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道草

Grass on the Wayside

by Natsume Sōseki

Kenzo settles in Tokyo, and his old foster father comes for money.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,565 characters · ≈ 14 minSource: 青空文库

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Sample: three-line reading

Each word has its meaning in this sentence underneath, and each sentence has a full translation. Read the original and glance down only when you need to.

一one
One
健三がKenzo (subject marker)遠い所からfrom a far place帰って来てcame back駒込の奥にdeep in Komagome世帯を持ったset up a homeのはthe fact that (nominalizer + topic)東京を出てからsince leaving Tokyo何年目になるだろうhow many years would it be
How many years had it been since Kenzo left Tokyo, came back from a far place, and set up a home deep in Komagome?
彼はhe (topic marker)故郷の土the soil of his homelandを踏むto step on (object marker + verb)珍らしさのうちにin the midst of the novelty一種のa kind of淋し味さえeven a touch of loneliness感じたfelt
In the strangeness of stepping on his home soil, he felt even a kind of loneliness.
彼の身体にはon his body新らしくnewly後にbehind見捨てたhad abandoned / left behind遠い国の臭the smell of the far countryがsubject markerまだstill付着していたwas clinging / adhered
The smell of the far country he had newly left behind still clung to his body.

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About the book

Grass on the Wayside (Michikusa) is a novel by Natsume Sōseki, serialized in the Asahi Shimbun in 1915 and published the same year by Iwanami Shoten. It is his only autobiographical work of fiction and his last completed work, often cited alongside Kokoro (1914) as one of his major literary efforts. It tells of Kensaburō, who has settled back in Tokyo when his former foster father turns up at his door.

Cultural notes (selection)

Background a translation can’t carry: social roles, history and allusions. While reading, tap “Note” at the end of a sentence to see them all.

駒込の奥 History

Komagome is an old place name in northern Tokyo; in the Meiji period it was still a residential area on the edge of the city. "Oku" refers to a place set back from the main road, further in.

千駄木から追分へ出る通り History

Sendagi and Oiwake are both old district names in the Hongō area of Tokyo; Oiwake is a place name given to a spot where roads fork. In the mid-Meiji period this was a residential district, with Tokyo Imperial University nearby.

根津権現 Customs

This refers to Nezu Shrine in Hongō, Tokyo, formerly called "Nezu Gongen." Since the Edo period it has been the local guardian shrine, surrounded by sloping streets and houses. In the text, "the slope by the rear gate of Nezu Gongen" serves as a directional landmark.

About the author

Natsume Sōseki (9 February 1867 – 9 December 1916), born Natsume Kinnosuke, was a Japanese novelist, poet, and scholar regarded as one of the greatest writers in modern Japanese history. His major works include I Am a Cat, Botchan, Sanshirō, Kokoro, and his unfinished final novel Light and Dark.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 道草 (小説) (CC BY-SA)

How the glosses are made

Word glosses and sentence translations are generated in context by AI models (DeepSeek and Zhipu GLM), and every word is checked to have a gloss. AI can make mistakes; you can report problems from the book page.

FAQ

Is this the original text?

Yes. The library holds the opening section of the public-domain original, taken from 青空文库.

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This one is marked “Advanced”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.

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