his is an interesting collection of the works of Kenji Miyazawa, the son of a Japanese pawnbroker who wrote in the early 1900s. His stories and interesting mixes of astronomy and whimsy, tales of troubled heroes under starry skies.

My favorite, one of the oddest of the bunch, is the story of Signal and Signal-less, a tale of lovers separated by an insurmountable distance of a hundred yards. You see, “Signal” is a train signal on a modern main line, while “Signal-less” is a signal on a nearby branch line. They are both rooted in their spots but can only talk on the wind to each other. Of course, a nearby utility pole frustrates the lovers with doubt and dismay. And so they continue their romance of words and desires. A very touching (and weird) story.

Miyazawa’s most famous tale is included in the set, the titular  Night on the Galactic Railroad. Here, a poor boy in a port-side village boards the Galactic Railroad and travels across the stars, meeting his boyhood friend and stopping at all sorts of interesting stations. However, it is obvious that his friend has drowned this very night and he’s on his way to the hereafter. It was a very interesting story and I’m sure there were cultural differences that would make this tale even more poignant that it came across to me. Still, a very interesting tale that echoed though me.

So a whimsical and tiny book that can be knocked off in an afternoon or so. Well worth the investigation.

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