The Land of Heart's Desire (心願の国, Shingan no kuni) is a Japanese short story by author Tamiki Hara first published in 1951,[1][2] and an example of Atomic bomb literature.
He talks of the solitude as being increasingly insupportable and the strong emotions he experiences from contact with nature and the outside world, notably upon looking at trees and stars.
Another unspecified time shift occurs, and the narrator makes observations on the cold weather, and then articulates fantasies of death by freezing.
This is followed by a childhood recollection of killing ants, and then a short passage where he notes that the only thing remaining in life capable of making him smile is a girl he calls "U".
In the final passage of the section, the narrator comments on the arrival of Spring, which conjures mental images of his dead relatives in holiday dress and his wife on her deathbed.