Sugaru Miaki's "The Town of Sakura"
The Town of Sakura (or "A Town of Fake Cherry Blossoms") is a novel by Sugaru Miaki, also known as Fafoo, writer of stories like Three Days of Happiness, Pain, Pain, Go Away, and Your Story.
A man who works as a professional faker is told about the suicide of a girl from his past, and he returns to his hometown to confirm its veracity. There, he encounters someone who's the spitting image of the girl he once knew. It all seems set to play out again - only this time, the roles are reversed.
(As you might expect, content warning for suicide as a central element and dark moments in general. Also, a translator's note: the book makes use of the dual meanings of the Japanese word "sakura." Not only does it mean "cherry blossom," it's can also refer to "fakers," specifically in senses like "paid crowd." People should hopefully get the gist, but it may help to know that usage wasn't just invented out of nothing for the story.)
I encourage you to buy the book yourself to support the author. (Rakuten Kobo) (Kinokuniya) (Amazon.co.jp)
I decided I'd post the whole story at once this time, but still split the chapters up into roughly even parts. You can start from Part 1 here. Or you can read my translation as a PDF here.
