Smile

After parting from a woman, Matsumoto spends his days in melancholy idleness. His only relief comes from evening games of go and the late train home. On a cold station platform, he begins to recognize another regular passenger without ever exchanging a word.

When the two finally speak, their new friendship inspires an experiment: approach strangers and see whether ordinary conversation can soften the reserve of city life. Brief successes and awkward refusals encourage them to become bolder. Then a silent watcher begins appearing, and their curiosity takes an uneasy turn.

First published in 1919, Toyoshima Yoshio’s story explores boredom, sociability, suspicion, and the uncertain distance between a joke and its consequences. Its final smile offers little easy reassurance.