Comic The Era of "Botchan" By: Jiro Taniguchi / By: Natsuo Sekikawa Meiji 38 (1905). Meiji was far busier than we modern people can imagine. Soseki Natsume, 39 years old (in the traditional Japanese age count). He was struggling to see a future he couldn't foresee—the youth of modern Japan. There is some yellowing of the paper due to aging.