Synopsis
Kazuya, the protagonist, is a second-year high school student living in Kumamoto.
In an attempt to impress his classmates, he lies and claims to have been to Tokyo Disneyland.
After promising to show his mother photographs as proof at the start of the new semester, Kazuya lies again, telling her he’s going to check out a university, and sets off alone to Tokyo.
He successfully takes the photos, but misses his return flight and ends up with only ¥3,400 in his pocket. At the airport, he’s at a loss when he’s approached by Masami, a shop assistant, who offers to let him stay at her house.
Masami tells Kazuya, “This is your chance to grow as a person,” and encourages him to return to Kumamoto on his own.
Thus begins Kazuya’s “real journey.”
Along the way, Kazuya meets a variety of people.
While they’re all “ordinary people,” each one offers Kazuya life lessons and warmth.
Thoughts
I think the appeal of this book lies in how a journey that began with a lie transforms into a journey of self-discovery.
The message that “meeting people is not a coincidence, but a necessity” appears in other Kitagawa books.
This book describes how a once-in-a-lifetime encounter can change a life.
I too have had the experience of my values being influenced by a casual encounter with someone.
Rather than famous people, encounters with people close to us and the words they say can sometimes have great power.
I believe that particularly memorable words such as “Move before others and be helpful to others” and “Don’t look at life through other people’s glasses” will give me the strength to live in the future.
