Germany matters less as a described landscape than as a place of deliberate family connection. Marco repeatedly takes Miraijin there to see Marina and Greta; those visits foster an enduring closeness between Miraijin and Greta, her mother’s sister, and help ensure that Miraijin will not be alone even as Marina’s condition remains difficult.

Family Visits

After Adele’s death, Marco makes trips to Germany with Miraijin so she can spend time with her maternal grandmother and aunt. Adele had only a brief opportunity to become close to Greta before she died, but Marco’s repeated visits allow the relationship between the sisters’ daughter and aunt to grow into something deeper. The trips are presented as purposeful acts of care, not simply travel: Marco actively makes space for the two to know one another.

Marina and Greta

Germany connects Miraijin to two very different forms of maternal-family presence. Marina is described as profoundly affected by time and drugs, though she has improved over the years with Miraijin’s attention and can live independently. Greta, by contrast, is present and able to remain with Marco and Miraijin. In the family gathering near the end of the novel, Greta says she is staying, a decision that gives concrete force to the bond established through the earlier visits.

A Place of Belonging

The narrator identifies Miraijin’s intimacy with Greta as the reason she will not be alone in the world, particularly given Marina’s condition. Germany’s narrative significance therefore rests in the relationships built there and sustained across distance: Marco’s repeated efforts turn visits into a durable connection between granddaughter and aunt. The location becomes part of the family’s response to loss, preserving a link to Adele through her sister and extending care into Miraijin’s future.