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銀座の朝

by Kidō Okamoto

At dawn on a summer day, the author stands in the sleeping Ginza.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate1,478 characters · ≈ 6 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.

夏の日の朝まだきにon a summer morning before dawn瓜の皮melon rinds竹の皮bamboo skins巻烟草の吸殻cigarette buttsさてはand moreover紙屑なんどのpaper scraps and such狼籍たるをthe mess that is踏みてtreading on眠れる銀座の大通にon the sleeping main street of Ginzaたたずめばwhen I standここが首府の中央かとwhether this is the center of the capital疑わるるばかりにso much that one doubts一種荒凉の感をa kind of desolate feeling覚うれどI feel, though夜の衣のof the night's clothing次第にうすくかつ剥げてgradually thinning and peeling away曙の光の東よりfrom the east of the dawn's light開くと共にas it opens万物皆all things生きて動き出ずるをcoming alive and starting to move見んI will see
On a summer morning before dawn, treading on a mess of melon rinds, bamboo skins, cigarette butts, and paper scraps, I stand on the sleeping main street of Ginza. It makes me wonder whether this is really the center of the capital, and I feel a kind of loneliness. But as the night's clothing gradually thins and peels away, and the light of dawn opens from the east, I will see all things come alive and start to move.
車道と人道の境界にat the boundary between the roadway and the footpath垂れたるhung / were hanging幾株の柳はseveral willow trees今やnow夢より醒めたらんようにas if they had just woken from a dream吹くともなき風にin a wind that does not even blowゆらぎ初めてbegin to sway凉しき暁の露をthe cool dawn dewほろほろとin scattered drops飜せばwhen they shake it offその葉かげにbeneath their leaves瞬目するかと見ゆるthat seem to blink瓦斯灯の光のof the gas lamp light一つ消えone goes out二つ消えてand two go outあさ霧morning mist絶え絶えの間よりthrough the broken gaps人の顔people's facesおぼろにfaintly覗かるるare seen / show頃となればwhen the time comes派出所の前にbefore the police boxいかめしくsternly / imposingly佇立めるstanding巡査の服の白きがthe white of the policeman's uniform先ずfirst眼に立ちぬcaught the eye
Several willow trees hanging at the boundary between the road and the sidewalk, as if just waking from a dream, begin to sway in a wind that does not blow, and when they shake off the cool morning dew, the gas lamp lights that seem to blink under the leaves go out one by one. As the morning mist clears, people's faces become faintly visible, and the white uniform of the policeman standing firmly in front of the police box is the first thing to catch my eye.
新ばしShinbashiのof袂にat the corner of夜あかしのnight-working車夫rickshaw driverがsubject marker寝の足らぬsleep-deprived眼eyesをobject marker擦りつrubbing驚くばかりのastonishing大欠big yawnしてdoing身を起せばas he raises himself up乞食かa beggar or立ん坊かa standing beggarとas if見ゆるappears風体怪しのsuspicious-looking男manがsubject marker酔えるようにas if drunk踉蹌きstaggering来りてcomesわがmy足下にat my feet転がりたるrolling西瓜の皮watermelon rindをobject markerいくたびかseveral times見返りつつlooking back行過ぎしpasses by後afterとあるa certain小ぐらきslightly dark路次の奥よりfrom the back of an alley紙屑籠wastepaper basket背負いたるcarrying on his back十二三twelve or thirteenのof小僧boyがsubject marker鷹のようlike a hawkなるparticle眼eyesをobject marker光らせてglaring衝とsuddenly出でぬdarts out罪のかげshadow of sinはtopic markerこの児の上をover this child掩えるようにseems to cover思われてis thoughtそのthat行末のfuture何とやらんsomehow心許なくuncertain物悲しくsad覚えらるるis feltなりconclusion particle早きearly牛乳配達milk deliveryとand遅れたるlate新聞配達newspaper deliveryはtopic marker相前後してalmost at the same time忙しげにbusily人道sidewalkをobject marker行違うpass each other時はthe timeいまnow午前三時three in the morning
At the corner of Shinbashi, a rickshaw driver who works nights rubs his sleepy eyes and gives a big yawn as he gets up. A suspicious-looking man, like a beggar or a standing beggar, staggers over as if drunk and passes by, looking back several times at the watermelon rind rolling at my feet. Then, from the back of a small dark alley, a boy of about twelve or thirteen carrying a wastepaper basket darts out with hawk-like eyes. The shadow of sin seems to cover this child, and his future feels somehow uncertain and sad. The early milk delivery and the late newspaper delivery pass each other busily on the sidewalk. It is now three in the morning.
築地海岸the Tsukiji shoreにむかえるgreeting / facing toward空はthe sky (topic)仄白くdimly white, pale薄紅くなりてturned light pink服部のHattori's大時計の針the hands of the big clockが(subject marker)今やnow, just now五時five o'clockを(object marker)指すpoint toと読まるるcould be read as頃にはby about the time眠れる街もthe sleeping town, too次第にgradually醒めてwoke何処ともなくfrom no place in particular聞ゆるis heard人の声people's voices物の音the sounds of thingsは(topic marker)朝の寂静をthe morning quiet破りてbroke商家の小僧がa shop boy短夜恨めしげにlooking resentful of the short night店の大戸the big shop doorがらがらとwith a rattle明ればwhen (he) opened寝衣姿in nightclothes媚きてalluring/charmingしどけなきartlessly disheveled若き娘がa young girl今朝this morningの(possessive)早起をearly rising誇顔にwith a proud face露ふくめるwet with dew朝顔morning gloriesの(possessive)鉢pots二つ三つtwo or three軒下にunder the eaves持出でてcarried out眼の醒むるばかりにso brightly as to wake one's eyes咲揃いたるin full bloom together紅白瑠璃の花をthe red, white, and lapis-blue flowers現ともなくabsentmindedly, without being fully present見入れるgazing atさまthe appearance/scene (of this)画a paintingにin/into描ばやとwould fain draw (in wish sense)思うthink (one would like to)図なりit is a scene/picture
When the sky over toward the Tsukiji shore had turned pale white and light pink, and the hands of Hattori's big clock could be read as pointing to five, the sleeping town slowly woke. Voices and the sounds of things came from nowhere and broke the morning quiet. When a shop boy, looking sad about the short night, opened the big shop door with a rattle, a young girl in her nightclothes — charming and untidy, her face proud at having got up early this morning — carried two or three pots of morning glories wet with dew under the eaves. She gazed absentmindedly at the red, white, and blue flowers all blooming together so brightly they would wake your eyes. It was a scene one would want to paint.

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About the book

This passage depicts Ginza's main street on a summer morning, from three to seven o'clock, as it moves from litter-strewn desolation to waking life, with willows, a policeman, a cart driver, a paper-collecting boy, and a flower seller appearing one by one. It reads slowly and closely observed, vividly visual, with a cool morning freshness and a touch of quiet melancholy.

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.

瓦斯灯 Customs

Gas streetlamps. In the Meiji era, Tokyo's main streets were lit by gas lamps, which lamplighters extinguished one by one at dawn. They were especially emblematic of the Ginza brick district. In the text, the lamps going out one by one are a concrete way of signalling that day is about to break.

立ん坊 Customs

Vagrants and layabouts who sleep rough on the streets—people who do not return home at night but live under street eaves, often mentioned alongside beggars. In the Meiji period, urban poverty and vagrancy were serious problems, and such figures were a common sight on the streets at dawn.

氷水商 Customs

氷水 refers to a cold drink of shaved ice with sugary syrup. In the Meiji period the ice-making industry was still new, and street vendors selling iced water were a cheap summer trade aimed at labourers; both vendors and customers were mostly from the lower classes. Along with the sellers touting to women and children mentioned earlier, they sketch the everyday street scene of Ginza.

About the author

Kidō Okamoto (October 15, 1872 – March 1, 1939) was a Japanese author and playwright whose real name was Keiji Okamoto; he was born in the Shiba Takanawa district of Minato Ward, Tokyo. His best known work is the shin kabuki play Bancho Sarayashiki.

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

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