Going Upriver and Other Stories

An improvised mountain expedition begins with dwindling provisions, a borrowed horse, and a deck of cards used to choose the route. For Makino Shin’ichi’s wandering narrator, adventure can turn unexpectedly into the discovery of a home.

Elsewhere, Tokyo’s theaters and riverbanks revive the memories of a student’s first encounters with literature. A photograph threatens to expose an embarrassing moment; schoolboys confront the consequences of a drawing on the blackboard. Small incidents become tests of pride, affection, and self-deception.

The darker comedy of Bad Handwriting follows a writer who builds a private refuge in sunlight, only to find his bodily discomfort and evasions waiting there. In A Foolish Morning Tale, a leisurely Sunday dissolves into flirtation, invented confidences, and an absurd plan for an evening out. A historical fable about Xiang Yu gives ambition and helplessness a different stage.