Good grief...
Well, what do we do?
Well, Hermes...
For now, I'll...
You'll do what?
Until I come with a good idea...
Until you do?
I'm going to sleep.
What?
Wake me if something happens.
Good grief.
What are we going to do?
Kino.
What?
The ground is shaking. Feel it?
The ground?
Is it an earthquake?
No, the shaking is light now,
but it's steadily growing stronger.
Then...
It's simple.
Something's slowly coming this way.
Something?
But what?
Kino!
What... is that?
It's a country, isn't it?
Kino's Journey
Bothersome Country
Incredible. I've never seen anything like this before.
Same.
So what now, Kino?
Going to stick out your thumb?
That might actually be a good idea.
But what if you suddenly get shot?
Well, it's a gamble.
It's a gamble...
But I couldn't think of a better idea.
Are you a traveler?
Are you seeking entry into our country?
I am!
Then please wait a moment.
Good afternoon, traveler.
I'm the immigration officer,
guide, policeman, and so forth for this country.
Here in our country, officials take on several different duties.
Good afternoon.
Um... So this really is a country, then?
There are people living inside?
Yes, of course there are.
Where is it heading?
Right now, we're following the plains westward.
Are you entering our country to sightsee?
Or are you immigrating?
Sightseeing and recreation, if that's all right.
Visitors are always welcome here.
How long would you like stay with us?
About five to ten days, please.
While we're at it,
why don't I show you around our country?
Thank you very much.
Sorry, Hermes.
It wasn't originally designed to carry motorrads.
Don't worry about me.
That's our power reactor.
The vast amount of steam generated by the reactor powers generators,
and we use that energy to move our country.
This device is automated,
so our only duty here is overseeing things.
The real work is in maintaining and replacing the drive motors and caterpillar tracks.
This is the residential district.
You'll find a room prepared for you here.
So this country is constantly on the move?
Do you settle down when you find good land?
There are two reasons we're constantly moving.
The first is our power reactor.
If we stop moving for an extended period of time, the heat—
the energy, that is—builds up to excess.
So to prevent that,
we have to keep the caterpillar treads moving and expend that energy.
I see.
Indeed.
The other reason we move is the same as yours.
We like seeing different scenery and watching the scenery change as we go.
We're all traveling as a nation.
I see.
That's nice.
It's definitely my first time in a country
where I can use so much hot water.
They recycle that water,
so you might be drinking it at lunch tomorrow.
I don't mind that at all.
It's still better than drinking muddy river water filtered through rags.
I guess that's true.
By the way, where'd those pajamas come from?
It says they're for guests.
Oh...
Is it going over rocks or something?
Oh, it settled down.
Did it break them?
This whole thing, and everything in it, is moving.
It's incredible.
Think it'll work?
Who knows?
We'll find out in four or five days.
Time to sleep.
Oh, Kino...
We can talk tomorrow.
Goodnight.
Oh, uh... Turn off all the lights.
A clean bed, white sheets...
Morning, Kino.
That's unusual, Hermes.
Good morning.
So, what I wanted to tell you last night...
If you go to sleep before your hair's completely dry,
it'll look wild in the morning.
This is the highest floor,
and the only spot where you can take in direct sunlight.
I see.
Not good for anyone afraid of heights.
A bird?
No, it's not.
Some small machine?
It's our country's camera.
It displays our surroundings.
Wow.
Impressive.
That's the one thing we can't do anything about.
It always pains us to leave such a huge mark on mother nature.
I'm sure it's a bother to others.
But anyone who travels leaves their mark behind.
We've made peace with that inevitability,
and we pray that healthy greenery will grow anew in this land.
What's that?
Oh, those are cranes for painting the murals.
The children paint them to commemorate their graduation from preparatory school.
Would you mind if we watched?
No, go right ahead.
The students have discussions
to choose the most memorable sight they witnessed during their school years,
and capture it in a mural.
Traveler!
Hello!
Welcome!
Are you all ready, then?
Today this traveler will be watching you work.
Let's do our best and get this mural finished!
Yes, ma'am!
I can't really tell what they're painting from here.
Look at this.
It's a scene from a land we passed through 1,200 days ago.
It was a beautiful place.
What will happen to this painting after it's done?
First we'll take a picture of it,
then we'll cover it in a protective coating.
After that,
it'll decorate the wall until the next group of students graduates in 500 days.
I see.
Kino's Journey
Today I'll show you our fields.
What is that?
A fire?
It's an alert that we've discovered another country near our path.
As our diplomat, I have to head up to the command post.
Would you like to come and watch?
Sorry for the wait.
I'm counting on you.
Oh, traveler, nice to meet you.
I'm the president of this country.
Please relax and enjoy the proceedings.
This is... Wow...
Troubling, isn't it?
They're obstructing us.
Hello, I am this country's diplomat.
We would like to open discussions, so could your representative
please come on the radio?
Connecting you now.
I am this country's general.
Tell us who you are and what you want.
Ours is a nation constantly on the move.
Please allow us to pass through your country.
We cannot accept such an absurd request!
Knew it.
But your country's border wall stretches completely across the plains.
There is no way for our country to go around yours.
Our country worked hard for many years to expand our territory to this point!
If you draw any closer,
we will have no choice but to defend ourselves and resolve this with force!
Deploy the dome.
Yes, sir.
You have been warned!
To stop your attempts to invade our territory,
we will now commence hostilities.
Fire!
How's that?
What bothersome people.
Madam President, it looks like we can pass through some fields.
We won't have to crush a lot of houses.
That's great news.
We will now proceed through your country's agricultural area.
Please evacuate the people in our path.
We will increase our speed
so we can pass through in less than half a day.
Please rest assured.
We won't allow that!
Even if our cannons won't work,
our sturdy wall will defend us!
What in the world did they do?
It's a high-output laser.
It's like a monster version of the Woodsman's laser sight.
We have a path now.
Then let us take it.
General, I beg your pardon,
but this may put residents in danger,
so please instruct them to evacuate.
You people are abusing the environment you've been blessed with!
It's dangerous.
Please move or you'll be run over.
Please move.
Have you no thought for the countries you trample,
or the trouble, damage, and grief you cause for others?!
Do you lack that bare minimum of human empathy?!
So he says. What should we do?
Pretend we didn't hear it.
Yeah.
It looks like they're hitting our outer walls with small missiles.
We can ignore them without issue.
But it appears they're aiming for the mural,
so the education board is requesting that we deal with it.
Huh?
They're doing it on purpose.
What a cruel thing to do.
The children will be so sad.
Should we attack with the laser?
What's that?
A launching device to guide the missiles.
Can we shoot just that?
I'm afraid that's impossible.
The soldiers nearby would be caught in the blast, given the laser's power.
I don't want any more casualties than necessary.
I'll explain things to the children later.
What if we shot it with a persuader?
There's no one in this country capable of doing that.
If you wouldn't mind,
let me handle it.
Open it, please!
Be careful.
We're sorry for all the commotion.
We demand apologies and restitution!
That is our sovereign right as a nation!
Halt immediately and accept negotiations!
I'm afraid we can't comply.
Have a good day.
Bothersome Country
With this much power,
it would be easy for you overthrow, conquer, and dominate other countries.
Well, that's true,
but that's not the lifestyle we desire.
We're happy enough as we are,
and it would be foolish to turn the whole world against us.
Though on rare occasion, we do have incidents like yesterday's.
But you still continue traveling?
Yes.
Every country, just like every man,
causes some degree of bother to others just by existing.
Traveler!
Thank you!
Come back again!
Farewell!
Bye-bye!
That went well, Kino.
Yeah.
That was an interesting county,
and a bothersome one, too.
Which one?
Both, I guess.
Thought so.
I mean, that obstructing country sealed off the plains on purpose
so they could extort money and goods from those passing through.
It was just too high.
Their border wall? Or their toll?
Both, I guess.
If they'd asked for something other than the Woodsman,
like labor for example, I might have just paid it, but...
I wonder where that country will go now.
Who knows?
But one thing is for sure.
What?
A few hundred days from now,
there'll be a mural of you firing your rifle on their wall.
That's a little... embarrassing.
Does it bother you?
Not that much, I suppose.
Ship Country
Ship Country.