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注文の多い料理店

The Restaurant of Many Orders

by Kenji Miyazawa

Two hunters enter a mountain restaurant with ever odder requests.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Beginner3,579 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.

二人の若い紳士がtwo young gentlemen (subject)すっかりcompletelyイギリスの兵隊のかたちをしてdressed in the style of English soldiersぴかぴかする鉄砲をgleaming rifles (object)かついでshouldering白熊のような犬をdogs like white bears (object)二疋two animalsつれてleading alongだいぶ山奥のdeep in the mountains木の葉のかさかさしたとこをthrough a place where the leaves rustled drylyこんなことをthings like this (object)云いながらwhile sayingあるいておりましたwere walking
Two young gentlemen, dressed up like English soldiers, carried shiny guns and led two dogs like white bears, and were walking deep in the mountains where the leaves made a dry, rustling sound, saying things like this.
ぜんたいreally / in the first place (used here as an exclamation of exasperation)ここらの山はthe mountains around here怪しからんare outrageous / are awful (from 怪しからん)ねisn't it / right? (tag particle)
"Really, the mountains around here are awful.
鳥もeven a bird / birds too獣もeven a beast / beasts too一疋もnot even one (animal)居やがらんis not here / are not present (dialectal negative of 居る)
There's not a single bird or animal here.
なんでもanything / whatever構わないdoesn't matterからso / because早くsoon / quicklyタンタアーンとwith a bang-bang (sound)やってdo (and)見たいwant to try (doing)もんだなあI really feel like... / isn't it (emphatic)
I don't care what, I want to try bang-bang soon."

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About the book

"The Restaurant of Many Orders" is a short story by the Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa. It tells of two young gentlemen hunting in the mountains who come across a strange Western restaurant that makes odd demands of its customers, and who are ultimately attacked by a mountain monster. Known as one of the author's representative works alongside "Night on the Galactic Railroad" and "Wind in the Wilderness," it has also appeared in Japanese elementary school textbooks.

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.

RESTAURANT Style

The sign bears 'Restaurant (Western-style)' and 'Wildcat House' in English and Japanese side by side. The sudden appearance of such a fashionable Western-style sign deep in the mountains marks the beginning of the story's sense of absurdity.

カフスボタン Customs

Cufflinks. The door demands that guests leave behind their tie clips, cufflinks, glasses, wallets and other metal items—all everyday belongings of a gentleman from town.

About the author

Kenji Miyazawa (27 August 1896 – 21 September 1933) was a Japanese novelist, poet, and children's literature writer from Hanamaki, Iwate, who also worked as an agricultural science teacher. His major works include Night on the Galactic Railroad, Kaze no Matasaburō, Gauche the Cellist, and The Night of Taneyamagahara, and his work gained its reputation mostly after his death.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 注文の多い料理店 (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.

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 “Beginner”. 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.

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