and Religion in Harmony
Kenji’s combination of science and religion is apparent not only in the ultimate message of the story, but in its construction as well. During their astronomy lesson, the children learn about the Milky Way galaxy, the constellations, and the vast emptiness of space between the stars.
This lesson takes place at the time of the Tanabata Festival. The Tanabata Festival, or Milky Way Festival, is a celebration of the annual meeting of Hikoboshi and his bride Orihime ~ the stars Altair and Vega. Condemned to separation, they are permitted to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month when magpies spread their wings to form a bridge across the river of heaven.
The vast emptiness of space is reminiscent of the Buddhist concept of Sunyata ~ the true nature of reality. The train that crosses this vast emptiness is the vehicle (yana) that transports one to heaven.
The allusion to the fourth dimension (time) in “Giovanni’s Ticket” is an allusion to Einstein’s theory of relativity. Here also Strong’s word choice is more appropriate to the religious nature of the story than Sigrist and Stroud’s. Strong translates “Milky Way Railway of the imperfect, illusory fourth dimension” (53), where Sigrist and Stroud translate “imperfect, fantasy Fourth Dimension Milky Way Railroad” (80). The word “illusory” conveys the Buddhist idea that all existence is an illusion. The word “fantasy” does not have the same religious connotation.
After the Tanabata Festival comes the Obon Festival when the spirits of the dead return to their families. At the end of their nine day visit, their families send them off by setting lamps adrift on the river (just as the schoolchildren do in Milky Way Railroad).
Here Kenji combines two visions of the heavens ~ that of Buddhist cosmology and that of the science of astronomy. There are myriad Buddha worlds, but they cannot be seen by the unenlightened. Are they out there? In the other galaxies? In the vastness of space? Are the spirits of the dead there? Is his late sister, his beloved Toshiko, there?
Vegetarianism
On board the train, Giovanni and Campanella meet the Bird Catcher. When Giovanni asks if he catches birds for “specimens,” the bird catcher replies that he catches them for food. Then he invites Giovanni and Campanella to eat some goose. This scene is odd and I think it is one of the scenes that elevates this story from mere novel to mythopoeic masterpiece. The bird catcher breaks off a goose’s leg “as if it were made of chocolate” (71) and when the boys eat it Giovanni notes that it tastes like cake.
As a Buddhist, Kenji was a vegetarian. If only birds were made of cake, it would not be a sin to eat them. But they are not made of cake, and so Kenji’s protagonist feels great sympathy for the bird catcher whose profession requires him to take life.
The tale of the scorpion in “The Scorpion’s Fire” takes the theme of vegetarianism to the next level. The scorpion spent its days killing prey in order to survive, but when it was chased by a predator, it rebelled against its fate. In doing so, it fell into a well.
“’I have taken the lives of I don't know how many living things in my time. But when the weasel tried to catch me, how I tried with all my might to escape! In spite of that, I end up here. Why didn't I just quietly accept my fate and give myself up to the weasel? If I'd done that, the weasel would have had food to live one day longer. Oh, God, look into my heart! Instead of throwing my life away vainly like this, grant that my body may be used for the true welfare of all’'”(116).
In this fable, which has the quality of a jataka tale, the scorpion makes a bodhisattva vow and becomes a fire to light the darkness. With the Bird Catcher, Giovanni feels the first stirring of the compassion that will inspire his own bodhisattva vow.
“If it would really make the bird catcher happy, Giovanni was ready to stand on the radiant bank of the Milky Way River catching birds himself, even for a hundred years” (81).
Dialogue with Christianity
The constellations of the southern and northern crosses represent Christianity. In “Shipwrecked Children,” Giovanni and Campanella are joined by two children and their tutor, all victims of the sinking of the Titanic. Kenji was fifteen years old when the Titanic sank. He was powerfully impressed by the stories he heard of piety and self-sacrifice. He was especially moved by stories of the victims singing hymns to the very end. Perhaps the hymn-singing reminded him of the chanting of the daimoku. Thus the Christians in Milky Way Railroad express their faith by singing hymns.
There is one obvious symbol of Christianity in this chapter and, I believe, another subtler one. The obvious one is the apples the lighthouse keeper gives to the children. As a Christian symbol, the apple represents the Garden of Eden. Moreover, the apple is also the perfect food, clearly prized by Kenji the agricultural scientist and vegetarian. The subtler symbol is the roses. Kenji had some knowledge of Christianity, so it is possible that he was aware of the rose as a symbol of the Blessed Virgin.
But for all Kenji’s admiration for his Christian characters, he did not believe all religions were equal. Just as he believed science was subordinate to religion, so he believed Christianity was subordinate to Nichiren Buddhism. The strength of his religious beliefs and the zeal with which he proselytized for the faith can be seen in a letter he sent to his colleague Miyamoto Tomoichi on March 10, 1921. In an excerpt from the letter, translated by Jon P. Holt, he writes:
“I absolutely refuse [to believe] that the ends are the same no matter what religion [you belong to]. People who fail to choose the right religion fall into hell, become demonic ilk, or are reborn as animals” (336).*
While Kenji’s proselytizing voice had softened between the early 1920s and his death in 1933, his faith remained as strong as ever. In “The Southern Cross,” Giovanni and the girl from the Titanic quarrel over whose God is the real God, with Giovanni vehemently asserting that her God is a “false God” (120). He says: “We have to make a place even better than heaven right here” (120). This, again, is the nature of the bodhisattva vow: One seeks not one’s own nirvana, but the enlightenment of all beings, and to do that, one must be here on Earth doing the work of the bodhisattva.
Love and Death
Naturally death is a theme in this journey to heaven. The theme begins early in the story with the excavation of fossils at the Pliocene Seashore, perhaps even earlier with the reference to “the big crab shell and reindeer antlers” (29) that were a gift from Giovanni’s absent father. It continues with the death of animals: the birds caught by the bird catcher, the bird killed by the American Indian in “From the New World,” and the death of the scorpion.
But more specifically, this is a story of the death of people. With the exception of Giovanni, who alone has a round-trip ticket, everyone on the train is dead. When the Coal Sack comes into view, Campanella is suddenly gone. The Coal Sack is an area of complete blackness resembling a hole in the galaxy, a hole in the heavens. This is when Giovanni makes his own bodhisattva vow: “You know, if it’s for everyone’s happiness, I’m ready to have my body burned like that Scorpion—even a hundred times” (125).
The connection between Giovanni’s best friend Campanella and Kenji’s best friend Hosaka is obvious. Giovanni wants Campanella to accompany him on his spiritual journey, but Campanella will not journey with him “all the way to the end” (104) just as Hosaka would not join Kenji in becoming a Nichiren Buddhist.
But Campanella also represents Kenji’s sister Toshiko, for it is in the nature of dreams that one person can represent more than one person. Thus Giovanni’s experience of Campanella’s death represents Kenji’s experience of Toshiko’s death. Kenji was devastated by the loss of Toshiko. She remained ever-present in his life, just as the fossils and “the big crab shell and the reindeer antlers” in Milky Way Railroad represent the continued presence of that which is dead. But Kenji also needed to come to terms with her death and this he did by recognizing that he cannot only love one person. He had to love all people, all living things, as he loved Toshiko.
There’s a chapter in the Sigrist and Stroud translation from the earlier draft of the novel. Strong includes it separately from the main text. Like much of the material omitted from the earlier draft, this chapter lacks subtlety. There is, however, one excellent line in “The Professor” that I believe is worth preserving: “everyone is Campanella” (129).
For Kenji, everyone is Toshiko.
A Children’s Story
Milky Way Railroad is a complex novel, but it can also be enjoyed superficially as a children’s story about a boy who accompanies his dead friend on his journey to heaven. It is bittersweet, for Campanella has been reunited with his dead mother in heaven, but Giovanni must return to Earth without his best friend. Yet children are not exempt from the experience of loss and they too need a way to integrate it into their lives.
Kenji’s sensitive story presents this experience gently and spiritually. And the ultimate message of the story ~ to love all beings ~ is healing and heartening. It is a message which both honors the dead and aids the living. It is a message of action, for love is not merely emotion. Love is action. It is what one does. It is one’s work in the world. Peace.
Note
* Holt, Jon P. “Ticket to Salvation: Nichiren Buddhism in Miyazawa Kenji’s Ginga tetsudō no yoru.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 41.2 (2014): 305–345.
Take It to the Limit
Nichiren Buddhists believe that the whole of the dharma is in the title of the Lotus Sutra and that enlightenment can be achieved in this lifetime through faith in the Lotus Sutra. This faith is expressed by chanting Namu myoho renge kyo. Moreover, Nichiren Buddhists believe this is the only way to achieve enlightenment in our time, for we live in a time of declining dharma.
Kenji was writing Milky Way Railroad as part of an ongoing effort to proselytize for the faith he held so dearly, but he died before completing his project.
There is an earlier and a later draft of the novel. The earlier draft contains scenes that were omitted from the later draft. The later draft is clearly a refinement of the first. There is no telling what other edits Kenji would have made had he lived long enough to finish his book. Yet even unfinished, Milky Way Railroad is a beautiful work of art.
The translation by Joseph Sigrist and D. M. Stroud differs most noticeably from that of Sarah M. Strong by including some passages from the earlier draft. Strong also includes these earlier passages, but she puts them in a separate section of her book, omitting them from the main text.
This review is about Sigrist and Stroud’s Milky Way Railroad, but will occasionally include references to Strong’s Night of the Milky Way Railway, especially where the two texts differ in content or emphasis.
Dream Journey
Milky Way Railroad is a dream journey. And it is not just a dream for Giovanni. It is a dream for the reader too. The first thing the reader notices about the story is that the main characters of this Japanese novel have Italian names. Later in the story Giovanni meets Americans who all have Japanese names. Thus has Kenji subverted our expectations right from the start. He reproduces the experience of dreaming by rendering the familiar unfamiliar and vice versa.
The dream elements are more numerous in the earlier draft. In the later draft, Kenji employs them with greater subtlety. For example, the train stops at Swan Station for a twenty minute rest stop, but when Giovanni and his friend Campanella disembark, they are alone. None of the other passengers or railroad employees are anywhere to be seen (67). Later the Bird Catcher is suddenly outside of the train and then just as suddenly back inside (73, 76). These and a few other such mysterious happenings are enough to convey the surreal atmosphere of the dream.
The Way to Heaven
Milky Way Railroad is not just a dream journey. It is a dream journey to heaven. The train is the vehicle. The Sanskrit word yana, as in Mahayana, means vehicle. It is the way to get to heaven. Giovanni’s ticket to heaven is a Nichiren mandala. In “The Mysterious Forest,” he expresses his eagerness to get to heaven and wonders if anyone will go with him. He is saddened at the thought that no one will go all the way to heaven with him (104).
When Kenji became a Nichiren Buddhist, he became a passionate proselytizer for the faith. Before his conversion, he was a Jodo Buddhist like his family. Jodo Buddhists worship the celestial Buddha Amida and pray to be reborn in the paradise of his Pure Land. After his conversion, Kenji wanted to convert his family from Jodo Buddhism to Nichiren Buddhism. This was a source of constant tension between Kenji and his family.
However, the greatest tension was caused by his efforts to convert his best friend Hosaka Kanai. Apparently his religious fervor strained the friendship to the point that his friend avoided his company. This distressed Kenji, not merely because of the strained friendship, but more importantly, because his friend’s soul was in danger.
There is both beauty and pathos in these vigorous attempts at conversion. From the point of view of his loved ones, it must have been exasperating. But from Kenji’s point of view, it was a matter of life and death. If they didn’t become Nichiren Buddhists and chant the daimoku, they would not escape samsara; they would not achieve enlightenment in this lifetime. And he was determined to save them. How could he not be? How could he not do everything in his power to save those dearest to him? Milky Way Railroad gives some insight into the mind of the religious proselytizer.
The religious nature of this story is more evident in Strong’s translation than in Sigrist and Stroud’s. Some of the differences may be less meaningful to the Western reader. For example, in “The Milky Way Festival,” Sigrist and Stroud translate “Sagittarius, send down the rain” (36)! Strong translates it as “Centaurus, send the dew” (17)! Dew is a traditional Japanese symbol of ephemerality.
However, other differences in translation are obvious even to the reader with no knowledge of Japanese religion or philosophy. Consider the following.
In “Giovanni’s Ticket,” Sigrist and Stroud translate “It’s a ticket for going straight to outer space” (80). Strong translates “What you have here is a ticket that even lets you go to the real heaven” (53).
In “Shipwrecked Children,” Sigrist and Stroud translate “And in order to reach true happiness, you have to suffer a lot” (90-91). Strong translates “If it is for the sake of attaining the supreme happiness, tragedy, too, in all sorts of forms can be the divine will” (58).
In “The Mysterious Forest,” Sigrist and Stroud translate “...isn’t there anyone who’ll stay with me all the way to the end” (104)? Strong translates “...who will go on and on with me forever (63)?
Strong’s translation choices ~ “the real heaven,” “the divine will,” and “forever” ~ better convey the religious message of the story than Sigrist and Stroud’s choices.
The Wonders of Science
Sigrist and Stroud’s choice of “outer space” rather than “real heaven” clearly plays down the religious meaning of the story, but it does fit in squarely with one of Kenji’s other themes ~ science. The novel opens with Giovanni, Campanella, and the other schoolchildren having a lesson in astronomy.
Throughout the novel Kenji uses scientific vocabulary: “locomotive,” “compass,” “watch repair shop,” “neon light,” and “phosphorescence,” to mention only a handful. In “Home,” Giovanni expresses pride in “the big crab shell and the reindeer antlers” his father donated to the school (29). In “Northern Cross and Pliocene Seashore,” Giovanni and Campanella meet a paleontologist looking for fossils.
Science was not merely an abstract interest for Kenji. He was an agricultural scientist. Moreover, his interest in science and his devotion to religion were not two different sides of him. They were intimately intertwined. As a Nichiren Buddhist, Kenji was deeply concerned about the plight of the poor. As an agricultural scientist, he wanted to work to alleviate this suffering.
In Milky Way Railroad, Giovanni is poor. And because he is poor, he is ridiculed by his schoolmates (with the exception of Campanella). When the other children run off to play at the Milky Way Festival after school, Giovanni must go to his after-school job. Kenji’s hopes of feeding the poor through agricultural science are later symbolized by the lush cornfields of America that the children see from the train windows in “From the New World.”
Science and Religion in Harmony
Kenji’s combination of science and religion is apparent not only in the ultimate message of the story, but in its construction as well. During their astronomy lesson, the children learn about the Milky Way galaxy, the constellations, and the vast emptiness of space between the stars.
This lesson takes place at the time of the Tanabata Festival. The Tanabata Festival, or Milky Way Festival, is a celebration of the annual meeting of Hikoboshi and his bride Orihime ~ the stars Altair and Vega. Condemned to separation, they are permitted to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month when magpies spread their wings to form a bridge across the river of heaven.
The vast emptiness of space is reminiscent of the Buddhist concept of Sunyata ~ the true nature of reality. The train that crosses this vast emptiness is the vehicle (yana) that transports one to heaven.
The allusion to the fourth dimension (time) in “Giovanni’s Ticket” is an allusion to Einstein’s theory of relativity. Here also Strong’s word choice is more appropriate to the religious nature of the story than Sigrist and Stroud’s. Strong translates “Milky Way Railway of the imperfect, illusory fourth dimension” (53), where Sigrist and Stroud translate “imperfect, fantasy Fourth Dimension Milky Way Railroad” (80). The word “illusory” conveys the Buddhist idea that all existence is an illusion. The word “fantasy” does not have the same religious connotation.
After the Tanabata Festival comes the Obon Festival when the spirits of the dead return to their families. At the end of their nine day visit, their families send them off by setting lamps adrift on the river (just as the schoolchildren do in Milky Way Railroad).
Here Kenji combines two visions of the heavens ~ that of Buddhist cosmology and that of the science of astronomy. There are myriad Buddha worlds, but they cannot be seen by the unenlightened. Are they out there? In the other galaxies? In the vastness of space? Are the spirits of the dead there? Is his late sister, his beloved Toshiko, there?
Vegetarianism
On board the train, Giovanni and Campanella meet the Bird Catcher. When Giovanni asks if he catches birds for “specimens,” the bird catcher replies that he catches them for food. Then he invites Giovanni and Campanella to eat some goose. This scene is odd and I think it is one of the scenes that elevates this story from mere novel to mythopoeic masterpiece. The bird catcher breaks off a goose’s leg “as if it were made of chocolate” (71) and when the boys eat it Giovanni notes that it tastes like cake.
As a Buddhist, Kenji was a vegetarian. If only birds were made of cake, it would not be a sin to eat them. But they are not made of cake, and so Kenji’s protagonist feels great sympathy for the bird catcher whose profession requires him to take life.
The tale of the scorpion in “The Scorpion’s Fire” takes the theme of vegetarianism to the next level. The scorpion spent its days killing prey in order to survive, but when it was chased by a predator, it rebelled against its fate. In doing so, it fell into a well.
“’I have taken the lives of I don't know how many living things in my time. But when the weasel tried to catch me, how I tried with all my might to escape! In spite of that, I end up here. Why didn't I just quietly accept my fate and give myself up to the weasel? If I'd done that, the weasel would have had food to live one day longer. Oh, God, look into my heart! Instead of throwing my life away vainly like this, grant that my body may be used for the true welfare of all’'”(116).
In this fable, which has the quality of a jataka tale, the scorpion makes a bodhisattva vow and becomes a fire to light the darkness. With the Bird Catcher, Giovanni feels the first stirring of the compassion that will inspire his own bodhisattva vow.
“If it would really make the bird catcher happy, Giovanni was ready to stand on the radiant bank of the Milky Way River catching birds himself, even for a hundred years” (81).
Dialogue with Christianity
The constellations of the southern and northern crosses represent Christianity. In “Shipwrecked Children,” Giovanni and Campanella are joined by two children and their tutor, all victims of the sinking of the Titanic. Kenji was fifteen years old when the Titanic sank. He was powerfully impressed by the stories he heard of piety and self-sacrifice. He was especially moved by stories of the victims singing hymns to the very end. Perhaps the hymn-singing reminded him of the chanting of the daimoku. Thus the Christians in Milky Way Railroad express their faith by singing hymns.
There is one obvious symbol of Christianity in this chapter and, I believe, another subtler one. The obvious one is the apples the lighthouse keeper gives to the children. As a Christian symbol, the apple represents the Garden of Eden. Moreover, the apple is also the perfect food, clearly prized by Kenji the agricultural scientist and vegetarian. The subtler symbol is the roses. Kenji had some knowledge of Christianity, so it is possible that he was aware of the rose as a symbol of the Blessed Virgin.
But for all Kenji’s admiration for his Christian characters, he did not believe all religions were equal. Just as he believed science was subordinate to religion, so he believed Christianity was subordinate to Nichiren Buddhism. The strength of his religious beliefs and the zeal with which he proselytized for the faith can be seen in a letter he sent to his colleague Miyamoto Tomoichi on March 10, 1921. In an excerpt from the letter, translated by Jon P. Holt, he writes:
“I absolutely refuse [to believe] that the ends are the same no matter what religion [you belong to]. People who fail to choose the right religion fall into hell, become demonic ilk, or are reborn as animals” (336).*
While Kenji’s proselytizing voice had softened between the early 1920s and his death in 1933, his faith remained as strong as ever. In “The Southern Cross,” Giovanni and the girl from the Titanic quarrel over whose God is the real God, with Giovanni vehemently asserting that her God is a “false God” (120). He says: “We have to make a place even better than heaven right here” (120). This, again, is the nature of the bodhisattva vow: One seeks not one’s own nirvana, but the enlightenment of all beings, and to do that, one must be here on Earth doing the work of the bodhisattva.
Love and Death
Naturally death is a theme in this journey to heaven. The theme begins early in the story with the excavation of fossils at the Pliocene Seashore, perhaps even earlier with the reference to “the big crab shell and reindeer antlers” (29) that were a gift from Giovanni’s absent father. It continues with the death of animals: the birds caught by the bird catcher, the bird killed by the American Indian in “From the New World,” and the death of the scorpion.
But more specifically, this is a story of the death of people. With the exception of Giovanni, who alone has a round-trip ticket, everyone on the train is dead. When the Coal Sack comes into view, Campanella is suddenly gone. The Coal Sack is an area of complete blackness resembling a hole in the galaxy, a hole in the heavens. This is when Giovanni makes his own bodhisattva vow: “You know, if it’s for everyone’s happiness, I’m ready to have my body burned like that Scorpion—even a hundred times” (125).
The connection between Giovanni’s best friend Campanella and Kenji’s best friend Hosaka is obvious. Giovanni wants Campanella to accompany him on his spiritual journey, but Campanella will not journey with him “all the way to the end” (104) just as Hosaka would not join Kenji in becoming a Nichiren Buddhist.
But Campanella also represents Kenji’s sister Toshiko, for it is in the nature of dreams that one person can represent more than one person. Thus Giovanni’s experience of Campanella’s death represents Kenji’s experience of Toshiko’s death. Kenji was devastated by the loss of Toshiko. She remained ever-present in his life, just as the fossils and “the big crab shell and the reindeer antlers” in Milky Way Railroad represent the continued presence of that which is dead. But Kenji also needed to come to terms with her death and this he did by recognizing that he cannot only love one person. He had to love all people, all living things, as he loved Toshiko.
There’s a chapter in the Sigrist and Stroud translation from the earlier draft of the novel. Strong includes it separately from the main text. Like much of the material omitted from the earlier draft, this chapter lacks subtlety. There is, however, one excellent line in “The Professor” that I believe is worth preserving: “everyone is Campanella” (129).
For Kenji, everyone is Toshiko.
A Children’s Story
Milky Way Railroad is a complex novel, but it can also be enjoyed superficially as a children’s story about a boy who accompanies his dead friend on his journey to heaven. It is bittersweet, for Campanella has been reunited with his dead mother in heaven, but Giovanni must return to Earth without his best friend. Yet children are not exempt from the experience of loss and they too need a way to integrate it into their lives.
Kenji’s sensitive story presents this experience gently and spiritually. And the ultimate message of the story ~ to love all beings ~ is healing and heartening. It is a message which both honors the dead and aids the living. It is a message of action, for love is not merely emotion. Love is action. It is what one does. It is one’s work in the world. Peace.
Note
* Holt, Jon P. “Ticket to Salvation: Nichiren Buddhism in Miyazawa Kenji’s Ginga tetsudō no yoru.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 41.2 (2014): 305–345.
Take It to the Limit
February 26, 2021
A review from a Japanese.
If you are looking for exciting space adventures, this is not for you. It is more of a poetic, bittersweet short story. A calm and quiet read.
I had the privilege of first coming across this story as a child. I think I was about 9 or 10. There was an event where a narrator read the book in a planetarium. I think that was one of the best ways to experience this book.
It's not a story with excitement or tear jerking plots or extravagant characters. Yet, it has stuck with me into adulthood. When I have children, I would like to read it to them on a stary night and it will be a beautiful night.
This is what a lot of Japanese classics are like. Not exactly eventful, but more thoughtful. It is not for everyone. Not all Japanese like it either. That is just how it is.
That is my review. I hope this helps.
If you are looking for exciting space adventures, this is not for you. It is more of a poetic, bittersweet short story. A calm and quiet read.
I had the privilege of first coming across this story as a child. I think I was about 9 or 10. There was an event where a narrator read the book in a planetarium. I think that was one of the best ways to experience this book.
It's not a story with excitement or tear jerking plots or extravagant characters. Yet, it has stuck with me into adulthood. When I have children, I would like to read it to them on a stary night and it will be a beautiful night.
This is what a lot of Japanese classics are like. Not exactly eventful, but more thoughtful. It is not for everyone. Not all Japanese like it either. That is just how it is.
That is my review. I hope this helps.
March 11, 2019
El libro incluye tres cuentos, tiene momentos bonitos, está escrito con delicadeza... pero por alguna razón me ha dejado bastante indiferente. Si tuviera que elegir uno de los cuentos sería el que da nombre al libro, pero tal vez no era el momento adecuado para leer algo así ahora, tan metafísico y profundo, arrastrando la resaca de Cormoran. Lo que normalmente me gusta (el realismo mágico japonés), ahora mismo me ha parecido una fumada, no he estado nada receptiva.
December 20, 2022
Ini tipikal buku yang nggak bisa dibaca kalo lagi nggak konsen, bagi saya.
Soalnya buku ini mengisahkan tentang suatu petualangan magical di dunia fantasi antah-berantah Galaksi Bima Sakti. Deskripsi dunia fantasinya itu saya akui sebetulnya sangat bagus dan menarik, bikin bertanya-tanya "Kok hebat banget ya imajinasi Sensei sampai bisa membayangkan dan menuliskan dunia fantasi kayak gitu....", tapi justru saking imajinatifnya itu saya jadi susah mengikutinya. Saya kira buku ini "bacaan ringan" yang cepat selesai dan enak buat menemani saya di KRL. Ternyata... sesulit itu berkonsentrasi mencerna kalimat-kalimatnya karena 90% isi buku ini adalah deskripsi dunia fantasi Galaksi Bima Sakti.
Selain itu, saya punya semacam perasaan bahwa... kayak The Little Prince, buku yang sepintas seperti buku anak-anak ini sebenarnya punya makna-makna alegoris untuk orang dewasa di baliknya. Saya nggak membaca buku ini sambil dengan sengaja memikirkan makna-makna alegoris itu sih, cuma karena ternyata alur yang sedikit ada ("sedikit", karena buku ini hampir nggak ada alurnya) dalam buku ini lebih dark daripada uraian perjalanan dunia fantasi magisnya, mau nggak mau jadi bertanya-tanya dong sebenarnya apa makna di balik perjalanan Giovanni dan Campanella. Namun, setelah baca catatan Ruang Teh dari Bu Ribeka Ota, jadi jelas bahwa karya ini belum selesai karena penulisnya keburu meninggal sehingga interpretasi terhadap perjalanan Giovanni dan Campanella itu diserahkan kepada masing-masing pembaca.
Saya rasa cerita buku ini memang hanya bisa dirangkum dalam satu kalimat sebagaimana yang ditulis Bu Ribeka:
Entahlah. Yang jelas, sekali lagi, untuk cerita anak, buku ini memang cukup dark.
Ilustrasinya cantik banget di sini, dengan manga artstyle yang cocok banget sama ceritanya. Di Ruang Teh Bu Ribeka Ota dijelaskan bahwa buku ini sudah diangkat menjadi media-media lain, bikin saya jadi kepo sama media-media lain itu. Soalnya saya merasa, mungkin saya akan lebih bisa memahami buku ini jika melihatnya sebagai media visual--entah film animasi atau manga--alih-alih high description yang walaupun kalimat-kalimatnya cakep sekali (nggak mudah lho mendeskripsikan sesuatu yang imajinatif, apalagi dengan tingkat imajinasi fantasi magis setinggi ini), tetap sedikit kurang masuk di otak saya. Barangkali saking "high"-nya itu... atau mungkin otak sayanya aja sih yang memang lagi mumet sama masalah-masalah real life sehingga sulit untuk mencerna.
Soalnya buku ini mengisahkan tentang suatu petualangan magical di dunia fantasi antah-berantah Galaksi Bima Sakti. Deskripsi dunia fantasinya itu saya akui sebetulnya sangat bagus dan menarik, bikin bertanya-tanya "Kok hebat banget ya imajinasi Sensei sampai bisa membayangkan dan menuliskan dunia fantasi kayak gitu....", tapi justru saking imajinatifnya itu saya jadi susah mengikutinya. Saya kira buku ini "bacaan ringan" yang cepat selesai dan enak buat menemani saya di KRL. Ternyata... sesulit itu berkonsentrasi mencerna kalimat-kalimatnya karena 90% isi buku ini adalah deskripsi dunia fantasi Galaksi Bima Sakti.
Selain itu, saya punya semacam perasaan bahwa... kayak The Little Prince, buku yang sepintas seperti buku anak-anak ini sebenarnya punya makna-makna alegoris untuk orang dewasa di baliknya. Saya nggak membaca buku ini sambil dengan sengaja memikirkan makna-makna alegoris itu sih, cuma karena ternyata alur yang sedikit ada ("sedikit", karena buku ini hampir nggak ada alurnya) dalam buku ini lebih dark daripada uraian perjalanan dunia fantasi magisnya, mau nggak mau jadi bertanya-tanya dong sebenarnya apa makna di balik perjalanan Giovanni dan Campanella. Namun, setelah baca catatan Ruang Teh dari Bu Ribeka Ota, jadi jelas bahwa karya ini belum selesai karena penulisnya keburu meninggal sehingga interpretasi terhadap perjalanan Giovanni dan Campanella itu diserahkan kepada masing-masing pembaca.
Saya rasa cerita buku ini memang hanya bisa dirangkum dalam satu kalimat sebagaimana yang ditulis Bu Ribeka:
Perjalanan Giovanni di Kereta Bima Sakti diwarnai pemandangan ajaib nan indah, sekaligus dibayangi kematian. (halaman 112)
Entahlah. Yang jelas, sekali lagi, untuk cerita anak, buku ini memang cukup dark.
Ilustrasinya cantik banget di sini, dengan manga artstyle yang cocok banget sama ceritanya. Di Ruang Teh Bu Ribeka Ota dijelaskan bahwa buku ini sudah diangkat menjadi media-media lain, bikin saya jadi kepo sama media-media lain itu. Soalnya saya merasa, mungkin saya akan lebih bisa memahami buku ini jika melihatnya sebagai media visual--entah film animasi atau manga--alih-alih high description yang walaupun kalimat-kalimatnya cakep sekali (nggak mudah lho mendeskripsikan sesuatu yang imajinatif, apalagi dengan tingkat imajinasi fantasi magis setinggi ini), tetap sedikit kurang masuk di otak saya. Barangkali saking "high"-nya itu... atau mungkin otak sayanya aja sih yang memang lagi mumet sama masalah-masalah real life sehingga sulit untuk mencerna.
September 28, 2025
Sıcacık bir öykü kitabı. Çok hüzünlü. Giovanni’yi daha çok okumak ve tanımak isterdim. İsimler dikkatimi çekti. Giovanni Domenico Campanella’ya gönderme olabilir mi?
Fazlalıklardan arındırılmış cümlelerle çok etkileyici bir anlatım.
Çok beğendim.
Fazlalıklardan arındırılmış cümlelerle çok etkileyici bir anlatım.
Çok beğendim.
March 11, 2023
Ileż te opowieści miały w sobie uroku!
October 21, 2015
A short tale of two boys, Giovanni and Campanella, which deals with themes such as dreams, loss and eventually life itself. It's a bittersweet story with an unexpected ending, that seems to me to have been a blend of 'The Little Prince' and 'The Polar Express'. I just wish I had the opportunity to read it as a child - I'm sure it would have left an indelible mark on me then.
February 20, 2024
3,5☆
Zbiór trzech azjatyckich baśni, raczej uczących niż moralizujących, raczej rzeczy ważnych niż nie. Mocno osadzony w swojej japońskości, jednak z domieszką kosmopolitycznego animuszu (Giovanni, Campanella). Miyazawa mądrze i ostrożnie ucieka się do symboli. Swoim bohaterom także pozwala, jeśli naprawdę muszą, dokądkolwiek; jest na nich uważny i czuły. Rys biograficzny z początku książki pozwala ją czytać (lub, jak w moim przypadku, słuchać) z większą rozpiętością, z kategorią niejednolitej, nieco hybrydowej religijności czy cichego prekursorstwa weganizmu za uszami. Jedna z tych literatur dziecięcych, które się nie starzeją, a z którymi zestarzeć się można.
Zbiór trzech azjatyckich baśni, raczej uczących niż moralizujących, raczej rzeczy ważnych niż nie. Mocno osadzony w swojej japońskości, jednak z domieszką kosmopolitycznego animuszu (Giovanni, Campanella). Miyazawa mądrze i ostrożnie ucieka się do symboli. Swoim bohaterom także pozwala, jeśli naprawdę muszą, dokądkolwiek; jest na nich uważny i czuły. Rys biograficzny z początku książki pozwala ją czytać (lub, jak w moim przypadku, słuchać) z większą rozpiętością, z kategorią niejednolitej, nieco hybrydowej religijności czy cichego prekursorstwa weganizmu za uszami. Jedna z tych literatur dziecięcych, które się nie starzeją, a z którymi zestarzeć się można.
November 24, 2018
“Gauche, el violinista”
Precioso cuento cuya moraleja enseña que pocas cosas en la vida se consiguen sin esfuerzo e ilusión y que no debe perderse la esperanza cuando aquello que intentamos hacer no sale bien a la primera.
“Matsaburō, el dios del viento”
Este segundo relato me recuerda un poco a los manga de Matsumoto Taiyō (“Sunny”, “Ping-Pong”) por esa calma que desprende al hablar de los niños de la escuela y su curioso encuentro con un nuevo y misterioso compañero llamado Saburō (“¡en realidad es Matsaburō, el dios del viento!”). Es una historia entrañable que mezcla costumbrismo con fantasía y trata sobre la inocencia y la espontaneidad de la infancia.
Esa mezcla de realismo y fantasía de alguna manera asemeja a cómo un niño cuenta una aventura que puede haberle pasado o no y en la que vuelca su imaginación añadiendo elementos salidos de su propia fantasía infantil
“El tren nocturno de la Vía Láctea”
Empiezo por aclarar que no estoy segura de haber entendido todas las metáforas y simbolismos que encierran las líneas de este tercer y último relato (que da título al libro). Sin embargo si se toma como tal, el relato se puede disfrutar igualmente: es el producto del sueño de un niño solitario con viajar entre las estrellas y encontrar un mundo que sea menos cruel que este en el que vivimos.
Hay partes que me han recordado a “El viaje de Chihiro” y un trasfondo que también me ha llevado a acordarme de “El castillo ambulante” y por eso creo que esta es una historia digna de Ghibli, digna del gran Miyazaki… pero curiosamente, los mundos que Giovanni y Campanella descubren en su viaje en tren por las estrellas, las gentes que llegan a conocer, las historias que éstos les cuentan evocan claramente a “El principito”. En cualquier caso este pequeño cuento es una delicia, como también lo son los dos anteriores.
February 17, 2022
Este foi o primeiro livro que terminei em 2022. Para quem me acompanha no Goodreads, perceberá que o comecei a ler em agosto de 2021, no entanto a demora nada teve a ver com o facto de estar ou não a gostar do mesmo. Mas sim porque o livro é composto por dois contos: “Noite no Caminho-de-Ferro da Via Láctea” e “A Vida de Gusuko Budori” e, no intervalo de outras leituras li em agosto o primeiro e só agora, no final do ano/ principio deste, li o segundo.
Foi a única obra de Kenji Miyazawa que li, mas fiquei com vontade de ler muito mais. A escrita deste autor é riquíssima, quer pela simplicidade das histórias quer pelo conteúdo e informação que o autor nos dá.
Enquanto nos conta a história da viagem do pequeno Giovanni e do amigo Campanella através da via láctea num comboio a vapor, o autor fala-nos da uma amizade pura e inocente de duas crianças, de sobrevivência e perseverança. Paralelamente mostra-nos um universo imenso, cheio de vida, luminoso, uma quarta dimensão que questiona a própria humanidade.
A segunda história “A Vida de Gusuko Budori” mostra-nos a vida difícil de quem vivia nas florestas Tohoku, no norte do Japão, na década de 1920. Após uma série de desastres naturais e da morte dos pais, Budori é forçado a partir. Experiencia diversos empregos onde compreende as dificuldades dos camponeses que vivem essencialmente do campo e da agricultura. Um acaso leva-o a juntar-se a um grupo de cientistas que trabalham com desastres naturais e onde ele procura a solução que permita resolver os problemas dos agricultores nesta área.
Ambos as histórias, estão repletos de descrições cientificas das espécies da flora e fauna do Japão, caracterizando-as em notas de rodapé, enriquecendo o livro com detalhes científicos e figuras de estilo ricas e cheias de imaginação.
Um livro considerado juvenil, onde nos é apresentado o lado triste da doença, da morte e da solidão, mas ao mesmo tempo desafia-nos a ver uma dimensão brilhantemente poética da humanidade, as maravilhas da natureza e convida-nos a nunca perdermos a capacidade de sonhar.
http://folhasdomundo.blogspot.com/202...
Foi a única obra de Kenji Miyazawa que li, mas fiquei com vontade de ler muito mais. A escrita deste autor é riquíssima, quer pela simplicidade das histórias quer pelo conteúdo e informação que o autor nos dá.
Enquanto nos conta a história da viagem do pequeno Giovanni e do amigo Campanella através da via láctea num comboio a vapor, o autor fala-nos da uma amizade pura e inocente de duas crianças, de sobrevivência e perseverança. Paralelamente mostra-nos um universo imenso, cheio de vida, luminoso, uma quarta dimensão que questiona a própria humanidade.
A segunda história “A Vida de Gusuko Budori” mostra-nos a vida difícil de quem vivia nas florestas Tohoku, no norte do Japão, na década de 1920. Após uma série de desastres naturais e da morte dos pais, Budori é forçado a partir. Experiencia diversos empregos onde compreende as dificuldades dos camponeses que vivem essencialmente do campo e da agricultura. Um acaso leva-o a juntar-se a um grupo de cientistas que trabalham com desastres naturais e onde ele procura a solução que permita resolver os problemas dos agricultores nesta área.
Ambos as histórias, estão repletos de descrições cientificas das espécies da flora e fauna do Japão, caracterizando-as em notas de rodapé, enriquecendo o livro com detalhes científicos e figuras de estilo ricas e cheias de imaginação.
Um livro considerado juvenil, onde nos é apresentado o lado triste da doença, da morte e da solidão, mas ao mesmo tempo desafia-nos a ver uma dimensão brilhantemente poética da humanidade, as maravilhas da natureza e convida-nos a nunca perdermos a capacidade de sonhar.
http://folhasdomundo.blogspot.com/202...
April 8, 2023
sevimli ve hüzünlü tanımı o kadar doğru ki. tatlı bir ara okuma yapmış oldum.
April 14, 2025
يبدو أنه حكايات هذه المجموعة القصصية القصيرة وأسلوب الكتابة هما المفضلين لدي في القراءة عموما. أنا حاسة أني شيئا فشيئا أصبحت مغرمة بالأدب الياباني، له مكان لوحده متفرد وجميل وغني يالخيال واللغة الرايقة والاحساس دوما الذي أشعر به أثناء القراءة كأنه حزن وشجن كتير.
يالها من ليلة على متن قطار المجرة، جيوفاني الطفل الجميل الذي وددت أن أركب معه القطار وأشاهد منه درب التبانة، أنا لو قيمت الكتاب بـ أربع نجوم من أجل هذه الحكاية فقط، لن أوفيها جمالها، حبيتها كثير.
والكتاب ككل، قصص وحكايات بين البشر والحيوانات، في عمق غابة، صحراء، سماء، حكايات لها مغزى عميق وفلسفة واضحة، يشوبها الحزن. الأسلوب والوصف حبيت، جديد عليا طريقة الكتابة، المجموعة تتفاوت بين ممتازة وحلوة جدا وجيدة.
من ترجمة رضوى بركات، كانت بديعة ورائعة. ♥️
يالها من ليلة على متن قطار المجرة، جيوفاني الطفل الجميل الذي وددت أن أركب معه القطار وأشاهد منه درب التبانة، أنا لو قيمت الكتاب بـ أربع نجوم من أجل هذه الحكاية فقط، لن أوفيها جمالها، حبيتها كثير.
والكتاب ككل، قصص وحكايات بين البشر والحيوانات، في عمق غابة، صحراء، سماء، حكايات لها مغزى عميق وفلسفة واضحة، يشوبها الحزن. الأسلوب والوصف حبيت، جديد عليا طريقة الكتابة، المجموعة تتفاوت بين ممتازة وحلوة جدا وجيدة.
من ترجمة رضوى بركات، كانت بديعة ورائعة. ♥️
December 13, 2024
Whimsical, fairytalesque in parts, like parables in others. The Japanese landscape feels magical in many of the stories as does the quiet underlying meaning.
The collection is inconsistent, not all the stories are of the same high quality but overall, it was a charming read.
The collection is inconsistent, not all the stories are of the same high quality but overall, it was a charming read.
February 22, 2023
There's something eccentric and yet captivating of Miyazawa's writing and this collection of short stories is definitely one that I will remember for a very long time.
A classic and an inspiration from the creators of Studio Ghibli, Night Train to The Stars holds a collection of 25 short stories of talking animals, forests that whispers your secrets and well, humans that are often odd than most. Stories that seemed ordinary on the surface but has a deeper meaning once you get to look through the lenses of the author.
Personal Thoughts
Although there were some hits and miss's for the stories in the book, I mostly loved it and I definitely liked the slow and almost-melancholic vibe that I had whilst reading this. Go in the mindset of this book reading it as a children's book as it is a collection of classic fairytales and folklores for children in Japan. The foreword written by Kaori Nagai had instilled so much depth and showed that certain stories had a deeper message than the Miyazawa perceived the story during the first time reading it.
What I can sense most whilst reading the book was the Appreciation Towards the Environment . Miyazawa has a background of greeneries and delved in the farming industry and his love for it shone within the collection. Reading this made you somewhat transported to the world that he written, albeit its a scenery in Japan but a more, whimsical one at most. His stories carry voices of people that has been looked down all their life, of forests and animals that had been hurt by humans and of the heart and soul of the ones that are left behind.
I honestly adored the metaphors that Miyazawa brought and his stories are intended to put moral values in the real world, but he used animals instead. Almost all of his stories have talking animals and woods that can communicate with people and in one way, it served a good medium as these stories are mostly written for children.
Some of the memorable stories for me are Restaurants of Many Orders, Kenju's Woods and of course, the Night Train To The Stars. Its definitely a collection that I would like for everyone to read at least once in their life. Enchanting, a bit odd at some, but definitely will let you sail through the stories in the world that Miyazawa had set.
4.25🌟 for this collection! . Biggest thank you to @definitelybooks for this copy!
"Who can say what happiness is?
However hard to bear things may be, if they happen on the upgrade or the downgrade, is one step on the way to true happiness.
A classic and an inspiration from the creators of Studio Ghibli, Night Train to The Stars holds a collection of 25 short stories of talking animals, forests that whispers your secrets and well, humans that are often odd than most. Stories that seemed ordinary on the surface but has a deeper meaning once you get to look through the lenses of the author.
Personal Thoughts
Although there were some hits and miss's for the stories in the book, I mostly loved it and I definitely liked the slow and almost-melancholic vibe that I had whilst reading this. Go in the mindset of this book reading it as a children's book as it is a collection of classic fairytales and folklores for children in Japan. The foreword written by Kaori Nagai had instilled so much depth and showed that certain stories had a deeper message than the Miyazawa perceived the story during the first time reading it.
What I can sense most whilst reading the book was the Appreciation Towards the Environment . Miyazawa has a background of greeneries and delved in the farming industry and his love for it shone within the collection. Reading this made you somewhat transported to the world that he written, albeit its a scenery in Japan but a more, whimsical one at most. His stories carry voices of people that has been looked down all their life, of forests and animals that had been hurt by humans and of the heart and soul of the ones that are left behind.
I honestly adored the metaphors that Miyazawa brought and his stories are intended to put moral values in the real world, but he used animals instead. Almost all of his stories have talking animals and woods that can communicate with people and in one way, it served a good medium as these stories are mostly written for children.
Some of the memorable stories for me are Restaurants of Many Orders, Kenju's Woods and of course, the Night Train To The Stars. Its definitely a collection that I would like for everyone to read at least once in their life. Enchanting, a bit odd at some, but definitely will let you sail through the stories in the world that Miyazawa had set.
4.25🌟 for this collection! . Biggest thank you to @definitelybooks for this copy!
May 10, 2023
9/10💫
İşte son zamanlarda okuduğum beni duvardan duvara vuran hatta "üzerimden tren geçmiş" hissiyatı yaratan o kitap.
Giovanni hüzünlü bir çocuk, kitap da oldukça çocuksu bir hüzünle başlıyor. Giovanni güçlü bir çocuk. Zorluklara göğüs geriyor. Giovanni akıllı bir çocuk, baktığı gördüğü her şeyde bunu anlayabiliyorsunuz.
Kitap başta bir peri masalı gibi gidiyor, tren yolculuğu sizi büyülüyor, her şey o kadar güzel ve mükemmel ki... Campanella nahif bir ruh, nahif bir çocuk... Giovanni ile olan arkadaşlıklarına minnettarsınız, bu yolculuk beraber güzel.
Onlarca büyülü şey görüyoruz, beraber yola çıkmış iki küçük çocuğu ne mutlu edecekse ve Samanyolu sizi içine çekiyor.
Sonra bir şeyler tuhaflaşıyor. Bir şeyleri idrak ediyorsunuz. Tehlike çanları çalıyor ancak ne olduğunu, neden olduğunu ve treni nasıl durduracağınızı bilmek mümkün değil.
Ve sonra, ne olduğunu anladığınızda her şey için artık çok geç.
İşte son zamanlarda okuduğum beni duvardan duvara vuran hatta "üzerimden tren geçmiş" hissiyatı yaratan o kitap.
Giovanni hüzünlü bir çocuk, kitap da oldukça çocuksu bir hüzünle başlıyor. Giovanni güçlü bir çocuk. Zorluklara göğüs geriyor. Giovanni akıllı bir çocuk, baktığı gördüğü her şeyde bunu anlayabiliyorsunuz.
Kitap başta bir peri masalı gibi gidiyor, tren yolculuğu sizi büyülüyor, her şey o kadar güzel ve mükemmel ki... Campanella nahif bir ruh, nahif bir çocuk... Giovanni ile olan arkadaşlıklarına minnettarsınız, bu yolculuk beraber güzel.
Onlarca büyülü şey görüyoruz, beraber yola çıkmış iki küçük çocuğu ne mutlu edecekse ve Samanyolu sizi içine çekiyor.
Sonra bir şeyler tuhaflaşıyor. Bir şeyleri idrak ediyorsunuz. Tehlike çanları çalıyor ancak ne olduğunu, neden olduğunu ve treni nasıl durduracağınızı bilmek mümkün değil.
Ve sonra, ne olduğunu anladığınızda her şey için artık çok geç.
June 19, 2025
Am citit dintr-o suflare "Călătorie nocturnă pe Râul Argintat al Cerului" de Kenji Miyazawa (trad. Raluca Nicolae), o mică bijuterie despre stele, suflet și bunătate 🌌 Am rămas impresionată de blândețea cu care scriitorul japonez redă frumusețile naturii și ale sufletului, realizând un melanj de speranță pentru un viitor în care oamenii ar putea să fie cei mai fericiți dacă ar lăsa mediul înconjurător să le dicteze ritmul vieții 🚂
"Pentru mine, fericirea supremă înseamnă să fi lăsat în urmă fapte bune."
Mai multe despre carte am scris într-un articol publicat pe blog ✍️
https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2025/...
"Pentru mine, fericirea supremă înseamnă să fi lăsat în urmă fapte bune."
Mai multe despre carte am scris într-un articol publicat pe blog ✍️
https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2025/...
August 6, 2016
Miyazawa es un autor extraño. Su estilo, aparentemente inocente y simple, tiene giros de guion propios de los cuentos de hadas. Probablemente esconde mensajes ocultos y hace referencias a mitos y cultura popular japonesa, pero también se puede tomar como aventuras de chavales con elementos fantásticos claros. No me extraña que el autor sea tan popular en Japón, y que su influencia haya sido tan potente incluso para Ghibli.
March 25, 2023
Yine üzüldük.
May 25, 2025
به لطف بودن در غرفه باژ، این کتاب رو همینجوری سرپایی خوندم😂
کاملا با تصوراتم متفاوت بود.
راستش خیلی فضای غمانگیزی داشت برام. جوری نبود که بگم بهترین کتاب توی این سبک رو خوندم ولی حسابی احساساتم رو تحت تاثیر قرار داد.
۷۰ صفحه با جادو و غم و فضای کودکانهی 'جیووانی'.
کاملا با تصوراتم متفاوت بود.
راستش خیلی فضای غمانگیزی داشت برام. جوری نبود که بگم بهترین کتاب توی این سبک رو خوندم ولی حسابی احساساتم رو تحت تاثیر قرار داد.
۷۰ صفحه با جادو و غم و فضای کودکانهی 'جیووانی'.
January 8, 2023
Sendiri dan kesepian itu memang nggak enak.
Itulah yang dirasakan Giovanni, bocah laki-laki yang sering dirundung teman-temannya. Di sekolah, ia hanya punya Campanella, sahabat dekatnya.
Suatu malam, mereka mendapatkan kesempatan ajaib untuk menaikki Kereta Bima Sakti dan pergi ke mana pun mereka mau. Sedari awal aku penasaran, apa sih hal-hal magis yang akan mereka temui. Namun setelah dibaca, kok lama-lama makin sediiih? 😥
Kuakui #kenjimiyazawa punya daya imajinasi yang luar biasa. Tapi jujur kemampuanku belum sampai sana ketika membaca beragam diksi indah dan beberan deskripsi yang sangat detail. Kalau lagi nggak konsen, rasanya akan sulit ngikutin isi kepalanya.
Namun ada 2 hal menarik yang ingin aku tekankan dari buku ini. Pertama, emosi yang dirasakan Giovanni adalah juga cerminan perasaan kita.
“𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬 𝘣𝘪𝘴𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘪 𝘥𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪 𝘪𝘯𝘪? 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯? 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘨𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘬𝘶 …. 𝘢𝘬𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳-𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘩.”
Kedua, pertemuan Giovanni dan Campanella dengan orang-orang di kereta, yang ternyata memberi banyak pelajaran untuk pembaca.
Misalnya:
- Kita diingetin supaya jangan take something for granted dan jangan cari Tuhan pas kepepet doang.
- Perlukah kita mengorbankan diri sendiri demi kebahagiaan orang lain?
Entah kenapa, buku ini ngingetin aku sama The Little Prince, deh. Pembelajaran hidup nyatanya bisa hadir dari orang-orang sekitar yang seringkali pertemuannya nggak kita duga.
Terlepas dari itu, aku cukup terpukau dengan sampul dan ilustrasi ciamik yang menemani perjalanan #SemalamdiKeretaBimaSakti. Sempat bertanya-tanya apakah pernah dialihwahanakan ke dalam bentuk lain (yang mungkin lebih mudah kupahami) dan ternyata sudah ada manga, serial TV, serta anime-nya! 🤩
Buku ini terasa spesial buatku. Apalagi, pembaca dibebaskan untuk mengartikan makna perjalanan Kereta Bima Sakti ini di akhir cerita. Yang pasti, ini lebih dari soal kesendirian. Semoga anak-anak dan orang dewasa menyukainya.
Itulah yang dirasakan Giovanni, bocah laki-laki yang sering dirundung teman-temannya. Di sekolah, ia hanya punya Campanella, sahabat dekatnya.
Suatu malam, mereka mendapatkan kesempatan ajaib untuk menaikki Kereta Bima Sakti dan pergi ke mana pun mereka mau. Sedari awal aku penasaran, apa sih hal-hal magis yang akan mereka temui. Namun setelah dibaca, kok lama-lama makin sediiih? 😥
Kuakui #kenjimiyazawa punya daya imajinasi yang luar biasa. Tapi jujur kemampuanku belum sampai sana ketika membaca beragam diksi indah dan beberan deskripsi yang sangat detail. Kalau lagi nggak konsen, rasanya akan sulit ngikutin isi kepalanya.
Namun ada 2 hal menarik yang ingin aku tekankan dari buku ini. Pertama, emosi yang dirasakan Giovanni adalah juga cerminan perasaan kita.
“𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬 𝘣𝘪𝘴𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘪 𝘥𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪 𝘪𝘯𝘪? 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯? 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘨𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘬𝘶 …. 𝘢𝘬𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳-𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘩.”
Kedua, pertemuan Giovanni dan Campanella dengan orang-orang di kereta, yang ternyata memberi banyak pelajaran untuk pembaca.
Misalnya:
- Kita diingetin supaya jangan take something for granted dan jangan cari Tuhan pas kepepet doang.
- Perlukah kita mengorbankan diri sendiri demi kebahagiaan orang lain?
Entah kenapa, buku ini ngingetin aku sama The Little Prince, deh. Pembelajaran hidup nyatanya bisa hadir dari orang-orang sekitar yang seringkali pertemuannya nggak kita duga.
Terlepas dari itu, aku cukup terpukau dengan sampul dan ilustrasi ciamik yang menemani perjalanan #SemalamdiKeretaBimaSakti. Sempat bertanya-tanya apakah pernah dialihwahanakan ke dalam bentuk lain (yang mungkin lebih mudah kupahami) dan ternyata sudah ada manga, serial TV, serta anime-nya! 🤩
Buku ini terasa spesial buatku. Apalagi, pembaca dibebaskan untuk mengartikan makna perjalanan Kereta Bima Sakti ini di akhir cerita. Yang pasti, ini lebih dari soal kesendirian. Semoga anak-anak dan orang dewasa menyukainya.
April 11, 2025
▪︎ این داستان به من ثابت کرد فرقی نداره کلاسیکِ فانتزی بخونم یا رئال یا درام یا تراژدی یا هر چی،
من میمیرم تا بتونم یه کتاب کوچولوی کلاسیک بخونم! :)):
▪︎ داستانی کوتاه و نمادین برای نوجوانها درباره مرگ
من میمیرم تا بتونم یه کتاب کوچولوی کلاسیک بخونم! :)):
▪︎ داستانی کوتاه و نمادین برای نوجوانها درباره مرگ
Read
December 18, 2022Menurut saya, cover buku ini sudah sangat menggambarkan apa yang saya rasakan saat membaca buku ini: cantik berkilau, namun kilaunya tidak dapat mengalahkan gelapnya antariksa.
Buku ini menceritakan tentang Giovanni, seorang anak yang kesepian dan mendapat kesempatan mengarungi Bima Sakti dengan sebuah kereta bersama sahabatnya Campanella. Bagi teman-teman penikmat komik atau anime Jepang yang magis dengan elemen perpindahan dunia pasti akan menikmati novel pendek ini. Galaksi Bima Sakti diimajinasikan dengan detail, begitupun bagaimana rasa sepi yang dialami tokoh-tokohnya digambarkan. Saya pikir buku ini cukup 'dark' untuk ukuran buku anak Indonesia, namun ini pula yang membuatnya menarik dan bisa meninggalkan kesan bagi pembaca dewasa.
Btw, apresiasi untuk ilustrasinya. Cantik sekali ✨️
Buku ini menceritakan tentang Giovanni, seorang anak yang kesepian dan mendapat kesempatan mengarungi Bima Sakti dengan sebuah kereta bersama sahabatnya Campanella. Bagi teman-teman penikmat komik atau anime Jepang yang magis dengan elemen perpindahan dunia pasti akan menikmati novel pendek ini. Galaksi Bima Sakti diimajinasikan dengan detail, begitupun bagaimana rasa sepi yang dialami tokoh-tokohnya digambarkan. Saya pikir buku ini cukup 'dark' untuk ukuran buku anak Indonesia, namun ini pula yang membuatnya menarik dan bisa meninggalkan kesan bagi pembaca dewasa.
Btw, apresiasi untuk ilustrasinya. Cantik sekali ✨️
December 11, 2022
It honestly pains me to give this book one star -mainly as the cover is the most gorgeous design I’ve ever seen!
However the contents inside left little to be desired.
This was probably one of the worst translated books I’ve read in a LONG time. Not only were there several spelling mistakes (or misprints, to give the editor the benefit of the doubt) but the sentences felt like literal word-for-word translation, as opposed to capturing any semblance of the original essence and message these tales (I'm sure) tell.
Disappointing doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel :(
Thanks anyway to Vintage Penguin for gifting me a copy -at least it will look beaut on my shelf!
However the contents inside left little to be desired.
This was probably one of the worst translated books I’ve read in a LONG time. Not only were there several spelling mistakes (or misprints, to give the editor the benefit of the doubt) but the sentences felt like literal word-for-word translation, as opposed to capturing any semblance of the original essence and message these tales (I'm sure) tell.
Disappointing doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel :(
Thanks anyway to Vintage Penguin for gifting me a copy -at least it will look beaut on my shelf!
April 14, 2023
Japonya’dan Öyküler’i okuduğumda şöyle yazmışım:
‘Sevdiğiniz kadar büyüyecek, güzelliği her detayda yakalamayı arzuladığınız an güzelleşeceksiniz.’
Kenci Miyazava ile tanışmamdan tam dört yıl sonra Galaktik Trenyolu’nda Gece Vakti novellasıyla yolum kesişti. Gökyüzüne büyük bir hayranlık besleyen Giovanni’nin Yıldız Festivali gününde başından geçenleri anlatıyor Miyazava. Hem sıcak hem de hüzünlü bir öykü bu. Çocukluğumda okuduğum Kemalettin Tuğcu, Ömer Seyfettin öyküleri tadındaydı. Okuduktan sonra kırılan ama karakterini düşündükçe gülümseten cinsten..
.
Ceren Ürkmeztürk çevirisi, Konen Uehara kapak illüstrasyonuyla ~
‘Sevdiğiniz kadar büyüyecek, güzelliği her detayda yakalamayı arzuladığınız an güzelleşeceksiniz.’
Kenci Miyazava ile tanışmamdan tam dört yıl sonra Galaktik Trenyolu’nda Gece Vakti novellasıyla yolum kesişti. Gökyüzüne büyük bir hayranlık besleyen Giovanni’nin Yıldız Festivali gününde başından geçenleri anlatıyor Miyazava. Hem sıcak hem de hüzünlü bir öykü bu. Çocukluğumda okuduğum Kemalettin Tuğcu, Ömer Seyfettin öyküleri tadındaydı. Okuduktan sonra kırılan ama karakterini düşündükçe gülümseten cinsten..
.
Ceren Ürkmeztürk çevirisi, Konen Uehara kapak illüstrasyonuyla ~
March 4, 2021
El Tren Nocturno De La Vía Láctea.- Kenji Miyazawa
"Discutimos interminablemente sin llegar jamás a ninguna conclusión y, aún así, nos conmovemos hasta las lágrimas por cosas que hacen las personas que creen en un dios distinto."
La presente antología del reconocido autor y poeta japonés Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) incluye 3 relatos:
*El Tren Nocturno De La Vía Láctea, sobre un niño que hace un viaje onírico con un amigo, mientras espera el regreso de su padre de un viaje. Durante el sueño recorren las estrellas en el tren y van conociendo otros pasajeros. -El mejor de los tres relatos, una historia llena de descripciones imaginativas, simbolismos sobre el budismo y un gran final que nos deja pensando largo rato en lo que acabamos de leer.
*Matasaburo el dios del viento, llega un nuevo alumno a la escuela de campo y los compañeros están seguros de que el niño nuevo es en realidad el dios del viento, a pesar de que los adultos lo niegan. -El relato más costumbrista de la antología y con claras enseñanzas ecológicas.
*Gauche el violoncelista, un poco eficaz músico recibe las visitas menos pensadas mientras practica su instrumento en la casa. -Quizás el más simple de los tres; tiene una estructura de fábula y que a pesar de que lo que quiere transmitir es totalmente válido, se siente que es una historia que no envejeció bien.
🤘🤘🤘
Libro leído para la LC organizada por Magui y Yaaz . Gracias como siempre por la invitación y por elegir libros interesantes para descubrir y debatir en grupo.
"Discutimos interminablemente sin llegar jamás a ninguna conclusión y, aún así, nos conmovemos hasta las lágrimas por cosas que hacen las personas que creen en un dios distinto."
La presente antología del reconocido autor y poeta japonés Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) incluye 3 relatos:
*El Tren Nocturno De La Vía Láctea, sobre un niño que hace un viaje onírico con un amigo, mientras espera el regreso de su padre de un viaje. Durante el sueño recorren las estrellas en el tren y van conociendo otros pasajeros. -El mejor de los tres relatos, una historia llena de descripciones imaginativas, simbolismos sobre el budismo y un gran final que nos deja pensando largo rato en lo que acabamos de leer.
*Matasaburo el dios del viento, llega un nuevo alumno a la escuela de campo y los compañeros están seguros de que el niño nuevo es en realidad el dios del viento, a pesar de que los adultos lo niegan. -El relato más costumbrista de la antología y con claras enseñanzas ecológicas.
*Gauche el violoncelista, un poco eficaz músico recibe las visitas menos pensadas mientras practica su instrumento en la casa. -Quizás el más simple de los tres; tiene una estructura de fábula y que a pesar de que lo que quiere transmitir es totalmente válido, se siente que es una historia que no envejeció bien.
🤘🤘🤘
Libro leído para la LC organizada por Magui y Yaaz . Gracias como siempre por la invitación y por elegir libros interesantes para descubrir y debatir en grupo.
August 7, 2023
Wydawnictwo Kirin naprawdę umiliło mi życie kolejnym przyjemnym zbiorem pełnym zgrabnych, pomysłowych opowiadań. Rewelacyjnie się bawiłam!!
January 1, 2020
(7.5/10) ‘Chuyến Tàu Đêm Trên Dải Ngân Hà’ mở đầu với cuộc sống cô đơn và nhọc gánh mưu sinh của cậu bé Giovanni. Buổi tối lễ hội Ngân Hà, cậu bỗng thấy mình ở trên một chuyến tàu đêm giữa các vì sao cùng người bạn Campanella. Nghe thật mơ mộng phải không? Những tưởng đây sẽ là một chuyến du hành thoát ly khỏi hiện thực buồn bã của Giovanni. Nhưng không, mình đã lọt hố lần đầu khi nhóm ba người khách bước lên tàu và tiếp tục lọt hố ở cuối truyện. Rõ ràng là chốn thiên đường luôn ẩn chứa sự mất mát, dải Ngân Hà rực rỡ trên đầu cũng có một hố đen làm lu mờ ánh sáng các vì sao. Thú thật là truyện đem lại cho mình một trải nghiệm y hệt như hồi mình đọc ‘Cô Bé Bán Diêm’, nghĩa là tốn kha khá nước mắt.
Việc ‘Chuyến Tàu Đêm Trên Dải Ngân Hà’ được coi như tác phẩm thiếu nhi kinh điển khiến mình khá bối rối, vì truyện đề cập tới hai vấn đề mà lứa tuổi này vốn khó tiếp cận là tôn giáo (Thiên Chúa giáo và Phật giáo) và cái chết. Bản thân truyện cũng ngả nhiều về triết, khiến nội dung có phần nặng nề và khó hiểu với độc giả thông thường. Ngọn lửa Bò Cạp là một câu chuyện ấn tượng, rất đạo và rất triết đại diện cho chủ đề xuyên suốt tác phẩm: cuộc sống đầy những bất trắc và sự hy sinh cao đẹp. Mình cũng không hiểu tại sao phần lớn nhân vật lại có những cái tên Tây đến vậy. ‘Chuyến Tàu Đêm Trên Dải Ngân Hà’ từng được chuyển thể thành anime (với hai nhân vật chính là hai chú mèo) và kịch. Tiếc là mình chưa có cơ hội xem cả hai món này.
Nhân tiện, cuốn này Tao Đàn bán giấy ghê quá. Mình thấy nên gộp ‘Chuyến Tàu Đêm Trên Dải Ngân Hà’ với ‘Từ Phương Của Gió’ thành một tập truyện ngắn thiếu nhi của Kenji Miyazawa luôn. Mình đã mua cả ‘Từ Phương Của Gió’, hy vọng truyện tươi sáng và bớt phiêu hơn.
"Cậu không lên Thiên đường cũng được mà. Thầy giáo của tớ dạy rằng chúng ta có thể tạo ra thiên đường nơi hạ giới."
Việc ‘Chuyến Tàu Đêm Trên Dải Ngân Hà’ được coi như tác phẩm thiếu nhi kinh điển khiến mình khá bối rối, vì truyện đề cập tới hai vấn đề mà lứa tuổi này vốn khó tiếp cận là tôn giáo (Thiên Chúa giáo và Phật giáo) và cái chết. Bản thân truyện cũng ngả nhiều về triết, khiến nội dung có phần nặng nề và khó hiểu với độc giả thông thường. Ngọn lửa Bò Cạp là một câu chuyện ấn tượng, rất đạo và rất triết đại diện cho chủ đề xuyên suốt tác phẩm: cuộc sống đầy những bất trắc và sự hy sinh cao đẹp. Mình cũng không hiểu tại sao phần lớn nhân vật lại có những cái tên Tây đến vậy. ‘Chuyến Tàu Đêm Trên Dải Ngân Hà’ từng được chuyển thể thành anime (với hai nhân vật chính là hai chú mèo) và kịch. Tiếc là mình chưa có cơ hội xem cả hai món này.
Nhân tiện, cuốn này Tao Đàn bán giấy ghê quá. Mình thấy nên gộp ‘Chuyến Tàu Đêm Trên Dải Ngân Hà’ với ‘Từ Phương Của Gió’ thành một tập truyện ngắn thiếu nhi của Kenji Miyazawa luôn. Mình đã mua cả ‘Từ Phương Của Gió’, hy vọng truyện tươi sáng và bớt phiêu hơn.
"Cậu không lên Thiên đường cũng được mà. Thầy giáo của tớ dạy rằng chúng ta có thể tạo ra thiên đường nơi hạ giới."
May 18, 2020
"ทุกการเดินทางของชีวิต ย่อมมาบรรจบที่ปลายทางเดียวกันเสมอ"
เรื่องราวของ "โจวานนี" เด็กชายจากครอบครัวยากจนที่มีพ่อหายสาบสูญ และมีแม่ที่ป่วยหนัก ทำให้เขาโดนเพื่อนๆ ล้อเลียนและกีดกันไม่ให้เข้ากลุ่มอยู่เสมอ แต่แล้ววันหนึ่ง ในค่ำคืนงานฉลอง หลังจากที่โจวานนีเสร็จจากการทำงาน โจวานนีเหนื่อยล้ามากจึงไปนอนพักที่ท้องทุ่งและเผลอหลับไป พอตื่นขึ้นมา เขาก็พบว่าตัวเองอยู่บนรถไฟขบวนหนึ่ง พร้อมกับ "คัมพาเนลลา" เพื่อนร่วมห้องที่โจวานนีรู้สึกว่า เขาเป็นเพื่อนที่ดีคนนึง โดยที่โจวานนีไม่รู้เลยว่ารถไฟขบวนนี้จะพาเขาไปไหน
เรื่องนี้เป็นหนังสือลำดับที่สองของสำนักพิมพ์ Jlittle ค่ะ เล่มเล็กกะทัดรัดมาก แถมยังบางสุดๆ ทำให้เราใช้เวลาอ่านไม่นาน วันเดียวก็อ่านจบแล้ว
เรื่องนี้เป็นวรรณกรรมเยาวชนสัญชาติญี่ปุ่นค่ะ พอพูดว่าเป็นวรรณกรรมสำหรับเด็ก แต่เราว่าเนื้อหาก็ไม่ค่อยเด็กเท่าไหร่นะคะ เพราะเป็นเรื่องเกี่ยวกับความตาย และมีความนัยและสัญลักษณ์เชิงศาสนาสอดแทรกเต็มไปหมด และก็เรื่องดาราศาสตร์เข้ามาปะปนด้วย ก็แหง่สิ.. ก็ชื่อเรื่องคือ "รถไฟสายทางช้างเผือก" เชียวนะ แสดงว่า รถไฟมันก็มุ่งหน้าจากโลกไปทะลุอวกาศไงล่ะ ถึงได้มีทั้งเรื่องทางช้างเผือกและเรื่องกลุ่มดาวต่างๆ เข้ามาด้วย
เราว่าเล่มนี้บรรยายฉากและบรรยากาศโดยรอบของตัวละครดีนะคะ คือ เห็นภาพทิวทัศน์สวยงามนอกรถไฟแบบแจ่มชัดมากในจินตนาการ บรรดาตัวประกอบที่โจวานนีและคัมพาเนลลาเจอระหว่างเดินทางก็มีเรื่องเล่ามากมายให้เราได้เพลิดเพลินไปด้วย ซึ่งพออ่านไปสักพัก เราจะเริ่มเอะใจถึงขบวนรถไฟสายนี้ว่ากำลังนำพาเราไปไหนกันแน่ และบรรดาผู้โดยสารในขบวนนั้นพวกเขาคือใคร และมาอยู่ในรถไฟขบวนเดียวกับโจวานนี้ได้อย่างไร
เรื่องราวของ "โจวานนี" เด็กชายจากครอบครัวยากจนที่มีพ่อหายสาบสูญ และมีแม่ที่ป่วยหนัก ทำให้เขาโดนเพื่อนๆ ล้อเลียนและกีดกันไม่ให้เข้ากลุ่มอยู่เสมอ แต่แล้ววันหนึ่ง ในค่ำคืนงานฉลอง หลังจากที่โจวานนีเสร็จจากการทำงาน โจวานนีเหนื่อยล้ามากจึงไปนอนพักที่ท้องทุ่งและเผลอหลับไป พอตื่นขึ้นมา เขาก็พบว่าตัวเองอยู่บนรถไฟขบวนหนึ่ง พร้อมกับ "คัมพาเนลลา" เพื่อนร่วมห้องที่โจวานนีรู้สึกว่า เขาเป็นเพื่อนที่ดีคนนึง โดยที่โจวานนีไม่รู้เลยว่ารถไฟขบวนนี้จะพาเขาไปไหน
เรื่องนี้เป็นหนังสือลำดับที่สองของสำนักพิมพ์ Jlittle ค่ะ เล่มเล็กกะทัดรัดมาก แถมยังบางสุดๆ ทำให้เราใช้เวลาอ่านไม่นาน วันเดียวก็อ่านจบแล้ว
เรื่องนี้เป็นวรรณกรรมเยาวชนสัญชาติญี่ปุ่นค่ะ พอพูดว่าเป็นวรรณกรรมสำหรับเด็ก แต่เราว่าเนื้อหาก็ไม่ค่อยเด็กเท่าไหร่นะคะ เพราะเป็นเรื่องเกี่ยวกับความตาย และมีความนัยและสัญลักษณ์เชิงศาสนาสอดแทรกเต็มไปหมด และก็เรื่องดาราศาสตร์เข้ามาปะปนด้วย ก็แหง่สิ.. ก็ชื่อเรื่องคือ "รถไฟสายทางช้างเผือก" เชียวนะ แสดงว่า รถไฟมันก็มุ่งหน้าจากโลกไปทะลุอวกาศไงล่ะ ถึงได้มีทั้งเรื่องทางช้างเผือกและเรื่องกลุ่มดาวต่างๆ เข้ามาด้วย
เราว่าเล่มนี้บรรยายฉากและบรรยากาศโดยรอบของตัวละครดีนะคะ คือ เห็นภาพทิวทัศน์สวยงามนอกรถไฟแบบแจ่มชัดมากในจินตนาการ บรรดาตัวประกอบที่โจวานนีและคัมพาเนลลาเจอระหว่างเดินทางก็มีเรื่องเล่ามากมายให้เราได้เพลิดเพลินไปด้วย ซึ่งพออ่านไปสักพัก เราจะเริ่มเอะใจถึงขบวนรถไฟสายนี้ว่ากำลังนำพาเราไปไหนกันแน่ และบรรดาผู้โดยสารในขบวนนั้นพวกเขาคือใคร และมาอยู่ในรถไฟขบวนเดียวกับโจวานนี้ได้อย่างไร
July 2, 2021
This was very believable. It feels very current, like we could actually be living the story now . It made me think about what I would do in the same situation. While the story is a fairly slow burn I was gripped throughout and sorry to finish it. I'd love there to be another book set a few years on.
My original review was 4 stars. But given that I am still thinking about it weeks later I've increased it to a 5 star.
My original review was 4 stars. But given that I am still thinking about it weeks later I've increased it to a 5 star.
June 28, 2018
if kenji miyazawa punched me id thank him
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