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Kaimu: A Collection of Disturbing Dreams
Japanese literature is known for its unusual, disturbing, or downright scary stories, and Kyusaku Yumeno––a classic author whose name means “the eccentric dreamer”––personifies these dark elements.
This second volume focuses on a set of Yumeno’s six short stories titled “Kaimu”, a word formed from the characters for “mysterious” and “dream”. These stories, each about a disturbing dream in an unusual setting, utilize imagery to create atmosphere and engage the reader’s senses.
A diver in search of gold coins faces an unwanted encounter at the bottom of the sea; a hotshot pilot decides to take a joyride on a plane shrouded in superstition; a man discovers himself trapped in a tiny cage inside of a massive, seemingly deserted hospital––these and other stories are sure to delight and unsettle fans of Japanese literature and lovers of eerie, unusual stories.
To serve as a learning resource for those studying Japanese, the stories are included in both English-only as well as parallel Japanese/English formats. As a bonus, over sixty translation notes have been included for readers interested in translation, or anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the stories.
This second volume focuses on a set of Yumeno’s six short stories titled “Kaimu”, a word formed from the characters for “mysterious” and “dream”. These stories, each about a disturbing dream in an unusual setting, utilize imagery to create atmosphere and engage the reader’s senses.
A diver in search of gold coins faces an unwanted encounter at the bottom of the sea; a hotshot pilot decides to take a joyride on a plane shrouded in superstition; a man discovers himself trapped in a tiny cage inside of a massive, seemingly deserted hospital––these and other stories are sure to delight and unsettle fans of Japanese literature and lovers of eerie, unusual stories.
To serve as a learning resource for those studying Japanese, the stories are included in both English-only as well as parallel Japanese/English formats. As a bonus, over sixty translation notes have been included for readers interested in translation, or anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the stories.
83 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2012
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About the author
Kyūsaku Yumeno
275 books119 followersYumeno Kyūsaku (native name: 夢野 久作) was the pen name of the early Shōwa period Japanese author Sugiyama Yasumichi. The pen name literally means "a person who always dreams." He wrote detective novels and is known for his avant-gardism and his surrealistic, wildly imaginative and fantastic, even bizarre narratives.
Kyūsaku’s first success was a nursery tale Shiraga Kozō (White Hair Boy, 1922), which was largely ignored by the public. It was not until his first novella, Ayakashi no Tsuzumi (Apparitional Hand Drum, 1924) in the literary magazine Shinseinen that his name became known.
His subsequent works include Binzume jigoku (Hell in the Bottles, 1928), Kori no hate (End of the Ice, 1933) and his most significant novel Dogra Magra (ドグラマグラ, 1935), which is considered a precursor of modern Japanese science fiction and was adapted for a 1988 movie.
Kyūsaku died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1936 while talking with a visitor at home.
Kyūsaku’s first success was a nursery tale Shiraga Kozō (White Hair Boy, 1922), which was largely ignored by the public. It was not until his first novella, Ayakashi no Tsuzumi (Apparitional Hand Drum, 1924) in the literary magazine Shinseinen that his name became known.
His subsequent works include Binzume jigoku (Hell in the Bottles, 1928), Kori no hate (End of the Ice, 1933) and his most significant novel Dogra Magra (ドグラマグラ, 1935), which is considered a precursor of modern Japanese science fiction and was adapted for a 1988 movie.
Kyūsaku died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1936 while talking with a visitor at home.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 30, 2025
What a strange little book this is! There's only six or seven stories, quite messed up stories I might add, that are offered first in English, then in English and Japanese together, with copious footnotes about the translation process. Any English reader interested in Japanese language or culture should be thrilled with this little edition. Alas, my own skill set was not up to the task of following along with the intricacies of the translation. However, I enjoyed the stories.
July 10, 2025
Not a fan of the writing or the translation. I know dream narratives are not necessarily polished stories, but some sections read to me like they were pulled unedited out of a scribbled dream journal. And maybe I'm just spoilt by all the smooth Japanese translations I encountered earlier and liked, to overlook some awkward decisions here. The translation footnotes mostly do not address passages that I had trouble with. But that's not the translator's fault.
It did not help that in the middle of this struggle, I read Renee Gladman's wonderful My Lesbian Novel. Switching back and forth was pretty jarring.
It did not help that in the middle of this struggle, I read Renee Gladman's wonderful My Lesbian Novel. Switching back and forth was pretty jarring.
June 30, 2023
a fever dream
„the glass world” - viewed from a different perspective, may represent our own conscience, along with morality.
when we are born, and live in a society without transgressions, we are pure - as if made of glass. commiting crimes, we increasingly dirty and tarnish what was given to us in the past - innocence and a „good” heart. the pursuit of the detective and the man in fact could show the process of transformation, and his own punishment for his actions. falling into the never-ending mundane, he was in reality lost in the darkest recesses of his mind, from which he will never get the opportunity to return to the „bright” side
„the glass world” - viewed from a different perspective, may represent our own conscience, along with morality.
when we are born, and live in a society without transgressions, we are pure - as if made of glass. commiting crimes, we increasingly dirty and tarnish what was given to us in the past - innocence and a „good” heart. the pursuit of the detective and the man in fact could show the process of transformation, and his own punishment for his actions. falling into the never-ending mundane, he was in reality lost in the darkest recesses of his mind, from which he will never get the opportunity to return to the „bright” side
November 5, 2021
Stuff Dreams Are Made From…
Some are ghost stories, a couple others Twilight Zonish, and the last one a dream sequence, “The Glass World.” This dream, one should beware of living in glass houses, as the expression goes. The Seven Seaweeds should be read as a ghost story when the reader realizes what the tall seaweeds are really are. Mid-Air is one should do well not get too caught up in the T-11 flight. “Into the Street,” one wonders if this guy walking at night had gotten too drunk for his own good. The Foundry is a bit confusing, that it needed to be read again. The translation is well written. Stories are read like dream sequences without any character development, and straightforward. Recommended.
Some are ghost stories, a couple others Twilight Zonish, and the last one a dream sequence, “The Glass World.” This dream, one should beware of living in glass houses, as the expression goes. The Seven Seaweeds should be read as a ghost story when the reader realizes what the tall seaweeds are really are. Mid-Air is one should do well not get too caught up in the T-11 flight. “Into the Street,” one wonders if this guy walking at night had gotten too drunk for his own good. The Foundry is a bit confusing, that it needed to be read again. The translation is well written. Stories are read like dream sequences without any character development, and straightforward. Recommended.
July 8, 2025
An interesting linguistic portrait, unsettling and semi-nonsensical as one would expect echoing from a dream scape. I am just upset that I do not know how to read Japanese. As is the case with most translated texts, the essence isn’t quite there. I can only just imagine it.
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August 8, 2025they are quite disturbing, goodnight.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews