Tag: Japanese author

Mieko Kawakami’s—Sisters in yellow

Mieko Kawakami’s—Sisters in yellow

Hana is a teenager determined to escape her hand to mouth existence while living with her often absent mother in a small apartment in a Tokyo suburb. When not at school, she works in a local restaurant saving her earnings. But when one of her mother’s boyfriends steals her savings, she is devastated until she runs into her mother’s friend Kimiko whom she remembers from earlier, who befriended her. Hana moves to another part of Tokyo where Kimiko opens a bar. Although underage, Hana works hard and drinks hard to make a successful life with Kimiko. Hana befriends clients while working, pays the bills and saves the profits. Life is looking up with Kimiko and her living in a small apartment, but everything is about to change.

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Shuhei Fujisawa’s—Semishigure

Shuhei Fujisawa’s—Semishigure

In the days of the Samurai in ancient Japan, Bunshiro and his friends, Ippei and Yonosuke have a carefree childhood, but when Bunshiro’s father is accused of treason and forced to commit suicide, Bunshiro becomes head of the family and forced to take responsibility. While his two friends remain faithful, others shun him. Now in reduced circumstances, he puts all his effort into practising his fighting skill with bamboo swords.

While this story is about Bunshiro, it is an interesting look into past Japan, how government practices were carried out and at the same time, intrigue as those hungry for power, plot.

Haruki Murakami’s—Kafka on the Shore

Haruki Murakami’s—Kafka on the Shore

During the WW11 a teacher takes a group of children on an excursion into the forest to pick mushrooms. When the children collapse in a comatose state with eyes open, she races back to the school for help. The children eventually recover, all except one boy who is taken to hospital. Decades later, Mr Nakata is that boy who eventually wakes up from the coma, but he’s forgotten everything, including how to read. The only thing he’s capable of is speaking to cats.

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Uketsu’s—Strance Pictures

Uketsu’s—Strance Pictures

When Kurihara introduces Sakaki to a puzzling blog, so begins what appears to be a series of unconnected murders. Sakaki struggles to decipher the series of mystery drawings left by Yuki who dies during childbirth and finds the husband’s blog does not give any clear answers. The reader is left hanging as the next chapter deals with a drawing done by a kindergarten student, but as each new murder unfolds, the pieces gradually fit together with help from mysterious drawings done by the victims.

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