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普請中

by Mori Ōgai

An official meets his former German lover in an unfinished hotel.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,508 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.

渡辺参事官Watanabe, the counselorはtopic marker歌舞伎座Kabuki Theaterのof前frontでat/in (location marker)電車trainをobject marker降りたgot off (past tense)
Watanabe, the counselor, got off the train in front of the Kabuki Theater.
雨あがりの道のof the road after the rainところどころに残っているremaining here and there水たまりをthe puddles (object)避けてavoiding木挽町の河岸をalong the riverbank of Kobikicho逓信省の方へtoward the Ministry of Communications行きながらwhile goingたしかsurely / if I recall correctlyこの辺の曲がり角にat the corner around here看板のあるのをthat there was a sign見たはずだがI must have seen, butと思いながらwhile thinking that行くhe goes
Avoiding the puddles left here and there on the road after the rain, he went along the riverbank of Kobikicho toward the Ministry of Communications, thinking that he must have seen a sign at the corner around here.
人通りfoot traffic; people passing byはtopic marker (as for)あまりnot much (with negative)ないthere is not
There were not many people on the street.
役所帰りらしいwho seemed to be on their way home from the office洋服の男men in Western clothes五六人のfive or six (of them)がやがや話しながらtalking noisily while行くのにあったcame across (them) going
He met five or six men in Western clothes, who looked like they were on their way home from work, talking noisily as they walked.

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About the book

Fushinchū is a short story by Mori Ōgai, published in Mitabungaku on June 1, 1910. It is set in a hotel still under renovation, where a councilor happens to meet his former lover from his days in Germany. It is a concise piece suited to readers interested in Ōgai's short fiction.

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.

精養軒ホテル History

The Seiyōken is a Western restaurant founded in the early Meiji era in Tsukiji, famous for its French cuisine. It later opened a branch in Ueno, which became a favourite gathering place for writers and men of letters of the time.

盛花 Customs

Moribana is a style of flower arrangement that arose in the late Meiji and Taishō periods under Western influence. Using a shallow water basin and a kenzan (needle-point holder), the flowers appear to be 'heaped' upon the vessel, unlike the traditional nageire style. Here the combination of azalea and cherry laurel suggests the taste of a Western-style restaurant.

待合 Customs

This refers to an eating and drinking establishment with private rooms where guests could wait or meet discreetly, with something of an air of secrecy. From this, Watanabe guesses that the house on the opposite bank is such a place.

About the author

Mori Ōgai (February 17, 1862 – July 8, 1922), born Mori Rintarō, was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist and poet, and father of the writer Mari Mori. He obtained his medical license at a young age, introduced translated German literary works to Japanese readers, and is considered a leading figure who modernized Japanese literature; his major work is The Wild Geese (1911–1913).

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 普請中 (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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What level is it?

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

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