A review by heathbc
Night on the Galactic Railroad & Other Stories from Ihatov by Kenji Miyazawa

4.0

Between the shores, the river flowed as quietly as death. p.109

When I was in elementary school, I participated in an after school storyteller club. We memorized and acted out short children’s stories such as Aesop’s fables. Then we’d go perform the stories for children in the younger grades. The story that I always told on my own was “The Crow and the Water Jug.” Miyazawa’s timeless-feeling fables in this collection reminded me of my love for that club. If I had known of his writing then, I’m sure I would have loved to recite and act out “The Nighthawk Star” short story.

While the crow in the Aesop’s Fable collection was revered for its persistence and thinking outside of the box, Miyazawa’s nighthawk was relatable as an outcast and looking for escape. To kids, I think the nighthawk is a sympathetic figure, longing for a place to belong. It’s really easy to feel like you’re not in the right place, that there’s got to be something greater ahead, a place where you fit in.

Night on the Galactic Railroad is a story I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. I was first introduced to the story when I was beginning my Japanese language studies and was in the astronomy club. Although this time I read it in English, I’d like to come back to the story next year and read it in Japanese.

There was a lot of symbolism going on in the story that reminded me of trying to read parables from the Bible as a kid. If I read this as a child, I would have picked up on basic messages of being kind to others while being vaguely aware that there was much more being said that I couldn’t quite pick up on yet because I wasn’t an adult.

The back of the book said that this story would result in the characters “learning the true meaning of friendship, happiness, and life itself.” I think that description is a disservice to the book. To me, that’s not what the quote below was conveying.

“No one knows what true happiness is, least of all me. But no matter how hard it is, if you keep to the path you deem to be true, you can overcome any mountain. With each step in that direction, people come closer to happiness,” said the lighthouse keeper, comfortingly.
“I agree,” said the young man, closing his eyes as if in prayer, “but to reach the truest happiness, one must make their way through many sorrows.” p. 87

I think that Miyazawa wanted to provide some kind of hint for children who are just beginning the lifetime journey that is trying to figure out what the point of being alive is. The best children’s books address real, complicated questions that children ask. We don’t have simple answers to kids who ask “Why was I born?” and “Why do people die?” It’s easy for us adults to shy away from honestly answering those questions because we have no idea if the answer, if we even have one, is good enough. Metaphors and storytelling are an imaginative way of taking children’s questions seriously. I think the sentiment in the following quote captures the way a child, given agency, can see the world.
I’m no longer afraid, even of a darkness, as fathomless as that is. I’m sure true happiness can even be found within it. Let’s search for it…however long it takes, or however far we must go. p. 107

Lastly, I think Night on the Galactic Railway makes even more sense when considering Miyazawa’s background. The translator’s note at the beginning states how Miyazawa’s family were merchants who took advantage of farmers and the working class. He wanted nothing to do with that life. In modern times, the ideas expressed below fall in-line with critiques on capitalism.

Oh, God. How many lives have I stolen to survive? Yet when it came my turn to be eaten by the weasel, I selfishly ran away. And for what? What a waste my life has been! If only I’d let the weasel eat me, I could have helped him live another day. God, please hear my prayer. Even if my life has been meaningless, let my death be of help to others. Burn my body so that it may become a beacon, to light the way for others as they search for true happiness. p. 101 (definitely gave me Joan of Arc vibes)

Rather than being saved by sacrificing others, I thought it might be better for us to see God together. p.86