Yu Miri: Tokyo Ueno Station

Kazu is dead. But that doesn’t stop him from reliving his life and his choices in a vulnerable, moving voice, through memories shaped by experience, regret, and ultimate loss.

When Yu Miri’s Tokyo Ueno Station, translated by Morgan Giles, won the 2020 National Book Award for Translated Literature, the judges described the novel as “an observation of Japan at the gateway of its capital, at multiple thresholds of shifting eras, told in the bardo of a mourning father and compatriot, reciting his surroundings and circumstances as if a prayer, a mantra.”

In this Delve Seminar, we’ll take the path suggested by the prize judges, treating the text as a model and starting point to “recite our surroundings and circumstances.” Through journaling and discussion, we’ll work our way toward a greater understanding of the novel’s view on contemporary Japan, and the fractured structure Yu employs to explore one man’s memories. Over the course of our time together, we’ll gain insights into our own places, decisions, losses, and joys, reading and journaling toward a finer understanding of life’s fragility and resilience.

This seminar will meet four times. Participants should expect 40-50 pages of reading per week and are invited to journal in response to Kazu, his choices, and the novel’s depiction of place. In addition, our discussions will be punctuated by guided reflections.

Text

Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri

Reading Schedule

Week 1

Read pages 1-36. Considering fragmentation, refrain, and the weight of accumulated memories.

Week 2

Read pages 36-82. Considering grief, ritual, responsibility, expectations, and the social/cultural roles we play.

Weekn 3

Read pages 82-136. Considering landscape, history, and the personal inheritances from both; also, re-considering the fragmentation of memory.

Week 4

Read pages 136-180. Considering choice, sacrifice, confession, and how fractured memories come together to form a singular portrait.

Access Program

We want our writing classes and seminars to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class and seminar tuitions at a reduced rate. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.

Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.

Liaison position

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Apply here for the liaison position.