Kanagawa
How I Became Megumi Fushiguro's Family
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Kanagawa |
| Original Name | 神奈川 |
| Alias(es) | Kanagawa Prefecture 6 23 |
| Type | Prefecture 6 |
| Country | Japan 13 45 |
| Notable Residents | Yuanyin, Toji, Yuanli, and Megumi; Suguru Geto was born and raised here 1 9 23 47 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 1: “A letter to her” 1 |
Geography and Local Areas
Kanagawa is portrayed as rural compared with Kyoto, with wheat fields, wooded mountains, quiet roads, and riverside scenery 2 11 47.
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| East District | Described as Kanagawa’s most remote district and the location of Yuanli’s family home. It is especially quiet at night, with scattered streetlights 1 9. |
| West District | An intermediate stop on the family’s journey from the East District to the hospital in Bunri Town 1 2. |
| Bunri Town | Location of the hospital described as the best in Kanagawa; reaching it from the West District requires a three-hour walk 1 2. |
| East District shopping street | A relatively lively street beyond several snack shops. Toji observes plainly dressed pedestrians, many wearing straw hats and appearing to have come from the fields 11. |
| Upscale neighborhoods | Wealthy residential areas have trained security guards at their entrances and police stations nearby 23. |
| Countryside residential areas | Residents without money live in small detached houses surrounded by fields and narrow, poorly illuminated lanes 23. |
- Yuanli admires the riverbank scenery despite resenting Kanagawa’s medical services 11.
- Late autumn in Kanagawa is warmer than in Kyoto 30.
- Toji initially complains that there is nowhere to bet on horse races 2.
Transport and Medical Care
Hospital Access
- Traveling from the East District to the West District takes two hours; the subsequent walk to Bunri Town brings the hospital journey to five hours 1 2.
- No taxis are available between the West District and Bunri Town. The route passes extensive fields of unripe wheat 2.
- Yuanli repeatedly criticizes Kanagawa’s medical care as underdeveloped and questions Yuanyin’s decision to settle there 6 11.
Road Conditions
- Yuanli describes the roads as rugged and antiquated. After checking the police car for mechanical problems, she attributes its violent jolting to the road surface 6.
- During the drive following her rescue from the cemetery mountain, the jolts aggravate her injured arm. Toji and the accompanying officers misunderstand her distress as an emotional father-daughter interaction 5 6.
Public Safety and Criminal Activity
Yuanli’s investigation links local safety closely to wealth: guarded neighborhoods enjoy ready access to police, while poorer countryside homes are surrounded by dark lanes and fields 23.
| Group / Incident | Details |
|---|---|
| Kanagawa Wind-Chasing Knights | A biker gang whose member attempts to snatch Yuanli’s backpack. Toji stops him, and the confrontation eventually ends with the police being called 11 12. |
| Protection-money operation | Yuanli investigates a small criminal group involved in extortion, robbery, and theft, then infiltrates its headquarters to examine account books and contracts 23. |
| Mad Tiger Gang | Senior member Ikeda Ryūan commissions a two-billion-yen assassination contract against Yuanli, described to the hired killers as a “monster” in Kanagawa 27. |
| Failed assassination | Shiu Kong accompanies an assassin to Kanagawa. The assassin’s cursed dagger shatters and the assassin dies; Shiu subsequently approaches Toji, who reacts furiously upon learning the target was stabbed in the lower back 27. |
History
Yuanli’s Family
The family lived in Tokyo when Yuanli was one, before Yuanyin chose to move to Kanagawa’s East District. Yuanli later regrets not opposing the move because of the exhausting journey required to visit Yuanyin in hospital 1 13.
Following Yuanyin’s death, Kanagawa remains the family’s home during Toji and Yuanli’s grief. Yuanli describes both herself and Toji as having been trapped by Yuanyin in this “little corner of Kanagawa.” Toji later travels from Kanagawa to Kyoto after learning that his children have been taken to the Zenin Clan 13 32.
After the family’s Hawaii trip, they return to Kanagawa and renew the lease on their old house, then relocate to Tokyo for Megumi 45.
Suguru Geto’s Hometown
Suguru Geto was born and raised in Kanagawa. At thirteen, he openly loved his hometown, maintained easy friendships, and used the fitness gained through his uncle’s martial arts school to stand up to bullies and help others 47.
By fifteen, after leaving for Tokyo Jujutsu High, Geto refuses to return. Familiar food evokes Kanagawa alongside painful memories of “that summer” and a person he believes he must kill. His former ease with small-town friendships contrasts with his guarded behavior around his new classmates 47.