call for readers

I am seeking readers for my un-published translation of Bitou (tail lights), one of the short stories in the collection titled Dokumugi no Toki (season of the tares). Bitou is about a man in retirement, and explores how retirement, among other factors, brings about a change in the way his family and former subordinates relate to him. It is only about ten pages long. If you are a native English speaker, avid reader, and interested in this subject, you maybe able to help me by giving me feedback on whether or not you feel Westerners would find the story interesting, and what you think Miura was trying to convey. Interested readers may email me at miuraworld at mac dot com.

deiryuu chitai

On May 24, 1926 (Taisho 15), the pioneer farming villages of Kami-Furano and Biei in central Hokkaido were nearly destroyed when Mt.Tokachi erupted, causing a river of boulders and melting snow to sweep through the valley and decimate nearly everything in its path-- including 144 lives.

Fifty years after the eruption, in 1975, Miura Ayako went to Kami-Furano to interview the survivors of the disaster and to hear of the incredible hardships they were forced to bear in order to rebuild their lives. In 1976, the Hokkaido Shinbun newspaper began to serialize Deiryuu Chitai (Mud flow zone), Miura's novel about the Mt.Tokachi disaster. It is one of her most powerful works, and I think I am more eager to see it get published in English translation than just about any of her other novels.

Starting this month, the tenth anniversary of Miura's death, and going till March 2010, the Miura Ayako Literature Museum in Asahikawa will be holding a Special Exhibit on "The Making of the Novel: Deiryuu Chitai." Miura's field notes and interview records will be on display, along with documents, news reports, and photographs related to the Mt. Tokachi eruption.

If you are fortunate enough to be in Asahikawa between now and next March, be sure to take in the Deiryuu Chitai exhibit. And if that is not possible, check out the Deiryuu Chitai summary and sample chapter that are posted on the World of Miura Ayako homepage.

korean version of miura ayako's life and times

Kamui Mintara's special issue focusing on Miura Ayako's life and times, which I was asked to translate into English (introduced in earlier post), has now been translated into Korean. Copies are available free to visitors of the Miura Ayako Literature Museum in Asahikawa. You may also be able to get them in bulk by contacting the sponsoring organization, Rin'yu Kanko (contact information at the end of each language version of the special issue). Follow the links here to get to the original Japanese version, the English version, and the most recent Korean version.

miura documentary

This video clip is from an episode of Ano Hito ni Aitai (I wish I could meet that person once more) on Japan's public TV station NHK. It gives an overview of Miura Ayako's life and writing. I'm afraid it's in Japanese only, but you may find parts of it interesting even without the language. Read her profile on the World of Miura Ayako website first. It should help you follow the photos. The content of Miura's interview is the same as that of her autobiography Michi Ariki (The Wind is Howling). I was privileged to correspond with Ayako for over 20 years, and visited the Miuras in their Asahikawa home on several occasions. The footage of them in their living room and kitchen brings back so many memories...

miura quotes

Have you ever looked at the quotes page on the World of Miura Ayako website? Whether from her works of fiction or non-fiction, Miura left behind numerous memorable quotes. Like this one from her autobiography The Wind is Howling:

Back in my room I thought hard. Although my spine was being eaten away by tuberculosis and I stumbled as I walked, we had been blind to its presence simply because it had not appeared on the X-ray. If this ignorance had continued, might not all my bones have been affected? I certainly would have died. And then I thought, "The same could be true of my soul." Maybe I did not realize my heart was being eaten away or how infected I was, simply because I was unaware of my sin. I found this thought very frightening.

--or this one from the as-yet-untranslated collection of essays, Kodoku no tonari (next door to loneliness):

Life is as full of material to learn from as a gravel road is full of stones. Not having gone to school is itself something to learn from. So is poverty, a weak constitution, failure, a broken heart, ignorance, prosperity, and adversity. If you have the will to learn from it, anything can be teaching material.

What passages from a Miura book have left a lasting impression on you? Please share them with us in the comments box below.

for mystery lovers

Hiroki Meiro (working title of English translation: Endless Maze) is a fast-paced novella about corporate trickery, murder, and revenge set in the '70s, during the peak of Japan's economic boom years, just before the "bursting" of the economic bubble. If some of Miura's weightier novels (Freezing Point, Hidden Ranges) were to be compared to a seven-course meal, then Endless Maze would be a very satisfying afternoon snack. No matter how many times I've read it (even knowing how it ends), it still gives me goose bumps. It is highly entertaining, and thought-provoking without being preachy. And, as is typical of Miura's writing, it has no "happily-ever-after" ending.

Read the summary if you don't mind having the ending spoiled for you, or go to the sample chapter to get a feel for the characters and writing style. Does the sample chapter grab you, or not? Why? I'd appreciate your leaving a comment below.

shiokari pass museum

The Shiokari Pass Museum, established to commemorate one of Miura's most beloved novels, is located next to the Shiokari Toge train station on Hokkaido's Soya line, just north of Asahikawa. Shiokari Toge, the novel that made this section of the Soya line famous, is based on true events that took place there in 1909, when railway employee Masao Nagano threw himself in front of a runaway passenger train to prevent it from hurtling into the gorge.

The building itself is a restoration of the house Ayako and her husband Mitsuyo lived in during the early years of their marriage, and was moved here from its original location in Asahikawa. It was while living in this house that Miura wrote her debut novel Hyoten (Freezing Point) which became a social phenomenon. The museum reproduces the conditions of Miura's daily life during those years, including the small miscellaneous goods shop she managed from the front room of their home. Click here for photos.

The museum is open from the beginning of April to the end of November, every day of the week except Mondays, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. The admission fee is 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for children. Phone 0165-32-4088 for further information (Japanese only).

Among English-speaking readers, Shiokari Pass is probably the best known and loved of Miura's works. For those who would like to learn more about this book, read the summary on the World of Miura Ayako homepage.