Passengers on the Hankyu Line

Brought to you by Penguin.

DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FEELGOOD JAPANESE NOVEL, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES

Over 1.5 million copies sold in Japan

Famously scenic, the Hankyu commuter train trundles daily through changing landscape unaware of the heartaches of the passengers it carries.

On the outward journey we are introduced to the emotional dilemmas of five characters as we puzzle out how they will unravel; on the return journey six months later, we watch them resolve:

- a man meets the woman who always happens to borrow a library book just before he can take it out himself
- a woman in a white bridal dress boards looking inexplicably sad
- a university student leaves his hometown for the first time
- a girl prepares to leave her abusive boyfriend;
- a widow discusses adopting the Dachshund she has always wanted with her granddaughter.

As the season and the landscapes change, passengers jostle and connect, holding and releasing their dreams and desires, as this famous little train carries them ever forward towards the person each intends to become.

© Hiro Arikawa 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025