Takaki Tōno

## **Takaki Tōno**in *5 Centimeters per Second*

* Grade 6
* Grade 12
* Adult

## Manga

* Grade 4
* Grade 12
* Adult

**Takaki Tōno** (遠野 貴樹, *Tōno Takaki*) is a main character of *5 Centimeters per Second*.

## Background

Takaki used to live in Nagano, before moving to Mie, Shizuoka and eventually Tokyo at the start of his 3rd Grade with his family due to his father's job. A year later, he met another transferred schoolgirl named Akari Shinohara and they quickly became friends.

## In *5 Centimeters per Second*

### Childhood in Tokyo

Takaki and Akari occasionally visited a garden in a shrine, where they met two cats Mimi and Chobi. They also liked to discuss various topics of science that they read about in books. Someday in 1993 spring, Takaki and Akari passed by a small grove full of cherry blossoms on their way from school, discussing the speed of their falling petals. As Akari cheerfully ran toward a train crossing, Takaki chased after. At the crossing, they were separated by an incoming train, and Akari wished they would be able to watch cherry blossoms together next year.

However, Takaki later received a call from Akari, who informed him that her family was going to transfer to Iwafune at the end of her elementary school, a turn of event upsetting Takaki. On graduation day, Takaki was unable to properly say goodbye to Akari.

As Takari entered Nishinaka Junior High School, he joined the football club. One day in the summer, Takaki received a letter from Akari, and they began to exchange letters since then. However, in the next year, Takaki's father announced their family would move to the island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima. Realizing they could never see each other face-to-face again, Takaki suggested meeting Akari once last time on March 4 at her town's station, which she agreed to. He also prepared a love letter to give her at their meeting spot.

On that rainy day, Takaki Tōno started his trip from Gōtokuji Station, planning to arrive at 7:00pm. However, as the rain quickly turned into a heavy snowfall, his trains were constantly delayed. At one of the stops, a strong wind blew Takaki's letter away. He arrived at the appointed station at 11:00pm, and was surprised to see Akari was still waiting for him. They shared a meal together, before the station closed. Walking across vast snow fields in the dark night, Takaki and Akari stopped at a large cherry blossom tree and shared their first kiss. That night, they sheltered in a small shed nearby, falling asleep side by side.

In the morning of the next day, before parting to Tokyo, Takaki said that he would continue to write and call Akari. Alone on the departing train, Takaki looked at the scenery outside and promised to himself that he will become stronger to protect her.

### High school life in Tanegashima

During his years on the island of Tanegashima, Takaki became more and more reluctant to send letters to Akari, which eventually led to him losing contacts with her. He developed a habit of writing emails on his phone without a receiver. Takaki sometimes had dreams about him and Akari watching the sunrise together on an alien planet.

In 1999, Takaki Tōno was a 12th grader at Tanegashima High School and a member of the archery club. After class, he was often accompanied by a schoolmate named Kanae Sumida, who had a crush on him. One night, after sitting together on a grassy plain, they came home but were stopped by a passing train transporting parts of an upcoming rocket launch.

Some days later, after Takaki and Kanae visited a convenience store, her motorbike could not start, so he decided to accompany her on foot. During their walk, Kanae began to cry, much to Takaki's confusion. At that moment, a rocket was launched, and both of them looked up after it in awe. After Kanae arrived at home, they departed.

On a windy, sunny day in March 2000, after graduation, Takaki Tōno boarded a plane at the local airport and departed to Tokyo for college.

### Adulthood

In 2008, Takaki was then a programmer and had a girlfriend, but because of his longing for Akari, his life became more and more deteriorating. After quitting the job and breaking up with his girlfriend, he began to work as a freelancer. One night as snow fell, he visited a convenience store. Listening to an old hit song, he read from the Science Magazine the news about the probe that he saw launched many years ago then had left the Solar System.

One day in spring, he passed by the groves that he used to pass in his childhood, and headed to a train crossing. As a woman coming from the other side, Takaki seemed to recognize an adult Akari, but when they turned around to check, two trains covered their vision. After the trains passed, he saw that the woman had gone, so he smiled to himself and decided to move forward as the cherry blossoms stirred in the train's wake.

## In *5 Centimeters per Second* novel

During his years of college, Takaki had two girlfriends, but their relationships could not last long. When he worked at a middle-sized software development company in Mitaka, he got acquainted with Risa Mizuno and they dated for 3 years.

## In *5 Centimeters per Second* manga

In 2007, Takaki had a class reunion with his college friends: Kotani, Takeuchi, Fujisawa and another friend, in which Takeuchi drunkenly criticized the way he treated his girlfriend.

On November 16, 2007, Takaki decided to visit Iwafune with Risa, but as they arrived at the station, he was overwhelmed by memories of Akari and unable to get off the train before the doors closed, leaving Risa behind.

At the final chapter of the manga, he visits a park, where Kanae decides to approach him.

## Etymology

* The name **Takaki** means "valuable" (貴) (**taka**) and "tree" (樹) (**ki**).
* Takaki's surname **Tōno** means "distant, far" (遠) (**tō**) and "field, wilderness" (野) (**no**).

## Trivia

* Takaki's email address is tono222@pdz.ne.jp
	+ It is possible that his birthday is February 22.
* In the manga, Takaki's parents' phone number starts with 026 and followed by 428.

## Gallery

Takaki as he appears in *5 Centimeters per Second* manga
## References

1. ↑ *5 Centimeters per Second: one more side*