Tokyo Ueno Station
by Yu Miri
A profoundly sad story about loss, invisibility, and what it means to be forgotten in both life and death.
What It’s About
Kazu, an ordinary man, tells his story from beyond the grave. He was “every man.” He worked hard, raised a family, and endured heartbreaking losses, but ended up homeless near Tokyo’s Ueno Station. Through his voice, we see how quickly a life can unravel and how society chooses not to see those who fall outside its boundaries. The writing moves between dreamlike reflection and sharp, brutal reality, grounding his personal story in the history of Ueno Station and Japan itself.
What Stuck With Me
Kazu is painfully relatable. He is not a monster or a saint, just a man who lived, suffered, and decided not to be a burden on anyone else. His words cut: “And as I retreated into the future all I saw was the past.” And later: “It wasn’t that I wanted to die, it was just that I was tired of trying.”
The book reminded me that homelessness is not about absence. People on the street lived full lives before they were reduced to being invisible. In life they were ignored, and in death they are ignored again, even though they remain right there. That was the hardest truth.
Some of the historical and religious passages dragged for me, but they were manageable. What mattered most was the way Kazu’s grief and weariness carried through. His losses felt personal, but they also spoke to something larger: the quiet erasure of people who no longer “fit” into society.
Would I Recommend It?
Yes, but with care. This is not an easy book. It is deeply sad, both on an intimate and societal level. If you want a story that makes the unseen visible with uncomfortable truths, Tokyo Ueno Station is worth your time.
For readers who connected with the sadness of Please Look After Mom by Shin Kyung-sook, this book asks you to go to a similar place, one of empathy, grief, and recognition.
Where to Read It
Buy on Bookshop.org First time on Bookshop.org? Click for discount code
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If You Liked This, You Might Like:
Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin — Another heartbreaking book about invisibility and family, told from a very different lens.
Reading in a World That Looks Away
Tokyo Ueno Station is not a light or cozy read, but sometimes the books that hurt the most are the ones worth sitting with. A few things to set the tone:
A simple Japanese tea cup for slow sips
A travel notebook for thoughts you don’t want to forget
A soft scarf for late-night reading
Quiet instrumental music in the background
A train ticket stub you’ve kept - to remind yourself of places and people passed by
