階段
by Juza Unno
A man who wishes to erase his life is haunted by someone else.
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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.
About the book
The opening tells of a science student once headed for a brilliant career, who agreed to help a friend with a railway passenger survey and, while stationed at the Shinanomachi station stairs, experienced something that changed his life as an inescapable 'that fellow' began clinging to him. The narration unfolds in a regretful, self-mocking voice, giving it a tense and unsettling feel.
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.
From the Meiji era onward, Japanese elementary schools taught a "shūshin" (moral training) subject, with textbooks inculcating virtues such as diligence, worldly success, loyalty, and filial piety. Here, "the crystallisation of a moral training textbook" and "a path to success and honour as precise as a textbook" refer to a model life planned according to official moral norms—something readers in the early Shōwa period would grasp at once.
令嬢 refers to a young lady of a wealthy family, while 奥様 refers to a married mistress of the house. Both were regarded as the leisure class, in contrast to "female office workers" (女事務員) and "professional women" (職業婦人).
A 日和下駄 is a light, low-toothed wooden clog worn for going out on fine days. Paulownia (kiri) wood is light, and the red thong (hanao) is the strap of the clog; this was everyday footwear commonly worn by young women at the time.
About the author
Unno Jūza (December 26, 1897 – May 17, 1949), born Sano Shōichi, was a Japanese novelist regarded as the founding father of Japanese science fiction.
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.
Do I need to pay or sign up?
Library books are free to read without an account. Other gloss languages and importing your own texts need an account and credits.
What level is it?
This one is marked “Intermediate”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.
Can I use another gloss language?
English and Chinese glosses are prepared in advance; signed-in readers can generate other languages.