Japanese literature

Real World

“The world is full of things that don’t make sense. That’s why we have to make our own sense of it.” Chapter 1: The Murder The novel opens […]

Japanese literature

Grotesque

“People are grotesque. They pretend to be good, but inside they’re rotten.” Part One: The Sisters The novel begins with the unnamed narrator reflecting on her sister Yuriko’s […]

Japanese literature

Out

“The night was deep and quiet, the kind of quiet that makes you feel like you’re the only person left in the world.” Chapter 1: The Factory The […]

Japanese literature

The Nakano Thrift Shop

“People come and go, but things remain. That’s why I like them.” — Hiromi Kawakami, The Nakano Thrift Shop Part One The story follows Hitomi, a young woman […]

Japanese literature

Breasts and Eggs

“What does it mean to be a woman? What does it mean to have a body?” Part One: Summer The novel opens with Natsuko, a struggling writer in […]

Japanese literature

Heaven

“Eyes are the windows to the soul, but what if the soul is already broken?” Chapter 1: The Letter The novel opens with a 14-year-old boy, known only […]

Japanese literature

The Ten Loves of Nishino

“Love is like a river—sometimes it flows gently, and other times it rushes violently, but it always changes course.” Chapter 1: The First Love – Yukiko The novel […]

Japanese literature

Strange Weather in Tokyo

“Time flows in strange ways when you’re not paying attention.” The novel follows Tsukiko, a single woman in her late thirties, who unexpectedly reconnects with her former high […]

Japanese literature

The Briefcase

“Time passes, people move. Like a river’s flow, it never ends.” Chapter 1: An Unexpected Reunion The novel opens with Tsukiko, a single woman in her late thirties, […]