Strange Weather in Tokyo

by Hiromi Kawakami

‘A person can learn all manner of things, no matter where he finds himself, provided his spirit is determined.’

The familiar streets seemed alienating somehow. I felt just like a child who had tarried on her way, and now it was dark out and the streets that led back home seemed unrecognizable.

seemed as if we had ended up in a time that didn’t exist anywhere.

‘That’s your moon,’ referring to the first character in my name, tsuki, the Japanese word for moon. Sensei

I, on the other hand, still might not be considered a proper adult. I had been very grown-up when I was in primary school. But as I continued through secondary school, I in fact became less grown-up. And then as the years passed, I turned into quite a childlike person. I suppose I just wasn’t able to ally myself with time.

If not kept in check, night-time thoughts are prone to amplification.

walked along by the river, as if I were having a conversation