Journey to Tomioka - by Laurent Galandon (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For fans of This Was Our Pact and Hayao Miyazaki films comes a breathtaking graphic novel about siblings who risk everything to return their grandmother's ashes to her home inside the Fukushima Exclusion Zone.

Osamu hasn't been the same since that day. When the tsunami hit Fukushima prefecture, it killed his parents, destroyed his home, and triggered one of the world's worst nuclear disasters. Now, all Osamu has left is his grandmother, Bā-chan, and his big sister, Akiko. As he withdraws into his own world, he befriends friends yōkai--spirits only he can see.

Then, tragedy strikes again, and Bā-chan dies. Osamu and Akiko are determined to return her ashes to their family farm in Tomioka, a town within Fukushima's forbidden zone. There, the siblings will face dangerous radiation and yōkai, both friendly and deadly--but they're willing to risk it all to make it home.

Review Quotes

About the Author

Laurent Galandon has written several of graphic novels that shed light on the lives of overlooked populations and individuals, from the exiled children of L'Envolée sauvage, to the Romani people of Quand souffle le vent, to the children of agricultural prison colonies in Innocents coupables, to the Jewish French Resistance fighters in Vivre à en mourir (published in English as The Red Poster). When Laurent focuses on these underserved communities, he always approaches his subject matter with great sensitivity.

Having always been passionate about illustrated stories, Michaël Crouzat has dedicated himself to cartoons for over fifteen years. During that time, he tried his hand at a little of everything, including animation, character design, layout art, and storyboarding. Michaël had the good fortune to work on the production of Despicable Me, Ernest & Celestine, and Funan. A few years ago, he crossed paths with Laurent Galandon, and they embarked upon the creation of the graphic novel Journey to Tomioka. Originally published in French, it won the 2025 Youth Prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.