Summary

Chapters II – XIII

The novel opens with Chapter II. There is no Chapter I. The main character, who will later be named as the grandson of Prince Genji, a character in the 11th century Japanese work of literature, The Tale of Genji. He arrived at a train station somewhere southeast of Kyoto and began to walk along the deserted streets of the town. Although he did not know his way he did not worry about the direction he was taking because something told him that he would still find what he was looking for. He wondered why the streets were deserted: whether it was because of “a holiday somewhere, or some kind of problem” (3). After some time he found himself walking along the edge of a wall, which was clearly enclosing something. He followed the path of the wall, looking for an...