Japanese short story translation “Memoirs of a Traveller” (ある旅人の手記): Prologue

“Memoirs of a Traveller” by Romo Mamiya: Prologue

“I think I’ll go on a trip,”

I said to myself.

There wasn’t any particular reason.

It wasn’t like
I had an argument with my boss,
got my heart broken,
or was neck-deep in debt.

Nothing at all like that.



Finding a car I really liked.

Receiving an old camera from someone.

Stumbling upon a small tent in my closet.

The destruction of my beloved bicycle, which I had used for many years.

The release of the last book in my favorite series.

None of these things are the reason I’ve decided to go on a trip.

But maybe they did give me a little push on the back.




It wasn’t like there was anywhere I wanted to go.

In other words, I had no destination.

I wasn’t going in search of anything either.

Of course, that includes myself.



I’ll just simply go from here, to somewhere else.
And then from there, to a different place.






From somewhere that is not here, to somewhere that is not there.







This all went through my head when I woke up in the early morning and stared at the blurry ceiling.





“I think I’ll go on a trip,”

I said to myself.