Japanese Literature

Before the Coffee gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (tr. Geoffrey Trousselot)

I read the sequel first but I thought it made it doubly nice to delve into the background stories of characters in the cafe. Again, I think this book taught me a few valuable life lessons. Will be recommending this to friends and strangers alike.

Before the Coffee gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (tr. Geoffrey Trousselot)

A cafe where you can travel back in time, but yet there’s nothing you can change. A poignant read for those who have dealt with loss, regret and guilt. One of my very first reads of Japanese literature in translation.

Review here.

Before Your Memory Fades (tr. Geoffrey Trousselot)

Still good, but lacking the magical quality found in the first two. At first, I thought it was because of the similarities in the stories, but I went back to re-read the first book right after finishing this and I still very much preferred that. Still good, though.

The Silent Dead by Tetsuya Honda (tr. Giles Murray)

Does Strawberry Night ring a bell? And yes this is the translated novel featuring female detective Himekawa Reiko. I was pretty sad that it did not retain the title of its source, although I can see why this title works better to convey its genre. It’s my all-time favourite crime/detective series and I have the whole set of Japanese novels. The translation is a smooth read, but half the time I felt like I was reading an American novel that just happens to be set in Japan. The stylistic choice of words made the characters feel… different from how I’d imagined them from the Japanese novels (and also how they were portrayed in the TV series). I downright hated Gantetsu here.

Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri (tr. Morgan Giles)

The story follows Kazu, a homeless man whose spirit lingers in Ueno Park after his death. Spirit or human, Kazu and many of the homeless are ignored by those pass by the park everyday and we forgot that they, like all of us, have a story. The story cuts between a retelling of his past, and the observations of his surroundings in Ueno Park in the present. Told from his perspective, the homeless and their plight become a lot more visible to the reader, as if we are people-watching in the park with him. Can I also take a moment to marvel at Morgan Giles’ translations? I love the poetic and elegance of the prose and I found myself highlighting so many phrases within. “Today was still today, not yet opening toward tomorrow. Hidden within today was a past longer than the present…”

Soul Cage by Tetsuya Honda (tr. Giles Murray)

Somehow I found it easier to read (and enjoy) Soul Cage as compared to The Silent Dead. Maybe because I feel that the language was more nuanced (or I have gotten used to it) and there wasn’t Gantetsu talking in a terribly offensive way that I didn’t recall was present in the Japanese source. Please watch the Japanese drama too!

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa (tr. Alison Watts)

A much needed reminder that we are all unique individuals experiencing the world in our own way and we are all equal in our relationship to the world. The book had a calming effect on me – it soothed the anxiety in me and the poignant tale provided me some warmth on the days my heart was cold. It’s okay to just be ourselves, and it doesn’t make us any lesser of a person if we are not a useful member of society, and we have not failed just because we did not achieve what we wanted to do.

Read review.

Where the Wild Ladies are by Matsuda Aoko (tr. Polly Barton)

The collection of short stories is (true to its name) wildly fun to read. Each story is a contemporary retelling of a Japanese traditional ghost story, with a feminist twist.

Review here.

Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto (tr. Jesse Kirkwood)

Absolutely absorbed into this gem of a novel, so beautifully translated by Jesse! I hadn’t expected it to be a crime novel when I picked it up and I was blown away by the meticulous details and how the story unfolds layer by layer, keeping me invested and on my toes every single moment. Highly, highly recommended.

Things Remembered and Things Forgotten by Kyoko Nakajima (tr. Ginny Takemori and Ian MacDonald)

I remembered enjoying this collection when I read it, but I seemed to have forgotten all the stories. So I’m not quite sure how to review this.

There’s No Such Thing As An Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura (tr. Polly Barton)

What’s the meaning in a job? A young woman goes to the employment agency asking for a job that’s close to home, and requires very little thinking. An easy job. The story follows her from job to job, which on the surface fits her criteria. But is there ever such a thing as an easy job? And is she really looking for the easiest job?

One of my favourite reads of 2022.

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (tr. Allison Markin Powell)

THIS. I have no words for why I love this enchanting, quirky, elegant, cinematic and lovely read 🙂 I don’t know why it stirs something in me. Is it loneliness, alienation or something else altogether? I don’t know. But I know that after this book, I went on a binge-reading of other Kawakami works.

The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami (tr. Allison Markin Powell)

This is a pretty oddball read of a story about Mr Nishino, as told from the perspectives of his ten lovers at different points in his life. The thing is, he doesn’t seem to be anywhere near a perfect lover, or for that matter, the popular type. I guess that’s what makes the read rather intriguing. LIKE WHY WOULD YOU FALL FOR HIM.

Odd, but interesting.

People from My Neighbourhood by Hiromi Kawakami (tr. Ted Goossen)

Oddly satisfying read. The short by interconnected stories blend into one another, going from magical, mythical to macabre in an instant. Love it.

Parade by Hiromi Kawakami (tr. Allison Markin Powell)

How I screamed when I realised that it’s a companion book to Strange Weather in Tokyo. I can’t get enough of Tsukiko and Sensei. Such a lovely read.

The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami (tr. Allison Markin Powell)

Unfortunately this is my least favourite among Kawakami’s books, which is sad because I’ve heard so many good things. Not to say it’s bad, but it just wasn’t for me.

The Little House by Kyoko Nakajima (tr. Ginny Tapley Takemori)

A quiet read narrated by Taki in the twilight years, about her life as a maidservant in European style house in the early years of the Showa era.

The Hole by Hiroko Oyamada (tr. David Boyd)

A bizarre novella about a woman, Asa, who moves to the countryside with her husband to a house near his family home. One day, while running an errand, she comes across a strange creature, follows it, and falls into a hole that’s seemingly made for her.

Beyond the rather bizarre and unsettling happenings, it centres around the themes of isolation, loneliness and feeling trapped in our daily lives.

Read this sometime back, but it stuck with me. Also, I love this cover.

The Boy and The Dog by Seishu Hase (tr. Alison Watts)

This was not the story I expected, but I love it so damn much. This is a story about a dog who changes the lives of everyone he comes across as he undertakes a purposeful journey.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (tr. Alexander O. Smith)

I went on a reading spree of Higashino’s work and I can only say how brilliant each and every story is. I don’t have much to say on each of the books except that fans of psychological thrillers and crime fiction should all read Higashino.

Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino (tr. Alexander O. Smith)

So good. Another one in the Detective Galileo series. And the order you read them doesn’t matter.

A Midsummer’s Equation by Keigo Higashino (tr. Alexander O. Smith)

Also good. Detective Galileo series.

Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino (tr. Alexander O. Smith)

Also good. Detective Galileo series.

Malice by Keigo Higashino (tr. Alexander O. Smith)

Detective Kaga series. Honestly I can’t decide which series I love more. Both good.

Newcomer by Keigo Higashino (tr. Giles Murray)

Detective Kaga series. Honestly I can’t decide which series I love more. Both good.

A Death in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino (tr. Giles Murray)

Detective Kaga series. Honestly I can’t decide which series I love more. Both good.

Colorful by Eto Mori (tr. Jocelyne Allen)

A slight shift in perspective can do wonders. One of those books where you just have to experience it yourself, and the payoff is incredible 🙂 Getting a second chance in death is akin to winning the lottery, why not give ourselves a second chance in life when it’s within our means to do so. To all of us messed up people, it’s a reminded that it’s okay, we’re doing fine.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (tr. Ginny Tapley Takemori)

I love this.

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (tr. Ginny Tapley Takemori)

This. Was too weird for me. I want to un-remember the ending, but it’s etched in my mind. Which I guess, is considered an accomplishment of the read.

Idol Burning by Rin Usami (tr. Asa Yoneda)

Growing up, I have idols I like and support, but I’m mostly a casual fan who, at most, buys a copy of the album + watches their stuff on YouTube. But when fandom goes into the fanatical, and the diol becomes so much a part or the entirety of the self, what happens when the idol falls from grace and disappear from the limelight? What then, is left of you?

Love this.

Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi (tr. David Boyd and Lucy North)

Now reading