It was made into a film in 1999, and an English translation by Okinawan professor Takuma Sminkey was published by Ozaru Books in 2011.

The main protagonist, 'Boku', is a foreign student in Japan, who wishes to blend in with insular Kyoto society but finds himself rejected as a gaijin (outsider).

Frustrated, he volunteers to read books to the blind - partly to assist his own studies of Japanese literature - and finds acceptance with the young, beautiful Kyoko.

Similar to Elizabeth Katayama (Elizabeth Kata)'s novel Be Ready with Bells and Drums, which was made into the award-winning film A Patch of Blue, the story deals with themes of how perceived handicaps and prejudice can counteract each other and resolve feelings of isolation or alienation, specifically in the example of being 'blind to colour'.

[1] Asahi Evening News described it as "Sophisticated [...] subtle [...] sensuous [...] delicate [...] memorable [...] vivid depictions", while Japan PEN Club called it "Striking […] fascinating" and Kyoto Shimbun expressed the style as "Refined and sensual".