Yukio Mishima embarked on a round-the-world trip at the end of 1951 as a special correspondent for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. The travelogue of this trip became "Apollo's Cup.

Mishima enjoyed the ruins and art of Athens and Delphoi, and wrote about his thoughts in his travel journal. He visited many places during his round-the-world trip, but his impressions of these places clearly stand out.

And this is very interesting because it frankly describes what Mishima thought about Greek art and how it influenced his own view of literature and life.

The Cup of Apollo" is filled with Mishima's original Greek and Roman experiences. It is also a very informative work for understanding Mishima's literature and way of life.

What kind of days did that Mishima spend as a young man, and how was he able to enter the literary world? This is very interesting. The episode of his first meeting with Osamu Dazai is particularly interesting, and the composition of Mishima vs. Dazai is clearly described here. Even the differences in literary styles between the two men are discussed, and this part alone is a very extravagant episode.

And as I quoted in my previous article on "Tidal Wave," I was most impressed by the episode about Yukio Mishima's first round-the-world trip in his life. He started his round-the-world trip at the end of 1951 as a special correspondent for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. This episode, in which Yukio Mishima discovered the very sun, had a meaning that would later define Mishima's literature.