Aging

The main character of this novel is Ogata Shingo, a man in his early sixties who one day discovers that his memory is not what it once was. Shingo begins to think he might be coming close to the end of his days, especially when he comes to realize that many of his friends are already dead. One night Shingo believes he hears the sound of the mountain, a sound that suggests to him impending death.

Shingo begins to think about the legacy he will leave behind and his own past. Shingo begins to recall the love of his life, a young woman who was married to another. This woman happened to be the sister of his wife, a woman he married after his love's death in order to retain a part of her. As Shingo remembers his love, he begins to have dreams of youth and of...