Pathway to Japanese Literature

Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.

The World Thirty Years LaterAuthor: Unno Juza

Original Title	三十年後の世界
Author	海野十三
Genre	Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In the sweltering summer of 1977, a record-breaking heatwave melts ancient snow in Japan’s Alps, exposing a colossal metal sphere buried for decades. Four hikers uncover cryptic instructions etched on its surface, leading them to revive Kosugi Masakichi—a boy cryogenically frozen in 1947. Awakening thirty years later, Masakichi navigates a world unrecognizable from his memories: Tokyo’s bustling streets now lie buried beneath an underground metropolis shielded from atomic threats. Moving walkways replace roads, artificial organs prolong life, and crops thrive in sterile, subterranean farms. Yet danger lingers—watchtowers dot a surface reclaimed by wilderness, guarding against rogue factions and an enigmatic celestial threat approaching Earth. As Masakichi reunites with family and grapples with societal leaps—undersea cities, global subterranean railways—he yearns to join a daring space expedition chasing Mars. But whispers of hostile extraterrestrials and humanity’s fragile peace hint at uncharted perils. Drawn into humanity’s next frontier, Masakichi confronts a future where resurrection, technology, and cosmic ambition collide—and where the past’s shadows still loom.