j.a.panese 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.