Fiction

Tokyo Ueno Station

Tokyo Ueno Station

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  • Create Date：2021-06-29 08:50:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Miri Yū
  • ISBN：0593187520
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Summary

Born in Fukushima in 1933， the same year as the Emperor， Kazu’s life is tied by a series of coincidences to Japan’s Imperial family and to one particular spot in Tokyo; the park near Ueno Station – the same place his unquiet spirit now haunts in death。 It is here that Kazu’s life in Tokyo began， as a labourer in the run up to the 1964 Olympics， and later where he ended his days， living in the park’s vast homeless ‘villages’， traumatised by the destruction of the 2011 tsunami and enraged by the announcement of the 2020 Olympics。

Akutagawa-award-winning author Yu Miri uses her outsider’s perspective as a Zainichi （Korean-Japanese） writer to craft a novel of utmost importance to this moment， a powerful rebuke to the Imperial system and a sensitive， deeply felt depiction of the lives of Japan’s most vulnerable people。

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Reviews

Linh ，

Short and quick read。 A ordinary station and the lives attached to it。 Turn out to be a story of grief。 Lots to think about while reading it but not remembering much now。

Tina ，

"To be homeless is to be ignored when people walk past while still being in full view of everyone。" -- seemed timely to read this book with the Tokyo Olympics starting soon。 "To be homeless is to be ignored when people walk past while still being in full view of everyone。" -- seemed timely to read this book with the Tokyo Olympics starting soon。 。。。more

Ronald Schoedel III ，

This one really drew me in。 It was sad， of course， as one might expect when one finds out the story is being narrated by a protagonist who is now a ghost。 To hear the life story of one who became homeless， and the bad luck upon bad luck that turned his fortunes that way， ought to make us more aware of the downtrodden among us， those who are mostly invisible to society but who live in full view of us。 It's an insightful look into the lives of those who are on the periphery of society usually thro This one really drew me in。 It was sad， of course， as one might expect when one finds out the story is being narrated by a protagonist who is now a ghost。 To hear the life story of one who became homeless， and the bad luck upon bad luck that turned his fortunes that way， ought to make us more aware of the downtrodden among us， those who are mostly invisible to society but who live in full view of us。 It's an insightful look into the lives of those who are on the periphery of society usually through no act of their own--here weaving his life story among several historical milestones in Japan， such as the birth of the emperor， the Olympics （twice）， the tsunami， and more。 。。。more

Amanda Krutsick ，

3/5 - This was beautifully written but the meandering of the narrator from random moment in his life to random moment in his present was confusing and I wasn’t able to sink into this story the way I wanted to。 I had a hard time differentiating between the past and the present and had to re-read many sections to figure out who he was talking to and how they fit into his life。This was also endlessly sad， and at this moment in my life it didn’t resonate with me。 I tend away from novels that read li 3/5 - This was beautifully written but the meandering of the narrator from random moment in his life to random moment in his present was confusing and I wasn’t able to sink into this story the way I wanted to。 I had a hard time differentiating between the past and the present and had to re-read many sections to figure out who he was talking to and how they fit into his life。This was also endlessly sad， and at this moment in my life it didn’t resonate with me。 I tend away from novels that read like a long lament about life， and this was just that。 。。。more

y ，

I’m so ？？？ I read the entire book without reading the blurb and didn’t realise that he was already dead

Caleb ，

An interesting slice of life story from a creative perspective。 Reads like a long epic。 Heart-wrenching at times。

Bibi ，

This book sent me to my photo albums detailing my trip to Japan especially since I had purchased a rail pass and took trips everywhere via train。 I often say Japan is one of the cleanest countries I have visited and during my entire time there， I never saw one homeless person or a beggar。 I guess that is tourism versus reality。 Contrast to this little book which speaks of homelessness and poverty。 There is an especially moving passage where the narrator's brother just a young child with snot dri This book sent me to my photo albums detailing my trip to Japan especially since I had purchased a rail pass and took trips everywhere via train。 I often say Japan is one of the cleanest countries I have visited and during my entire time there， I never saw one homeless person or a beggar。 I guess that is tourism versus reality。 Contrast to this little book which speaks of homelessness and poverty。 There is an especially moving passage where the narrator's brother just a young child with snot dripping from his nose， is charged with dismissing bill collectors at the door:I thought what a thing of sin poverty was， that there could be nothing more sinful than forcing a small child to lie。 The wages of that sin were poverty， a wage which one could not endure， leading one to sin again， and as long as one could not pull oneself out of poverty the cycle would repeat until death。The narrator in this book is incorporeal; he is Kazu Mori whose narration covers his difficult life， leading up to his homelessness in Ueno Park。 Much of the book is devoted to monologues such as: Is death where time stops and the self is left all alone in this space？ Is death where space and the self are erased and only time continues。。。Plus there are depictions of others like himself in the homeless encampment， snippets of overheard conversation， train and radio announcements， some historical bits on the history of Ueno Park where the homeless gathers， and other historical events such as the battles for power during different dynastic periods， the firebombing of the City in WW2， and naturals disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis。 Mostly though， the book is about the narrator's own life and his observations of life in general。The reader slowly learns that Kasu Mori is born in Fukushima in 1933 - the same year as the Emperor Akihito and coincidentally， his own son is born in 1960， the same year as Crown Prince Naruhito。 A poor family with several siblings， Kasu is forced to work alongside his father as they attempt to eke out a living。 He would later marry but spends most of the time away from his bride as he traverses the country looking for jobs， funneling his earnings back to his family， and missing out on any real relationship with his children and wife。 The flashbacks he relives in the book hint at regret but also recognising the reasons for his decisions。Kazu's itinerant existence as a labourer took him to Tokyo in 1963， arriving at Ueno station， and working as a construction worker on preparatory projects for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics。 He rarely sees his family mostly returning home when tragedy strikes。 His grief upon the death of his son is palpable。 His life appears to be a continuum of hard labor， disappointment and grief。The book is written in a disjointed way with some sections which are a slow crawl such as long descriptions of rose varieties。 Some bits， for example， funereal customs and Buddhist principles etc I found tolerable from an educational point of view。 I also did not mind his monologues about death:Humanity's worst impulse is to imagine those final moments。 Those of us left behind wonder whether it was a good death， or a bad death。There are some interesting cultural reveals outside of funeral rites as well， for exampleThose who hear another's secret are obliged to share one of their own。The author attempts， through the life of Kazu Mori， to shine a light on homelessness but I do not fully understand Kazu's choice。 As he ages， he is blessed with a daughter and granddaughter who care enough about his well-being。 He is also blessed by seven years of togetherness with a faithful and devoted wife despite his sporadic time away in the beginning。Before， we had families。 We had houses。 Nobody starts off life in a hovel made of cardboard and tarps， and nobody becomes homeless because they want to be。 One thing happens， then another。 It wasn’t that I wanted to die， it was that I was tired of trying。The most powerful parts of the book to me are the hardships， tragedy and overall mundane life of Kasu。 This is juxtaposed with capitalism and the blindness of the plight of others:To be homeless is to be ignored when people walk past， while still being in full view。3。5 stars rounded up to 4。 。。。more

Tia Daversa ，

Haunting and beautiful。

Lenore ，

“I never carried any photos with me， but I was always surrounded by people， places， and times gone by。 And as I retreated into the future， the only thing I could ever see was the past。“It was nothing as sweet as nostalgia or a longing for bygone days， just a constant absence from the present， an anger towards the future…”Heartbreaking and beautiful。 Unlike anything I’ve read; the story of a life lived under the oppression and unfairness of poverty told in small， poem-like moments， overheard conv “I never carried any photos with me， but I was always surrounded by people， places， and times gone by。 And as I retreated into the future， the only thing I could ever see was the past。“It was nothing as sweet as nostalgia or a longing for bygone days， just a constant absence from the present， an anger towards the future…”Heartbreaking and beautiful。 Unlike anything I’ve read; the story of a life lived under the oppression and unfairness of poverty told in small， poem-like moments， overheard conversations， and memories。 。。。more

Sandra ，

'I stood alone in the darkness。 Light does not illuminate。It only looks for things to illuminate。And I have never been found by the light。 I would always be in the darkness---'Kazu is a man who is haunted and haunting。 He decides to end his days at Ueno Park and joins the homeless community that abides there。 His first labouring job was in Tokyo preparing for the 1964 Olympics。 Kazu was born the same year as the Emperor and his son the same day as the Crown Prince。 But this is where coincidence 'I stood alone in the darkness。 Light does not illuminate。It only looks for things to illuminate。And I have never been found by the light。 I would always be in the darkness---'Kazu is a man who is haunted and haunting。 He decides to end his days at Ueno Park and joins the homeless community that abides there。 His first labouring job was in Tokyo preparing for the 1964 Olympics。 Kazu was born the same year as the Emperor and his son the same day as the Crown Prince。 But this is where coincidence ends and reality constructs a different narrative for him and his family。 This story highlights the divide in social status from the rich to the everyday person。 The hypocrisy of the image this country wishes to portray of respectability and achievement at the cost of it's people。 Plus the natural disaster of the 2011 Tsunami。 It is a powerful portrayal of one man's life through his death。 。。。more

Joanne ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 i found this novel interesting but the emotionally detached style of the writing which i am guessing is meant to mirror the narrator’s ghostliness / similar detachment was not particularly enticing to me

Stephen ，

Tokyo Ueno Station is a short， quiet novel that is full of empathy， compassion and humanity。 The simple elegant prose conveys a powerful message of voices from the margins that need to be heard。

Jenny Yates ，

This is a small， mournful novel。 The narrator is a homeless man who has just died。 He’s drifting around， looking on at the other homeless people who still live there， in a park near the Ueno Station in Tokyo。 He also goes back and remembers scenes from his life， and regrets the things he missed。 He had to work far away from his family， so he didn’t see much of them， but he relives the death of his young son and his wife。 The novel moves around in an aimless way， often stopping at odd places。 We This is a small， mournful novel。 The narrator is a homeless man who has just died。 He’s drifting around， looking on at the other homeless people who still live there， in a park near the Ueno Station in Tokyo。 He also goes back and remembers scenes from his life， and regrets the things he missed。 He had to work far away from his family， so he didn’t see much of them， but he relives the death of his young son and his wife。 The novel moves around in an aimless way， often stopping at odd places。 We catch snatches of conversation between people walking by。 The writing ranges between poetic and monotonous， but the intimate images of the homeless people are unforgettable。 There’s no pity， no drama， just the daily tasks of surviving。 There’s a recurring connection between our narrator and the Japanese emperor， born the same year， one living a life of constant struggle， the other a life of privilege。 。。。more

Sarah ，

In truth， I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book。 It is an extremely sad story。 But it is very hard to put down。 The audience keeps hoping that things will get better for Kazu （and there is a small period that they do） but inevitably， life does not treat him well。 There were a couple of things that I didn't particularly care for。First of all， the summary of the book on the jacket is a bit exaggerated。 There were not a lot of coincidences that coincided between Kazu's life and the empe In truth， I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book。 It is an extremely sad story。 But it is very hard to put down。 The audience keeps hoping that things will get better for Kazu （and there is a small period that they do） but inevitably， life does not treat him well。 There were a couple of things that I didn't particularly care for。First of all， the summary of the book on the jacket is a bit exaggerated。 There were not a lot of coincidences that coincided between Kazu's life and the emperor's。 The only ones were: Kazu and the emperor were born in the same year， both men had their first born sons on the same day and year， and the emperor gave an opening speech to the 1964 Olympics which Kazu assisted in building the stadiums。 After that， anything else was nothing that the normal citizen would not experience。 Secondly， while my heart went out to Kazu through is life of poverty， his homelessness was not necessarily something I felt bad for。 Kazu chose to be homeless。 He had family who cared about him and was worried for his well being。 So worried， that his granddaughter actually moved in to take care of him。 While I understood his world weariness， he left his home of his own accord and turned his back on the chance to end his days in a loving environment。Lastly， was the author's writing style。 The audience is aware that Kazu is a ghost from the beginning。 We do see him in this form as he haunts Ueno Park and the surrounding areas。 However， the change of perception is very sudden and often takes a minute to realize whether or not Kazu is reflecting on his life or if he is describing his current surroundings。 While I have listed a few complaints， I do not regret having read this book。 I guess I would describe it as wonderfully sad。 It is an interesting reflection on the homeless of the world and paints a picture of the lives they may lead。 It goes to show that you never truly know someone until you walk a mile in their shoes。 I do recommend this book but I caution that it is not very joyful and the reader may be in for some heartfelt emotions。 。。。more

Amanda ，

An almost poetic portrayal of the impossibility of poverty。 The reader does get lost between the narrator's memories and his current ghostly state， but finding a way through the maze is worth it。 An almost poetic portrayal of the impossibility of poverty。 The reader does get lost between the narrator's memories and his current ghostly state， but finding a way through the maze is worth it。 。。。more

Julia Hahn ，

This was difficult for me to finish。 Didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked。 Also， v。 depressing。

Jade ，

extremely bleak / super interesting structure esp comparing the emperor’s life with the narrator / gorgeous ending

Adelaide Apostol ，

Solid 3。5 for this one。 Really liked the book’s commentary on poverty & homelessness， but overall， for a novella， this book was really hard to finish。 The pacing was just very slow， but I still recommend because there are moments in the book that are so tragic。 Anywho， if u like sad stories w bleak endings I def recommend lol。 Definitely going to try to reread this one because I feel like I got the bigger ideas and themes of the book but I think I didn’t really appreciate the nuance that this bo Solid 3。5 for this one。 Really liked the book’s commentary on poverty & homelessness， but overall， for a novella， this book was really hard to finish。 The pacing was just very slow， but I still recommend because there are moments in the book that are so tragic。 Anywho， if u like sad stories w bleak endings I def recommend lol。 Definitely going to try to reread this one because I feel like I got the bigger ideas and themes of the book but I think I didn’t really appreciate the nuance that this book was really going for。 。。。more

Rongrong ，

I looked up some of the monuments described。 Some parts read like a travel guide to Ueno Park。 Some parts felt like I was standing there， unable not to casually overhear the conversation of strangers as I wandered through an exhibit or down a path。 Mournful？ Detached？ Strange？ Resigned？

Afiya Anyabwile ，

This book fell a little flat for me。 It is beautifully written and plays with time and form in a way that’s still really accessible。 But the narration felt a bit disconnected - probably because the narrator is dead 🤷‍♀️

Ricky Marshall ，

Around 4 stars。。A haunting story told beyond the grave by an elderly homeless man in Tokyo。 While this story was Japan specific， it’s messages could be applied to a majority of the homeless population around globe。 A quick read with a beautiful but dark prose I’d suggest this book if only to have someone to discuss the ending with。

Amy ，

Yu Miri's poignant style of writing is so gentle， so genuine， as she tells the story of a homeless man who grapples with the weight of poverty and mortality。 She uses her words beautifully as a medium through which she threads tendrils of emotion that wrap around your fingertips and all the way around your heart a dozen times。 This book is to be read slowly， on the back seat of an empty bus traversing through the night， or in the corner of a small room。 Yu Miri's poignant style of writing is so gentle， so genuine， as she tells the story of a homeless man who grapples with the weight of poverty and mortality。 She uses her words beautifully as a medium through which she threads tendrils of emotion that wrap around your fingertips and all the way around your heart a dozen times。 This book is to be read slowly， on the back seat of an empty bus traversing through the night， or in the corner of a small room。 。。。more

MaRysia （ostatnia_strona） ，

2，75Mimo， że książka porusza bardzo ważny temat jakim jest bezdomność w Japonii， to muszę zaniżyć moją subiektywną ocenę， bo ciężko było mi się w tę książkę wgryźć。 Mimo， że ma zaledwie 150 stron， czytałam ją cały dzień。Fragmenty， które szczególnie mi się spodobało to te opisujące urywki rozmów ludzi， którym przysłuchuje się główny bohater na stacji metra。 Biło od nich dziwną， smutną， melancholią。 Zmusiło mnie do refleksji nad tym， ilu ludzi jest cieniem dla naszego zabieganego， mieszczańskiego 2，75Mimo， że książka porusza bardzo ważny temat jakim jest bezdomność w Japonii， to muszę zaniżyć moją subiektywną ocenę， bo ciężko było mi się w tę książkę wgryźć。 Mimo， że ma zaledwie 150 stron， czytałam ją cały dzień。Fragmenty， które szczególnie mi się spodobało to te opisujące urywki rozmów ludzi， którym przysłuchuje się główny bohater na stacji metra。 Biło od nich dziwną， smutną， melancholią。 Zmusiło mnie do refleksji nad tym， ilu ludzi jest cieniem dla naszego zabieganego， mieszczańskiego życia。Zabieg， który muszę jeszcze docenić to wprowadzenie postaci cesarza， wokół której klasy biedniejsze budują całe swoje życie。 Jednocześnie jego pojawianie się podkreśla ogromną przepaść między warstwami społecznymi。Książka na pewno zmusza do refleksji， aż chciałoby się poczytać więcej， bo mam wrażenie że książka YU Miri była jednak takim zbiorem fragmentów， który nie do końca odebrałam jako spójny。 。。。more

Siri Solheim-Kristiansen ，

It's not that it isn't a good read， but I couldn't connect to it。 It's still， sombre， elegant and makes you think。 I guess I just didn't want to think to much。 2，5 would be more accurate。 It's not that it isn't a good read， but I couldn't connect to it。 It's still， sombre， elegant and makes you think。 I guess I just didn't want to think to much。 2，5 would be more accurate。 。。。more

Samiksha Paudel ，

Really enjoyed this book。 Some aspect were incredibly engaging like things about this past life and his life now as a homeless person and strangely i also enjoyed the random conversations of strangers but detailed description of roses went right over my head。

Just This ，

It's not clear whether the homeless narrator of this book is alive or dead， but what is clear is that he worked hard throughout his life， and shouldn't have ended up like this。 Tokyo Ueno Station is a social novel， but is just as much the story of an ordinary man's life。 It's not clear whether the homeless narrator of this book is alive or dead， but what is clear is that he worked hard throughout his life， and shouldn't have ended up like this。 Tokyo Ueno Station is a social novel， but is just as much the story of an ordinary man's life。 。。。more

Adam Ferris ，

"I was still stunned by the numberless doubts， only I was now outside of life looking in， as someone who has lost the capacity to exist， now ceaselessly thinking， ceaselessly feeling。"Tokyo Ueno Station is a mournful and layered reflection told through the eyes and heart of Kazu。 For Kazu， time does not pass and time never ends。 We join a man reminiscing on his life both the cherished moments and those he never had those he missed out。 We see through Kazu， the sometimes tragic turns through sett "I was still stunned by the numberless doubts， only I was now outside of life looking in， as someone who has lost the capacity to exist， now ceaselessly thinking， ceaselessly feeling。"Tokyo Ueno Station is a mournful and layered reflection told through the eyes and heart of Kazu。 For Kazu， time does not pass and time never ends。 We join a man reminiscing on his life both the cherished moments and those he never had those he missed out。 We see through Kazu， the sometimes tragic turns through settings and seasons that life can bring that can leave us on the outside looking in。Through beautiful imagery and psychogeography， Miri Yu spins a tale that flows quite seamlessly through space and time。 Whether I was learning about roses or the history of Ueno Park， through Kazu's stream of consciousness， I truly felt connected to the story。 。。。more

Ellie Kakoulli ，

Tokyo Ueno Station is a rather slender （at only 190 or so pages） novel， that hauntingly narrates the tale of Kazu， a rather restless spirit， reflecting back on his rather traumatic， poverty stricken life， amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy commuters with the station he now inhibits。Written in an almost stream-of-consciousness style narrative， interspersed with fragmented flashbacks， we see how Kazu’s life has been both deeply affected and heavily dictated by the ever changing political， en Tokyo Ueno Station is a rather slender （at only 190 or so pages） novel， that hauntingly narrates the tale of Kazu， a rather restless spirit， reflecting back on his rather traumatic， poverty stricken life， amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy commuters with the station he now inhibits。Written in an almost stream-of-consciousness style narrative， interspersed with fragmented flashbacks， we see how Kazu’s life has been both deeply affected and heavily dictated by the ever changing political， environmental and sociological landscape of modern day Japan。 Kazu ruminants on the history， religion and rituals of the past and how these， very much like himself， are now neglected and serve no “value” or place within a society they’ve helped shape and create。Whilst I didn’t fully connect with Yu’s writing style or structure， there were definitely some well captured and thought provoking moments。 I particularly admired her critical social commentary， in capturing the lives of the marginalised people within contemporary Japan。 Highlighting the truly abhorrent and unjust indictments of a capitalistic system， that thinks nothing of destroying lives in pursuit of “progress” and “perfection。”Overall an ambitious and intriguing subject， but one that unfortunately felt too emotional disjointed and rather a slog to get through -at least for this reader！3 starshttps://www。instagram。com/elliekakoulli/ 。。。more

Shelby Voigt ，

I read the English translation and the style of prose was very dynamic and affecting。 I felt disconnected at times but was generally very swept up in the grief of the tale。

Yas ，

I don't really know what to say about this book besides that it was beautifully written， very emotionally heavy。 I don't really know what to say about this book besides that it was beautifully written， very emotionally heavy。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tokyo Ueno Station

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tokyo Ueno Station&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tokyo Ueno Station&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0