Night on the Galactic Railroad facts for kids

Night on the Galactic Railroad (also known as Ginga Tetsudō no Yoru in Japanese) is a famous fantasy novel by Kenji Miyazawa. He wrote it around 1927. This book was published after he passed away in 1934. It was part of his collected works.

There are four different versions of the story. The last one is the most popular in Japan. This novel has been made into a 1985 anime movie. It has also been turned into many stage musicals and plays.

Story of the Galactic Railroad Journey

Giovanni is a lonely young boy. His father is away on a long fishing trip. His mother is sick at home. Giovanni has to work before and after school. He delivers papers and sets type at a printing shop. He does this to earn money for his family. Because of his jobs, he has no time to study or play. His classmates often make fun of him.

The only people who truly care for Giovanni are his mother, his sister, and his friend Campanella. Campanella's father is a good friend of Giovanni's father.

A Lesson and a Festival

During a science lesson about the galaxy, the teacher asks Giovanni about the Milky Way. Giovanni knows it is made of stars. But he is too shy to answer. Campanella helps him by answering instead. This saves Giovanni from more teasing. At the end of class, the teacher tells everyone to go to the star festival that evening.

When Giovanni gets home, there is no milk for his mother. He goes to the dairy to get some. An old woman at the dairy tells him to come back later.

The Magical Train Ride

Giovanni plans to watch the festival with Campanella. On his way to town, some schoolmates tease him. They make fun of him for expecting a special coat from his father. Giovanni gets upset and runs away. He walks alone to the top of a nearby hill.

As he looks at the Milky Way, something amazing happens. Giovanni suddenly finds himself on a steam train with Campanella! The train travels through the galaxy. It passes the Northern Cross and many other stars.

Meeting New Friends and Learning Lessons

The two boys see many wonderful sights. They meet different people. They see scholars digging up fossils from white crystal sands. They also meet a man who catches herons and turns them into candy.

A ticket inspector appears on the train. Giovanni finds he has a special ticket. This ticket lets him go anywhere the train goes. Soon, a tutor and two children, Kaoru and Tadashi, join them. These new passengers were on a ship that sank after hitting an iceberg.

As the train passes the flame of Scorpio, Kaoru tells a story. She says a scorpion once ate other insects. It fell into a well while escaping a weasel. The scorpion felt bad for not doing good things. So, it prayed to bring happiness to others in its next life. Its body then turned into a bright flame. This flame still burns in the night sky.

A Sad Farewell

The train stops at the Southern Cross. All the other passengers get off. They are going to a Christian heaven. Only Giovanni and Campanella are left on the train. Giovanni promises they will stay together forever. He vows to be like the scorpion and bring happiness to everyone.

But as the train nears the Coalsack (a dark spot in the sky), Campanella sees something. He calls it "the true heaven." He sees his mother waiting for him there. Suddenly, Campanella vanishes from the train. Giovanni is left alone and very sad.

Waking Up and Reality

Giovanni wakes up on the hilltop. He thinks his journey through the Milky Way was just a dream. He goes back to the dairy. This time, he gets a bottle of milk from a farmer. The farmer explains that a calf drank some of the milk.

As Giovanni walks home, he hears some sad news. Campanella has fallen into the river! He saved another boy from drowning. Giovanni rushes to the river. He finds Campanella's father, who is giving up hope. He believes Campanella has drowned. Campanella's father also tells Giovanni that his own father will be home soon.

Giovanni continues home to tell his mother the news and give her the milk. He secretly knows where Campanella went. He promises himself to stay strong throughout his life.

Meaning Behind the Story

This story explores deep questions about life and death. It was written by Kenji Miyazawa.

Inspiration for the Novel

Miyazawa's beloved sister, Toshi, passed away in 1922. He was very sad. He took a train trip to Sakhalin. He started writing this novel soon after, in 1924. This trip is believed to be the idea for the story. He kept working on it until he died in 1933. The middle part of the novel was never finished. But it was published anyway.

Themes of Giving and Happiness

A main idea in the story is giving to others. This is a common theme in Miyazawa's works. It shows his belief in self-sacrifice. This means giving up something for the good of others. Suzuki (2004) also sees these themes as showing a "holistic thought of Ecosystem." This means everything in nature is connected.

Other Versions of the Story

Night on the Galactic Railroad has been brought to life in many ways.

Animated Film Adaptation

The story was made into a 1985 anime film. It was directed by Gisaburo Sugii. The movie came out on July 13, 1985. Mayumi Tanaka voiced Giovanni. Chika Sakamoto voiced Campanella.

Stage Plays and Musicals

Playwright Sō Kitamura turned the story into a play. It was called Sōkō: Night on the Galactic Railroad. It first showed in 1986.

A part of a 2002 play also featured the story. It was called Night on the Light Speed Galactic Railroad. This play was written by Yutaka Narui.

Warabiza, a performing arts group, made a musical version. It started in April 2004. The musical toured all over Japan until March 2007.

Illustrated E-book Version

An illustrated e-book was launched in 2011. It was an app for Apple iPads. This version had 272 pages. This is a lot for a picture book! Apple Japan suggested the Japanese version as an educational app.

Connections to Other Stories and Places

The story of Night on the Galactic Railroad has inspired many other works.

• In the Tōhoku region of Japan, there is a real train line. It is called the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line. It runs from Morioka Station to Metoki Station. Its name is similar to the book's title.
• In the manga and anime Doraemon, Nobita Nobi once confused this novel with another manga. Both had "Ginga Tetsudō" (Galactic Railroad) in their titles.
• The idea of a steam train traveling through stars inspired Leiji Matsumoto. He created his famous manga, Galaxy Express 999. Its Japanese title also means Galactic Railroad 999.
• The manga Shaman King features a wise ghost cat named Matamune. He often travels by train in the afterlife. He is seen reading Miyazawa's book.
• The anime Aria shows a character imagining a night train is the Galaxy Express. She almost rides it but gives her ticket to a kitten. The conductor and passengers are all cats, like in the movie.
• The Vocaloid Gumi has a song called "For Campanella." It is based on the novel. GUMI sings from Giovanni's point of view.
• The anime movie Book Girl uses the themes and characters' actions from the novel as a major part of its plot.
• The 2011 anime Mawaru-Penguindrum makes many references to the book and its anime. This includes the colors red and blue for characters, and the "Scorpion Fire" story.
• Since 2014, JR East runs a special train called the SL Ginga. It is a steam train on the Kamaishi Line. It was inspired by the novel.
• The story and characters of Giovanni's Island are deeply connected to the book. Characters in the film act out scenes from Miyazawa's story. The main characters' names, Junpei and Kanta, come from "Giovanni" and "Campanella."
• The 2015 film Maku ga Agaru mentions the novel many times. It is also the main play that the characters in the film perform.
• In the animated series Over the Garden Wall, two brothers almost get hit by a train. They fall into a river and nearly drown. There is also a bell that is important in the final scene. Campanella means "bell" in Italian.
• In the mobile game Magia Record, characters' special forms are named Giovanna and Campanella. This is a reference to the book.
• In the manga Act-Age, the main character, Yonagi Kei, performs a play version of the story. Kei plays Campanella.
• Kenshi Yonezu's song "Campanella" is named after the character. The lyrics are from the point of view of Zanelli, one of the bullies, after Campanella saves him.