Kino no Tabi:Volume16 Frontispiece
「A Land with Day and Night」—Counterclockwise—[edit]
Welcome, travelers...
There is something I must first explain to you if you wish to enter our country. Please pay attention.
I'm sure you've already seen what I'm talking about as you were traveling here through the pass.
The entire country is enclosed by a dome.
To deal with the harsh weather conditions in this region, we slowly extended the border walls over many years, until it was finally complete.
The inside of the dome is lit by lamps hanging from the ceiling. During the "day", we project a blue sky on the ceiling, and at "night", we project the moon and the stars. We freely control the weather inside, so we can mark each day on the calendar with the weather schedule.
Also, and this is the most important part —
When the sun is up in the world outside the dome, it's "night" inside the country.
When the sun has set, and it's night outside, it's "day" for us.
Why are day and night reversed?
Well, it's a matter of power generation.
Our country gets its power from natural, renewable sources.
There are hydroelectric plants near the country and high-efficiency solar panels on top of the dome.
However, the sunlight alone isn't a stable enough power source during the day, when we would need it most.
So instead, we use the solar energy to draw up water from the lake, and then in the night, we release the water for a consistent power flow.
Right now, the sun is setting in the west, but once you enter the country, it will be "morning" soon. People will only be getting up once it starts getting brighter out.
Not many shops will be open yet, since everyone's day starts from their "morning" to their "night", so there won't be much in the way in sightseeing yet.
That concludes my explanation.
I hope it was clear enough for you to understand.
Welcome to our country.
Please take your time in enjoying your stay.
As the sun was setting, the travelers made their way into the country.
The travelers were a young woman and a slightly short but handsome man, riding in their beat-up little yellow car. They chatted as they looked up at the "morning glow" that was starting to beam down from the ceiling of the dome.
"So it's 'morning' right now? It almost feels like we instantly teleported to the other side of the planet, huh, Master. — What should we do? Just find a hotel and sleep?" the man asked.
The woman replied, "There's no reason to sleep, since it's already 'morning', right?"
"Good point. Thanks for keeping it simple."
And so, the two of them wandered around the country until "night", eating, shopping, and sightseeing.
After that, they crashed into a deep sleep before leaving the country the next "day".
They came out of the country back into the world of night.
"Well, time for bed."
"Right now, Master? We just woke up, but you're already sleepy again?"
"The night is for sleeping. See you in the morning." With that, the woman fell asleep almost instantly.
On the other hand, the man didn't feel tired in the slightest. "This is impossible..."
As the sun was setting, the travelers made their way into the country.
The travelers were a young man, a little girl, and a dog, riding in their buggy. They chatted as they looked up at the "morning glow" that was starting to beam down from the ceiling of the dome.
"It's 'morning' right now. What shall we do, Master Shizu?" the dog asked.
The man answered, "Normally, this is when we would sleep. Let's find a hotel, close the curtains, and go to bed."
And so, the three of them placed a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and took a good, long rest.
Then, once they woke up naturally, the dog asked, "Well now it's 'night'. What shall we do, Master Shizu?"
"Let me think. How about going stargazing?"
The three of them went on top of the hotel roof and lied down.
"This is a fantastic planetarium. It's almost like the real sky."
They stared up at the tens of billions of lights shining down from the dome's ceiling.
As the sun was setting, the travelers made their way into the country.
The traveler rode a motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Just note that it cannot fly). They chatted as they looked up at the "morning glow" that was starting to beam down from the ceiling of the dome.
"What going to do, Kino, since it's 'morning' right now?"
"I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep."
"I figured."
And so, the traveler fell into a deep sleep until it was "night".
"So, what now? All the tourist attractions are closed now, so we can't really go sightseeing."
"Now I can finally do what I've never been able to do in any of the other countries we've visited."
"Ohh? And what's that?"
"Well —"
And so, the traveler sought out a restaurant that was still open. "Ah, so this is what it's like to have a really late dinner... Eating in the middle of the night is amazing!"
It was quite an enjoyable experience for the traveler.
"I'm bored!"
On the other hand, the motorrad was stuck waiting in the hotel for the whole time.
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