The Lantern of Lost Memories: A heartwarming story for Japanese lit fans by Sanaka Hiiragi

A charming and uplifting story from Japan about our most cherished memories, time travel and what life is all about.

If you could relive one day of your life, which would you choose? In a cosy photography studio in the mountains between this world and the next, someone is waking up as if from a dream. A kind man will hand them a hot cup of tea and gently explain that, having reached the end of their life, they have one final task.

There is a stack of photos on their lap, one for every day of their life, and now they must choose the pictures that capture their most treasured memories, which will be placed in a beautiful lantern. Once completed, it will be set spinning, and their cherished moments will flash before their eyes, guiding them to another world.

But, like our most thumbed-over photographs, our favourite memories become faded with age, so each visitor to the studio has the chance to choose one day to return to and photograph afresh. Each has a treasured story to tell, from the old woman rebuilding a community in Tokyo after a disaster, to the flawed Yakuza man who remembers a time when he was kind, and a strong child who is fighting to survive.

Extraordinarily moving and wise, Sanaka Hiiragi's The Lantern of Lost Memories is a beautiful Japanese tale about the people that make us and the moments that change us.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; Open Market edition (22 Aug. 2024)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1035023644

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1035023646

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 2 x 13 x 19.4 cm

Customer reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars    82 ratings

About the Author

Sanaka Hiiragi was born in 1974 in the Kagawa Prefecture. She graduated from Kobe Women’s University, majored in literature and completed her studies at Himeji Dokkyo University. After living and working overseas as a Japanese Language teacher for seven years, her debut novel, The Battle of Marriage Island, was nominated for the Konomys Award in 2012 and was chosen as ‘The Hidden Jade’ by the editors in 2013. She is a big fan of cameras, photography and kimono art. Picador publish The Lantern of Lost Memories in 2024.