Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
To ObihiroAuthor: Hayashi Fumiko
| Original Title | 帯広まで |
|---|---|
| Author | 林 芙美子 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Female Author |
| Summary | In a rain-soaked Tokyo, Iyo navigates the hollow aftermath of her shattered relationship with Kyūta, a musician whose abrupt departure leaves her clutching forty yen and a suffocating loneliness. Her days blur into a haze of menial jobs and fleeting encounters, each a failed attempt to outrun memories of their three turbulent years together. Kyūta, now entwined with Masako—a woman of Ainu heritage from distant Obihiro—carries his own quiet despair, trapped in a provincial life far from his artistic aspirations. When fate draws Iyo to Hokkaido for work, the ghosts of their past collide in Obihiro’s windswept streets. Their strained reunion crackles with unspoken regrets and the bitter residue of love, yet neither can bridge the chasm carved by pride and time. Amidst mist-laden towns and echoing foghorns, Iyo’s journey becomes a haunting meditation on identity, belonging, and the relentless pull of a connection that refuses to dissolve—even as both cling to fragments of dignity in lives unraveling at the seams. |
← Return to List← Return to TOP