Journey to Tomioka

Galandon and Crouzat make their English-language debut with a tender graphic novel that follows two siblings as they brave nuclear radiation and enigmatic yokai to spread their grandmother’s ashes. In 2013 Minamisōma—two years after the Fukushima nuclear accident—young tinkerer Osamu and his older sister Akiko, an aspiring social media influencer, live alone with Bā-chan. While walking to school, Akiko, armed with a radiation detector, plots the safest route for Osamu, who leaves offerings along the path for local yokai. Following Bā-chan’s sudden death, distant cousins arrive to move the children to Tokyo. But when the caretakers refuse to accompany the siblings to scatter Bā-chan’s ashes at her former farm in Tomioka, citing its proximity to the nuclear red zone, Osamu and Akiko set out for the property on their own. Along the way, the duo contend with hazardous conditions (Osamu urges Akiko to “just smile” and move forward when her radiation detector goes off), encounter restless spirits, and evade pursuit from their cousins and police. Thinly lined, pastel-hued illustrations prioritize movement alongside detailed backdrops that lend lived-in ambiance to emotionally potent character interactions and harrowing adventure sequences. The result is a quietly contemplative meditation on grief and environmental crisis anchored by a whirlwind journey. Includes a contextualizing afterword. Ages 8–12. (June)