Mitaka, the hometown of renowned Japanese novelist Osamu Dazai, is grappling with preserving his legacy as rapid development alters the landscape he once knew. While the city aims to honor Dazai’s memory, many of the buildings and locations that inspired his work have been demolished over time. This presents a challenge for those seeking to connect with the author through a physical pilgrimage to his formative environment. Visiting Mitaka now requires a significant degree of imagination to reconstruct the world Dazai inhabited. The city’s efforts to maintain a connection to its famous son are ongoing, but the physical reality increasingly diverges from the settings in his novels. The situation highlights the difficulties faced by many communities attempting to balance preservation with modernization and growth. Ultimately, experiencing Dazai’s Mitaka is now more about evoking a feeling than visiting concrete locations.