Kino's Journey
Kino's Journey: the Beautiful World or Kino no Tabi is a light novel serialized in the Dengeki hp magazine, with 12 tankōbon volumes and continuing. It is available in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and is in the process of being translated into English.
Kino: If I was asked, 'Why do you go on journeys?' I would answer, 'I go on journeys because I'm a traveler'.
Kino: One of the things I have learned through my travels is to retain my thoughts until I have solid facts.
Hermes: Don't you believe that sometimes anxiety creates nations?
Kino: Anxiety?
Hermes: Yes, anxiety. If people are afraid of the river, they will build a dike. It's the same thing.
Kino: Why do the people of this nation build this tower?
Man: Why? I don't know. I only stock the bricks.
Kino: Have you ever felt jealous of birds?
Kino: "Whenever people see birds flying through the sky, it's said that they get the urge to go on a journey."
Hermes: The world is constantly changing. And you can't expect it to stay the same, even for a second. If that's true, there's no need for you to go on a journey, Kino. Even if you stay in one place, you'll be able to keep experiencing the world!
Kino: I would think that a motorrad's purpose in life is to go places, isn't it? A traveler's purpose in life is to travel.
"Whenever people see birds flying through the sky, it's said that they get the urge to go on a journey."
"Who said that?"
"I forgot..."
Kino: It's probably a lie. The reason why I only stay for three days in any country. I'm afraid I'll settle down, if I stay too long. Because if I settled down, I would cease to be a traveler.
Man: The reason we hurt others is because we don't understand their pain.
Hermes: Kino, you know how you were gazing at each other at the end?
Kino: Mmm? Oh, that.
Hermes: Were you all lovey-dovey?
Kino: Huh? What's that about?
Hermes: "I was worried there. Watching you two, I thought you were going to marry him or something.
Kino: When he gave me that look, I felt like he was thinking, 'Don't die, okay?
Hermes: And?
Kino: So I answered with, 'Thank you'.
The world is not beautiful: And that, in a way, lends it a sort of beauty.
It snows... and it covers up and hides things.
Kino: You mean 'Charity is not for the sake of others' ?
These things will always happen. Because we're only human.
Because we're...
...only human.
Kino: A whale's sigh... The dreaming shooting star... It felt like that's what they were singing. While everything out there is changing, the sound of these insects chirping echos up to the sky. That's what I'm listening to right now. That's the only thing that's for certain.
Hermes: What's wrong, Kino?
Kino: Sometimes, travelers turn into poets, Hermes.
Kino: It's pretty interesting, isn't it?
Hermes: What is?
Kino: The way that when someone expresses something, someone else always shows up to interpret it.
Maybe the world is just a series of such events.
Though I did not know the place,
I set out for the land of my dreams
Having arrived at the land of my dreams,
I found I did not know the place
The real Kino: Hello there, my name is Kino. I'm on a journey, traveling to various places.
The world is not beautiful; Therefore, it is.
I won't end my journey.
Kino: I think if you don't test your limits, they get harder to reach.
Hermes: Kino, what do you think is beautiful?
Kino: The crimson skies, the endless expanse of the Earth, flocks of birds...animals playing by the waterfront. Hardworking machines. And...humans.
Hermes: Humans too? Really?
Kino: Yes. I think they're beautiful. Probably as beautiful as the world.
Kino: When you're on a journey, the most important thing is to not lose your life.
Kino I do not know whether everyone is crazy or it is just you.
Hermes: He [the Author in the Land of Books] seems crazy.
Kino: Normal people don't become authors to begin with, Hermes.
Kino: If I was asked, 'Why do you go on journeys?' I would answer, 'I go on journeys because I'm a traveler'.
Kino: One of the things I have learned through my travels is to retain my thoughts until I have solid facts.
Hermes: Don't you believe that sometimes anxiety creates nations?
Kino: Anxiety?
Hermes: Yes, anxiety. If people are afraid of the river, they will build a dike. It's the same thing.
Kino: Why do the people of this nation build this tower?
Man: Why? I don't know. I only stock the bricks.
Kino: Have you ever felt jealous of birds?
Kino: "Whenever people see birds flying through the sky, it's said that they get the urge to go on a journey."
Hermes: The world is constantly changing. And you can't expect it to stay the same, even for a second. If that's true, there's no need for you to go on a journey, Kino. Even if you stay in one place, you'll be able to keep experiencing the world!
Kino: I would think that a motorrad's purpose in life is to go places, isn't it? A traveler's purpose in life is to travel.
"Whenever people see birds flying through the sky, it's said that they get the urge to go on a journey."
"Who said that?"
"I forgot..."
Kino: It's probably a lie. The reason why I only stay for three days in any country. I'm afraid I'll settle down, if I stay too long. Because if I settled down, I would cease to be a traveler.
Man: The reason we hurt others is because we don't understand their pain.
Hermes: Kino, you know how you were gazing at each other at the end?
Kino: Mmm? Oh, that.
Hermes: Were you all lovey-dovey?
Kino: Huh? What's that about?
Hermes: "I was worried there. Watching you two, I thought you were going to marry him or something.
Kino: When he gave me that look, I felt like he was thinking, 'Don't die, okay?
Hermes: And?
Kino: So I answered with, 'Thank you'.
The world is not beautiful: And that, in a way, lends it a sort of beauty.
It snows... and it covers up and hides things.
Kino: You mean 'Charity is not for the sake of others' ?
These things will always happen. Because we're only human.
Because we're...
...only human.
Kino: A whale's sigh... The dreaming shooting star... It felt like that's what they were singing. While everything out there is changing, the sound of these insects chirping echos up to the sky. That's what I'm listening to right now. That's the only thing that's for certain.
Hermes: What's wrong, Kino?
Kino: Sometimes, travelers turn into poets, Hermes.
Kino: It's pretty interesting, isn't it?
Hermes: What is?
Kino: The way that when someone expresses something, someone else always shows up to interpret it.
Maybe the world is just a series of such events.
Though I did not know the place,
I set out for the land of my dreams
Having arrived at the land of my dreams,
I found I did not know the place
The real Kino: Hello there, my name is Kino. I'm on a journey, traveling to various places.
The world is not beautiful; Therefore, it is.
I won't end my journey.
Kino: I think if you don't test your limits, they get harder to reach.
Hermes: Kino, what do you think is beautiful?
Kino: The crimson skies, the endless expanse of the Earth, flocks of birds...animals playing by the waterfront. Hardworking machines. And...humans.
Hermes: Humans too? Really?
Kino: Yes. I think they're beautiful. Probably as beautiful as the world.
Kino: When you're on a journey, the most important thing is to not lose your life.
Kino I do not know whether everyone is crazy or it is just you.
Hermes: He [the Author in the Land of Books] seems crazy.
Kino: Normal people don't become authors to begin with, Hermes.