The End Of Volume 1

Afterwards, we walked around and looked at the yamaboko before returning to Kura in Teramachi-Sanjo. I’d remembered that I’d left my school uniform and shoes there.

The shopping street was quiet at night. Kura was the only store showing signs of life, lit up by a dim lamp.

“Enjoy.” Holmes made my usual café au lait.

“Thank you.” I lifted the cup and brought it to my mouth, feeling the warmth of the delicious drink seep through me. I then looked at the counter and saw that Izumi’s tea bowl was gone.

“Holmes, did you notice the message in Izumi’s tea bowl?” I asked tentatively.

Holmes widened his eyes, looking slightly surprised. “Yes, but I’m impressed that you did too, Aoi.”

“Oh, well, um. Yeah.” I couldn’t exactly say that I’d secretly done my research. “So, um, what was your answer?” I asked, quickly moving on so that he wouldn’t press further.

Holmes gently put down his cup. “When I received the tea bowl from her, I sensed that she was expecting a response poem. So, I provided one.”

That means he replied with a classic poem, right? That’s Holmes for you!

“Wh-What was it?”

“’Twould be lamentable to submit to a whim, and sully my name for a mere summer night’s dream. I modified a poem by Suo no Naishi and gave it to her together with her tea bowl.”

“And…what does that mean?”

“The original poem goes, ’Twould be lamentable to rest upon your arm, and sully my name for a mere spring night’s dream. It means ‘I would hate for unsavory rumors to spread about us simply because I used your arm as a pillow for a moment as fleeting as a spring night’s dream.’”

“I-I see.” So that means…“I would hate for unsavory rumors to spread about us simply because I followed your whim, which is as fleeting as a summer night’s dream.” In other words, he turned her down. He always manages to be graceful yet sharp. That’s a Kyoto guy for you.

“B-But, weren’t you swayed? It was a wholehearted confession from someone you used to love dearly, right?”

“I wasn’t. It’s true that I once wanted to get her back, but that desire already disappeared long ago. Plus, even though it looked like a wholehearted confession, the lines on the tea bowl showed strong signs of selfishness and hesitation. It told me that her rekindled feelings for me were nothing more than escapism.”

“The lines…” I gulped.

“Yes. All works of art reveal the artist’s true nature—the same goes for my father’s books. After giving her my frank answer, I also gave her some unsolicited advice: ‘If you’re that hesitant about getting married, have a serious talk with him and his parents again, or else you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’ Then she pouted and left in a huff.”

“I…see.” Holmes really was calm and composed. Instead of falling for her whimsical confession, he saw through to her true character… Then again, in his mind, it was truly over between them. Realizing that made me somewhat relieved, which confused me. Why was I relieved?

As I was thinking, it occurred to me that I’d been crying my eyes out on Holmes’s chest, and my face flushed.

“Is something wrong, Aoi?” He suddenly peered into my face and I reflexively recoiled.

“N-No, it’s nothing. Really.” My heart was beating a mile a minute. What’s gotten into me?

Suddenly, the door swung open with a clang from the chime.

“Huh, was wondering why there was a bit of light coming from here. Door’s open.”

“It must be Kiyotaka.”

The owner and the manager came in. They were both holding paper fans; presumably they were on their way back from the Gion Festival.

Upon seeing us, the owner perked up. “A young man and woman alone in the dark? What naughty things are you up to?”

“Get your mind out of the gutter. You’re being rude to Aoi, you know? Anyway, I’ll make coffee,” Holmes said, standing up. He was immune to the owner’s teasing.

As for me, I didn’t know why, but my heart felt like it was going to explode. Why is this happening?

“What did you think of yoi-yoi-yama, Aoi?” the manager asked in a kind voice, bringing me back to my senses.

I looked at him and answered, “It was wonderful, like something out of a fairytale.”

“This year was busier than last year,” Holmes said, emerging from the kitchenette with a tray. As he was placing the cups in a row on the table, the door opened with a clang again. This time, it was Mieko popping in.

“I noticed the light was on, and you’re all here! I caught Ueda and Akihito at the festival, so they’re here too.”

“That coffee smells good!”

“I came to see the Gion Festival, as promised.”

Ueda and Akihito came in after Mieko, chattering all the while. It was somewhat relieving to see the usual cast.

“Can you make us coffee too, Holmes?”

“I could go for wine.”

“Yes, yes.” Holmes nodded before looking at me again. “Would you like a second café au lait, Aoi?”

“Oh… Yes, please.” My pulse quickened again. Okay, seriously, why is my heart beating so fast? It must be because I cried on Holmes’s chest. Because of his broad chest, sweet scent, and large, warm, gentle hands. Remembering it made me nervous, but at the same time, it was a really nice feeling…

I think I’ve finally gotten over the past once and for all. I’m going to use this festival as a turning point. I’ll say farewell to the me who was always looking back. From now on, I’ll walk forward. I nodded to myself and smiled as I sipped the café au lait.

It was a lively and fun night in Teramachi-Sanjo—the time of happiness that comes after the festival.

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References

Nakajima, Seinosuke. Nisemono wa Naze Hito wo Damasu no ka (Kadokawa Shoten).

Nakajima, Seinosuke. Nakajima Seinosuke no Yakimono Kantei (Futabasha).

Misugi, Takatoshi. Shingan Monogatari (Iwanami Shinsho).

Naoki, Kimihiko. Hakuin Zenji — Kenkoho to Itsuwa (Nippon Kyobunsha).

Naoki, Kimihiko. Koji Junrei Kyoto — 22 Ninna-ji (Tankosha).

NHK General. NHK Special: Gion Matsuri — Shiho ni Himerareta Nazo.

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Afterword

Hello, my name is Mai Mochizuki.

Thank you so much for reading Holmes of Kyoto.

I became a citizen of Kyoto in the spring of 2013. I was originally from Hokkaido, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the ancient city of Kyoto was the complete opposite of my hometown. Everything was new to me, and I couldn’t get enough of it all. One of the reasons I wrote this book was that I absolutely had to write about Kyoto before my outsider’s perspective and perception faded away. Another was that I’d always wanted to write the “light mystery” genre. I loved the idea of lighthearted mysteries where no one dies.

“All right then, I’m going to write a light mystery set in Kyoto!” I thought, and the title that popped into my mind was Kyoto Teramachi Sanjo no Holmes. For this book, the title came first, and the rest of the story expanded from there. Kyoto Teramachi Sanjo no Holmes (Holmes of Kyoto). Yep, that’s got a nice ring to it! It’s settled!

Next, I decided to make Holmes a derivation of the surname Yagashira. Things were smooth up until here, but up ahead lay a path of thorns. I had to do more research into Kyoto and antiques than anticipated, and my days were devoted to accumulating piles of books and taking notes.

Also, as I was writing this book, I read the appraiser Seinosuke Nakajima’s books enough times that I’d practically memorized them. I’ve always been a fan, but my admiration grew stronger because of how he wrote about the world of antique art in an interesting, easy-to-digest way. Thank you so much.

So, the model for Seiji Yagashira a.k.a. the owner was… Well, as much as I’d like to say, the owner is a very free-spirited character, so I’ll refrain.

Conceiving this book was a struggle unlike anything I’d experienced before, but that made me all the more thrilled when I finished writing it. I’m very emotionally attached to it. So, I’m truly delighted that you picked it up, and I hope that reading it has left you with the desire to visit Kyoto.

Lastly, I’d like to use this space to express my gratitude:

To the readers who are always supporting me;

To my precious friends with whom I engage in mutual encouragement;

To my beloved family who approved of my writing career and cheered me on;

To EVERYSTAR, the mobile novel publishing website that made my dream come true, and Ryuichiro Kawasaki, the editor who work hard towards the publishing of this book;

To Shin Miyazawa from Futabasha, who guided me with apt advice;

To Shizu Yamauchi, who provided such lovely illustrations;

And to you, who picked up this book.

I’m truly thankful to all of the connections surrounding myself and this book.

I’m also thankful to Conan Doyle, who I respect and adore, for creating the universally loved character Sherlock Holmes.

Thank you all so much.

Mai Mochizuki

Mai Mochizuki

Born in Hokkaido and currently resides in Kyoto. In 2013, won first prize in the second installment of EVERYSTAR’s e-publication awards. Other works include The Celebrated Miss Miyu Ayanokoji’s Secret! (Shogakukan Angel Bunko) and Cheat & Harem Girl (Shufunotomo Co., Ltd.). Interests include cafes and visiting shrines and temples. (As of January 2016)

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Translator’s Corner

Thank you for reading the English release of Holmes of Kyoto! As you may have noticed, this series is steeped in historical and location-based references, and a lot of research was needed to make sure the translation was factually sound. I’ve been given this space to share some of the challenges and considerations made in localizing this series.

Speech: Kyoto is in the Kansai region, where a notably different dialect of Japanese is spoken. To be specific, Kansai dialect is actually a group of dialects, each with their own nuances—and this series often has multiple in the same conversation. For example, Mieko speaks Kyoto dialect, which has an elegant, feminine nuance, while Ueno speaks Osaka dialect which has a casual, playful feel. So, it was necessary to incorporate these implied tones into the dialogue.

Obscure Information: Most of the more obscure knowledge was explained in the original text, but since it was written for a Japanese audience, there were some things that were assumed to be common knowledge: religious traditions, famous poems that would be taught in school, etc. The benefit of the novel format (as opposed to manga or anything else with limited space) is that it’s easy to weave in as many extra explanations as we want, and we were generous with those so that English readers (hopefully) wouldn’t be too confused.

Mapping: This series is based in the real city of Kyoto and references existing locations and street names. Whenever Aoi was visiting a new location, I would often bring up a map of the area to better visualize the streets, shrine layouts, etc. The only made-up location in Volume 1 is Kura, but for those who are curious, it was modeled after a similar antique shop + cafe combo in Teramachi-Sanjo called “Wright Shokai.” Also, when deciding how much to localize location names, we generally went for names that would allow readers to find them if they wanted to learn more. For example, “Tadasu no Mori” was kept in Japanese because Shimogamo Shrine’s English website doesn’t translate it either.

Antiques: Similar to above, since the series references real artists and types of pottery, a lot of research was done to make sure the correct terminology was being used. Some things were rather specific to Japanese traditional art and didn’t have a whole lot of English coverage, so it was necessary to say, look up what a piece of pottery might’ve looked like and describe it accordingly.

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Editor’s Corner

As readers of this series, we’re fortunate that Aoi is new to Kyoto and to the antiques business. That means Holmes is often explaining things to her — and at the same time, to us. It’s OK that none of us know who Ekaku Hakuin was, because we’ve got Holmes to inform us that he was a Zen priest in the mid Edo period, etc, etc. Holmes knows more than even the average Japanese reader would know about art and antiques and about life in Kyoto and he’s always telling the other characters about these things, so those cultural details are explained right there in the original text. But Aoi and Holmes and the Japanese reader also share a lot of knowledge that is not obvious to English-speaking readers. This means that my job as editor involves repeatedly having one of these two thoughts:

Here’s the thing: Although we often use Japanese words in this series, we don’t want to use words the reader won’t understand. There’s nothing that takes you out of enjoying a story faster than having to wonder what the heck a word means. It’s not supposed to feel like taking the SATs.

But where do we draw the line? What Japanese words can we assume the reader already knows? Some are obvious: while 19th century travel guides in English talked about “raw fish with vinegared rice,” we can use the word “sushi.” Others might be more of a judgment call, but in a chapter that mentions “yakitori” just once in passing, it’s easy to be cautious and use “chicken skewers.”

Then there are cases where I have to stop and remember that I can’t assume the reader has the same obsessions with Japanese culture that I do. So for example, at first I blithely sailed past the mention of ikebana in chapter 2. Then I had second thoughts. Is that word common knowledge, or is it something I only know because I personally have been reading, writing, and thinking about Japanese gardening and Japanese crafts for many years?

Yes, it would have become pretty clear further along in the story. But while this book is full of mysteries that don’t get solved till later, this wasn’t supposed to be one of them. Still, the word is used over and over again, so replacing it with “flower arranging” every single time seemed awkward.

So we used the word, but the first time it appeared, added a sentence explaining that ikebana is the art of flower arranging. Aoi often explains things in her narration that the reader may not exactly need to know, such as her precise, turn-by-turn bike route to see cherry blossoms on the way to work at the store. So a little added explanation won’t stand out as unnatural, and removes a bump in the road for the reader who’s hearing the word for the first time or who only has a vague notion of what it is.

It’s not always about individual words, though, like in another case where we realized that a little cultural knowledge was needed to appreciate what was going on. While preparing for the Festival, Holmes and Aoi have the following exchange:

“Your yukata is backwards, Aoi,” Holmes said, chuckling.

My face flushed. “H-How silly of me.”

As it becomes clear in the next sentences, she’s not literally wearing it backwards, like with the front opening in back; they’re just talking about how she closed the front flaps. That doesn’t seem like that big a deal, so why is she so embarrassed? We added the unspoken realization that the Japanese reader would know is behind this:

Oh no. I’d put the kimono on in the way a dead body is dressed for a funeral.

Without knowing this, the reader might think it’s just some silly fashion rule, and Aoi might seem to be overreacting.

But as well as cases like those where I more or less knew what problem needed to be solved, things came up that I didn’t know, either. When I read this line in chapter 5:

“Good morning.” I always say this upon entering the store, no matter what time it is.

My margin comment was “uhhh why?”

Minna explained to me — as we added at the end of that sentence — that that’s the tradition in the antiques business. In fact, it’s true in a number of businesses, including the entertainment industry, that you say “ohayou gozaimasu” the first time you see someone on a given day. It doesn’t really exactly mean “good morning” but more “it’s early.” It’s definitely true that “early” is a very relative concept, and people I’ve known in the entertainment business definitely keep odd hours, so it kind of makes sense. But no one told me that in Japanese class! It’s just one of the many things I’m enjoying learning about Japan and Kyoto while editing this series.

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