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Maki Kashimada (author), Haydn Trowell (translator), Touring the Land of the Dead (and Ninety-Nine Kisses), Europa Editions, 2021. 144 pgs.

The two novellas, “Touring the Land of the Dead” (Meido meguri) and “Ninety-Nine Kisses” (Kyūjūkyū no seppun), offer readers a profound exploration of reality. Delving into the theme of family dynamics, both narratives provide a poignant glimpse into the complexities of human relationships. Through the lens of female perspective, the third-person narrator skilfully reveals how familial struggles shape the emotional landscapes of the protagonists. In “Touring the Land of the Dead”, Natsuko grapples with the burden of caring for her disabled husband while enduring exploitation from her mother and brother. And “Ninety-Nine Kisses” follows Nanako as she navigates the tumultuous waters of sibling rivalry, witnessing her three elder sisters’ romantic entanglement with the same man. These tales not only captivate with their intricate narrative but also resonate deeply with their portrayal of universal themes.

What adds a layer of intrigue to these two narratives is the immediate transposition of the protagonist’s innermost thoughts by the third-person narrator, a technique that the French theorist Gérard Genette termed as internal focalisation. This narrative approach provides readers with intimate access to the characters’ inner worlds, enhancing the depth of their experiences. For instance, in “Touring the Land of the Dead”, Natsuko’s sense of helplessness becomes palpable as she recounts her mother and brother’s relentless pressure for her to pursue legal action against her former senior for sexual harassment, only to squander the compensation money on their own indulgences at a luxurious Chinese restaurant. Additionally, the disdainful treatment of Natsuko’s husband, Taichi, by her mother and brother is portrayed with chilling realism, evoking a sense of intimidation and resentment within Natsuko.

Similarly, in “Ninety-Nine Kisses”, readers are privy to the intricate dynamics among Nanako and her three elder sisters, Meiko, Moeko, and Yōko. Nanako’s confession, wherein she expresses desires to readers to kiss or engage in sexual relations with her sisters, hints at an unconventional form of sisterly fetishism. However, the origins of Nanako’s distorted affection are illuminated in the concluding section, where it is revealed that their mother has consistently treated them as adults from a young age, even divulging her intent to divorce their father to them. This revelation sheds light on the complexities of familial relationships and the lasting impact of parental influence on the formation of individual identities.

Despite the exploration of various family dynamics, the motif of the absent father looms large in both narratives. In “Touring the Land of the Dead”, Natsuko’s father and grandfather are both deceased, yet their presence remains palpable in Natsuko’s memories, particularly as she revisits the hotel from her childhood with her husband. Her father’s demise, attributed to a brain disease, underscores the lingering impact of loss on familial bonds. However, the contrast in reactions to his death between Natsuko and her mother is stark: while Natsuko grapples with a curiosity about her father’s past, her mother’s concerns are primarily pragmatic, revolving around the loss of the family’s primary breadwinner. The significance of the title “Touring the Land of the Dead” perhaps lies in Natsuko’s revisitation of the hotel and her recollections of past experiences, including those involving her grandfather.

Readers may also readily discern a parallel absence of paternal presence in “Ninety-Nine Kisses”, as Nanako’s parents’ divorce is referenced towards the narrative’s conclusion. While the central focus of the tale revolves around Nanako’s observation of her three elder sisters and her recollections of their interactions, the male figure within the story serves as more than a mere catalyst for Nanako’s myriad emotions. This role is assumed by a newcomer to the neighbourhood who swiftly captures the affections of Nanako’s siblings. His presence evokes both joy and trepidation in Nanako; she harbours fears of potential rifts in the tight bond of sisterly affection, yet also finds solace in witnessing the transformative power of love upon her sisters.

While the themes diverge, attentive readers might notice subtle connections between Touring the Land of the Dead and Love at Six Thousand Degrees (or Rokusendo no ai). In the former, Natsuko’s younger brother’s struggles with alcoholism parallel the confessions of the nameless female narrator in the latter, who grapples with her deceased brother’s addiction. Additionally, in “Ninety-Nine Kisses”, Nanako reminisces about her family’s outing to a cinema-themed jazz café to watch the Alain Resnais film Hiroshima, mon amour. This evokes echoes of Love at Six Thousand Degrees, where a couple’s chance encounter in Nagasaki, coupled with stylistic elements such as fragmented sentences and existential questioning, bears resemblance to Marguerite Duras’s seminal screenplay and her broader literary style.

In an interview, Maki Kashimada, the acclaimed recipient of the Akutagawa Prize, elucidated her choice of “Meido” (冥土, or the Land of the Dead) in the title, citing its resonance with Japanese readers despite her own Christian background. According to Kashimada, “Meido” represents a realm neither Heaven nor Hell, but rather a space intimately connected to death. When considered alongside the first story, one may infer that the narrator seeks to underscore the anguish wrought by her husband’s illness and the maltreatment inflicted by her mother and brother, juxtaposed against her enduring resilience and yearning for survival.

When juxtaposed with the original text, Haydn Trowell’s English rendition emerges as both sophisticated and seamlessly fluent. However, occasional interpretative touches, such as italicising select words or sentences for emphasis, subtly augment the translation, elevating the reader’s comprehension of key thematic elements.

Take, for example, the opening scene of the first story, where Natsuko reminisces about visiting the hotel as a child when her family was affluent. The original text, “あんな生活、という体験” (literally translated as “that life, the so-called experience”), employs repetition of the phrase ‘あんな生活” (that life) to evoke nostalgia for happier times. In the English rendition, however, the phrase “that life” is italicised twice, perhaps introducing an unintended undertone of anguish to the narrative, which could be perceived as superfluous.

However, the judicious use of italics in the English version is commendable. Given the extensive internal dialogues and indirect speech within both novellas, the translator appears to guide readers in distinguishing between various narrative modes. Consequently, instances of indirect speech or characters’ immediate thoughts, lacking explicit markers like “recall” or “remember”, are consistently presented in italics, facilitating a clearer understanding of the text’s narrative intricacies.

Bibliography

“Ms. Kashimada Maki in Touring the Land of the Dead” Shinkan News. October 2012.  [https://www1.e-hon.ne.jp/content/sp_0031_i1_201210.html] (Web, accessed on 6 May 2024)
Kashimada Maki (2005). Rokusendo no ai. Shincho.
—(2015). Meido meguri. Kawade Bunko.

How to cite: Au, James Kin-Pong. “A Profound Exploration of Reality—Maki Kashimada’s Touring the Land of the Dead: Two Novellas.” Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 26 May 2024, chajournal.blog/2024/05/26/touring-the-land.

James Kin-Pong Au is a Master’s graduate of both Hong Kong Baptist University and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Tokyo, writing his dissertation about the relation between history and literature through close readings of East Asian historical narratives in the 1960s. His research interests include Asian literatures, comparative literature, historical narratives and modern poetry. During his leisure time, he writes poetry and learns Spanish, Korean and Polish. He teaches English at Salesio Polytechnic College and literature in English at Tama Art University. [All contributions by James Kin-Pong Au.]

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