‘At the Next Stop’, an Invitation to Travel
In this novel, Hiro Arikawa distils fragments of existence that share one common denominator: a train journey.

© Actes Sud
The plot of Au prochain arrêt (‘At the Next Stop’) follows the train route connecting Takarazuka, in the suburbs of Osaka, and Nishinomiya, along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea. Here there are no high-speed shinkansen; instead, the passengers board a little slow train with red coaches. The trip is punctuated by eight station stops, each of which constitutes a chapter in Hiro Arikawa’s novel.
While the train is moving, the travellers sitting in the coaches become the protagonists in this contemplative novel. As the landscape scrolls past the windows, eyes meet, people speak more freely, and friendships form. The soft seats welcome shy, awkward students, little girls with a slightly nasty streak, grandmothers full of good advice, women who have been victims of domestic violence, and regular visitors to the same library who dare to exchange a few words for the first time.
Moments of existence
Hiro Arikawa, known primarily for her novel The Travelling Cat Chronicles, invites the reader on a journey through these moments of existence that implicitly sketch the outlines of Japanese society. This is not just a train journey, because a look, a word, a sigh can have much more of an impact than one might think. This is what the reader discovers in the second part of the book, when Hiro Arikawa summons her travellers once more for the return trip. The landscape through the windows has changed with the seasons, as have the protagonists, who are no longer exactly the same, nor completely different. The reader has eight stops during which to understand why.
Au prochain arrêt (‘At the Next Stop’) (2021), a novel by Hiro Arikawa, is published by Actes Sud (not currently available in English).
TRENDING
-
Tohl Narita, an Iconic ‘Tokusatsu’ Visual Artist
Artistic director and creator of cult characters like Ultraman, this artist shaped the history of special effects in Japanese cinema.
-
Japanese Society and Self-Harm
Photographer Kosuke Okahara followed six young girls experiencing suffering in 'Ibasyo -Self-injury, proof of existence-'.
-
‘Cure’, the Fear of Emptiness
At the crossroads between film noir and the fantastic, Kiyoshi Kurosawa depicts a manhunt where fear infiltrates a lifeless society.
-
'The Spirit of Pleasure', a Glimpse into Eroticism in Japan
From the cult of the samurai to that of geishas and the tightening of conventions, this essay traces the history of hedonism in Japan.
-
Recipe for Ichiraku Ramen from ‘Naruto’ by Danielle Baghernejad
Taken from the popular manga with the character of the same name who loves ramen, this dish is named after the hero's favourite restaurant.