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Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) is one of Japan's most beloved writers and poets, known particularly for his sensitive and symbolist children's fiction. This volume collects stories which focus on Miyazawa's love of space and his use of the galaxy as a metaphor for the concepts of purity, self-sacrifice and faith which were near and dear to his heart.
"The Nighthawk Star" follows an lowly bird as he struggles to transform himself into something greater, a constellation in the night sky; "Signal & Signal-less" depicts a pair of star-crossed train signals who dream of eloping to the moon; and "Night on the Galactic Railroad," Miyazawa's most famous work, tells the story of two boys as they journey upon a train that traverses the cosmos, learning the true meaning of friendship, happiness and life itself along the way.
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Giovanni is teased by the other boys at his school because of his missing father. Only his friend Campanella stands apart from the teasing.
It is the night of the Milky Way celebration, and Giovanni heads to town to join the celebration. Somehow he finds himself on a train headed out into the Milky Way.
The story has themes of spirituality and self-sacrifice on a trip that takes us to the ends of the universe.
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