I would like to introduce the book To Love, or Rather, to Be Loved by Ryo Sasaki, a modern reinterpretation of the Man’yōshū translated into Nara dialect (Kansai dialect).

The language used in the Man’yōshū is ancient Japanese, which can be difficult even for modern Japanese readers to understand. Nara dialect, on the other hand, feels like a softer, rounder version of Kansai-ben.

The Man’yōshū was compiled about 1,300 years ago, when Japan’s capital was located in Nara. Since the capital was Nara, the idea behind this book is: why not translate the poems into the local language of that time—Nara dialect?

The Man’yōshū contains more than 4,500 waka poems across 20 volumes. The poets range widely in background and status, from emperors and government officials to housewives and entertainers. About half of the poems are love poems.

Whether the theme is an affair, heartbreak, or unrequited love, each poem expresses the feeling of “I love you” within just 31 syllables (5–7–5–7–7).

Example 1: A Tanabata Love Poem

(by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Volume 10, Poem 2023)

Original (Classical Japanese)

We have only just begun to lie together,
not many times at all—
must you already loosen
your white sash,
before our love has even faded?

Modern Nara Dialect Version

You just got here,
and you’re leaving already?
That’s just cruel.
I like you so much…

The sadness of Orihime and Hikoboshi, who can only meet once a year, feels just like a familiar modern love problem.

Example 2: A Poem About an Unforgettable Love

(by Ōtomo no Yakamochi, Volume 4, Poem 727)

Original (Classical Japanese)

I tucked forget-me grass
into the cord beneath my robe,
yet this so-called “forgetting grass”
turns out to be nothing but a name.

Modern Nara Dialect Version

“Forget-it grass~!”
(ﾟдﾟ)ノ
You gave me this tool, but
it doesn’t work at all.

In the popular manga Doraemon, there is a secret gadget called “Forget-it Grass,” which has the same effect as the wasureru-gusa (forgetting grass) found in the Man’yōshū—a plant said to help people forget painful memories.

Even though the speaker hid the grass in their clothing, it had no effect. In other words: I still can’t forget you.

Love troubles, heartbreak, and unrequited love—nothing has really changed from the past to the present. It feels incredibly relatable. This book brings the Man’yōshū closer to us by reimagining it in modern Nara dialect and contemporary language, making these ancient poems feel surprisingly familiar.