"A Ghost in Brazil"

[asakiyume]

As the translator of this Japanese short story says in the tweet that brought it to my attention, "I won't blame you for not knowing you needed an Olympics ghost story in your life, but at least now you do." (source)

It begins promisingly...

I was ever so keen to visit the Aran Islands, but unfortunately, I died before ever making it out of Japan.

And continues that way!

And yet. In the months just prior to my death the idea had been mooted among the members of the neighbourhood association to go away on holiday. Over cups of tea after our weekly meeting, the vice-chair Mr Nakarai had let slip that he’d never been overseas, and then, one after another, all the other members of the group had begun to chime in, saying: ‘Me neither!’ ‘Oh, me neither!’ ‘No, I’ve never been abroad either.’ My voice had been among them. In that case, it was suggested, those of us who’d never once left the country should go along to a travel agency, organize a tour guide to accompany us, and take a yokels-abroad sort of vacation. We would go to some place that was the furthest imaginable from Japan. Doubtless the trip would completely wear us out, but we were all of the same generation, and if being abroad for the first time would wear us out to a similar degree, then at least we could be worn out freely and openly, just as our hearts desired. We could embarrass ourselves thoroughly and find it all too much, knowing that we were in good company ...

In the end, we settled on the Aran Islands in Ireland, on the basis they seemed peaceful, and thus probably well-suited to a bunch of pensioners like us.

Apparently my desire to go to the Aran Islands was even greater than I thought, because I was unable to proceed smoothly to the next life, and ended up instead stopping in this world as a ghost.

What follows are the adventures of Mr. Mita figuring out how to accomplish his purpose--visiting the Aran Islands, so he can depart this life--despite being a ghost. The story's called "A Ghost in Brazil," so you know it's going to take interesting turns.

And the guy's **voice** is just very amusing, very dry in a way that reminds me of Martha Wells's Murderbot.

It's free to read at the Granta website here. If you enjoy it, come and tell me which parts you like best.

Comments

[genarti]

Oh, that sounds utterly delightful! Thank you!

[asakiyume]

It's *such* a cute story. And there's a great scene with an oblivious man and a too-polite woman at one point--just the whole thing is cute.

[sartorias]

That was such a sweet story. I read it over my tea just now. I loved the voice.

Many bits made me smile, like Mr. Mita's reaction to Patrick's appearance and "See you in Tokyo!"

The Brazil section was interesting, dreamlike, but the ending was lovely in such an understated way.

[asakiyume]

I like when he came to the conclusion that maybe Ronaldo would have been better for Miss Shiora than Mr. Nakarai's son, based on the way Ronaldo treated his housekeeper, and I liked the Mr. Mita describes Matheus continually looking dolefully at his phone photos of his former girlfriend. --And I liked just the *rules* of his ghosthood--like that he doesn't automatically understand Portuguese and just has to guess at stuff.

And yeah, the ending was elegiac in just the right way.

[sartorias]

Agreed. The characterizations were so deft.

[sovay]

I was ever so keen to visit the Aran Islands, but unfortunately, I died before ever making it out of Japan.

That is a wonderful first line. I will check it out!

[asakiyume]

Excellent--I hope you enjoy it!

*

[minoanmiss]

This sounds really darling! *makes a note*

Re: *

[asakiyume]

^_^

[skygiants]

This story was SO charming, thank you for linking it! I loved how he ends up experiencing various people's lives and having to intuit so much about them, and probably gets some things wrong, and doesn't really care but since he's there he has to know it -- and it's that combination of agency and happenstance that eventually gets him where he wants to go.

[asakiyume]

So glad you liked it! Yeah, it was his attitude toward people that reminded me a little of Murderbot!

I loved that he didn't magically get any more knowledge than he had when he was alive, so that in Brazil, he's just ???? because he doesn't speak Portuguese--but then he does know more English than Matheus, so he can understand what Noreen is writing even when Matheus can't.