Night Train to the Stars and Other Stories
Translated by John Bester. Main story published originally around 1927. Translated also as Night on the Galactic Railroad (銀河鉄道の夜, Ginga Tetsudō no Yoru) or Milky Way Railroad or Fantasy Railroad in the Stars.
Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) is one of Japan's most beloved writers and poets, known particularly for his sensitive and symbolist children's fiction. This volume collects stories that focus on Miyazawa's love of space and his use of the galaxy as a metaphor for the concepts of purity, self-sacrifice, and faith, which were near and dear to his heart. "The Nighthawk Star" follows a lowly bird as he struggles to transform himself into something greater, a constellation in the night sky; "Signal & Signal-less" depicts a pair of star-crossed train signals who dream of eloping to the moon; and "Night on the Galactic Railroad," Miyazawa's most famous work, tells the story of two boys as they journey upon a train that traverses the Milky Way, learning the true meaning of friendship, happiness, and life itself along the way.
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Reviews and Comments
Kenji Miyazawa’s *Night Train to the Stars and Other Stories* is a very different collection of short stories compared to those I’ve read in recent years. These fairy-tale-like stories, deeply rooted in nature, may not be easy to grasp with a Western mindset. I, for my part, let go and simply went with the flow. I immersed myself in a different era and different landscapes and culture. The stories didn’t have didactic or obvious conclusions, and although I would generally consider the collection aimed at adults, it would be fascinating to see how a child’s mind experiences these stories.