The Passengers on the Hankyu Line - by Hiro Arikawa (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Welcome aboard the Hankyu train! Come along on a heartwarming, funny, and a perfectly cozy voyage with the charming and relatable passengers-including one dashing dachsund-whose lives intersect and affect each other on one of Japan's most romantic railway lines from the international bestselling author Hiro Arikawa. Between the two beautiful Japanese towns of Takarazuka and Nishinomiya, in a stunning mountainous area of Japan, rattles the Hankyu train. Passengers step on and off, lost in thought, contemplating the tiny knots of their existence. On the outward journey we are introduced to the emotional dilemmas of five characters, and on the return journey six months later, we watch them resolve. A young man meets the young woman who always happens to borrow a library book just before he can take it out himself; a woman in a white bridal dress boards looking inexplicably sad; a university student leaves his hometown for the first time; a girl prepares to leave her abusive boyfriend; and an old lady discusses adopting a dog with her granddaughter. These fully developed stories crisscross each other like the railway lines in the book. As ever with Arikawa's writing, the characters are vivid and delightful, their predicaments touching on universal human desires and emotions that feel utterly familiar. Her warmth spills over, alongside a fierce wit, a bit of fun railway geekery, and plenty of delicious detail about the beauties and traditions of the Japan we travel through with these unforgettable passengers"--

Book Synopsis

Welcome aboard the Hankyu Line train!

Come along on a heartwarming, funny, and perfectly cozy voyage with the charming and relatable passengers--including one dashing dachshund--whose lives intersect and affect each other on one of Japan's most romantic railway lines from international bestselling author Hiro Arikawa.

Between the two beautiful towns of Takarazuka and Nishinomiya, in a stunning mountainous area of Japan, rattles the Hankyu Line train. Passengers step on and off, lost in thought, contemplating the tiny knots of their existence. On the outward journey, we are introduced to the emotional dilemmas of five characters, and on the return journey six months later, we watch them find resolutions.

A young man meets the young woman who always happens to borrow a library book just before he can check it out himself, a woman in a white bridal dress boards looking inexplicably sad, a university student heads home after class, a girl prepares to leave her abusive boyfriend, and an old lady discusses adopting a dog with her granddaughter.

With stories that crisscross like the railway lines, the Hankyu train trundles on, propelling the lives and loves of its passengers ever forward.

Review Quotes

"Arikawa persuasively looks deep inside disparate souls, sharing illuminating realizations, supporting heartfelt decisions, and encouraging reinventions for everyday people living their everyday lives."--Shelf Awareness

About the Author

Hiro Arikawa is a renowned author from Tokyo. She is the international bestselling author of The Travelling Cat Chronicles and The Goodbye Cat. Her enduring classic title The Passengers on the Hankyu Line has sold over a million copies in Japan and beyond.

Allison Markin Powell is a well-regarded American translator and has worked most notably on Strange Weather in Tokyo, The Nakano Thrift Shop, and Lady Joker.