Night Train to the Stars: beloved, enigmatic Japanese folk tales

Product Information

Nichiren Buddhists believe that the whole of the dharma is in the title of the Lotus Sutra and that enlightenment can be achieved in this lifetime through faith in the Lotus Sutra. Instead of throwing my life away vainly like this, grant that my body may be used for the true welfare of all’'”(116). After wandering off one day, he comes upon a mysterious train bound for who-knows-where, meeting up with his only school friend, Campanella, in one of the cars. As readers delve into this delightful chronicle, reminiscent of Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902), they will find themselves captivated by its gentle lessons on goodness and kindness. However, other differences in translation are obvious even to the reader with no knowledge of Japanese religion or philosophy.

The themes and character's actions of Night on the Galactic Railroad become a major plot point in the anime movie Book Girl. Hailing from Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture, an area renowned for hot springs and stunning mountain ranges, Miyazawa loathed his family’s pawnbroking business because it took advantage of poor farmers, so he chose a career in agricultural science. There are also transcendent stories of childhood and mortality like Miyazawa's best-known 'Night Train to the Stars', where a magical steam train carries children through the night and up to the heavens.The story and characters of Giovanni no Shima [13] have a deep connection to the book, referencing it several times to the point where characters are playing scenes of their counterparts in Miyazawa's story. She remained ever-present in his life, just as the fossils and “ the big crab shell and the reindeer antlers” in Milky Way Railroad represent the continued presence of that which is dead.

Ambos as histórias, estão repletos de descrições cientificas das espécies da flora e fauna do Japão, caracterizando-as em notas de rodapé, enriquecendo o livro com detalhes científicos e figuras de estilo ricas e cheias de imaginação. The strength of his religious beliefs and the zeal with which he proselytized for the faith can be seen in a letter he sent to his colleague Miyamoto Tomoichi on March 10, 1921. In The First Deer Race, the protagonist Kaju can suddenly understand what the deer are saying (deer are considered messengers to the gods) and the famous bear hunter Fuchizawa Kojuro can understand the bears talking in The Bears of Nametoko. This, again, is the nature of the bodhisattva vow: One seeks not one’s own nirvana, but the enlightenment of all beings, and to do that, one must be here on Earth doing the work of the bodhisattva.In the mobile game Magia Record, a spinoff to the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, there are multiple references to the book.