Raven Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Between Haruki Murakami and Studio Ghibli I've started to get quite interested in Japan, so does anyone have any recommendations for books about or featuring the country? I'm pretty much looking for any good reads related to the country so novels, history, travel and cultural books all are fair game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 James Clavell's 'Shogun' is a dense but really enthralling read. I also would throw in a favourite read of mine, 'Neuromancer' by William Gibson. It may be considered a stretch of sorts but I wanna throw it out there anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 ^ I've been toying with buying Shogun for a few years now, but in all honesty I've put it back on more than one occasion because of it's length! I really need to bite the bullet, or in this case sword! What is the Japan connection in Neuromancer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Hi Raven ~ The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima ~ Set in a remote fishing village in Japan, this is a story of first love. Shinji is entranced at the sight of Hatsue in the twilight on the beach, upon her return from another island, where she had been training to be a pearl diver. They fall in love, but then endure the calumny and gossip of the villagers. The Makioka Sisters by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki and Edward G. Seidensticker ~ Tanizaki's masterpiece is the story of four sisters, and the declining fortunes of a traditional Japanese family. It is a loving and nostalgic recreation of the sumptuous, intricate upper-class life of Osaka immediately before World War Two. With surgical precision, Tanizaki lays bare the sinews of pride, and brings a vanished era to vibrant life. In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami ~ American tourist Frank hires nightlife guide Kenji for three nights. But his behaviour is so odd that Kenji begins to suspect that his client is the serial killer terrorizing Tokyo. It isn't until the second night that Kenji learns exactly how much he has to fear from this enormous American. Ryu Murakami (no relation to Haruki Murakami) his books show the darker side of Japan, I have only read 'In the Miso Soup' & 'Piercing', both well written but quite sinister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 What is the Japan connection in Neuromancer? Its set in the underworld of Chiba City in Japan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirinrob Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Well I'll have to have my brain cross connected to think Japanese - its just thew way i walk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Its set in the underworld of Chiba City in Japan What she said! The technological aspects and the textual underbelly has Japanese influences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirinrob Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Ok i come out with my paws up.... I hate fish.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I agree with the James Clavell series. I also highly recommend Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Soseki Natsume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysalis_stage Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 What about Out - Natsuo Kirino - I read it quite a few years ago and really enjoyed it Out is the story of random violence in the staid Tokyo suburbs. A young mother, who works a nightshift making boxed lunches, brutally strangles her deadbeat husband and then seeks the help of her co-workers to dispose of the body to cover up her crime. The ringleader of this cover-up, Masako, finds her own search for a way out of the straightjacket of a dead-end life leads her, too, to take drastic action.The riveting narrative seamlessly combines a convincing glimpse into the grimy world of Japan's yakuza with a brilliant portrayal of the psychology of a violent crime and the ensuing game of cat-and-mouse between seasoned detectives and a group of determined but inexperienced criminals. Kirino has mastered a Thelma and Louise kind of graveyard humour that illuminates her stunning evocation of the pressures and prejudices that drive women to extreme deeds and the friendship that bolsters them in the aftermath. Nothing prepares you for the stark, tension-filled, plot-driven realism of Out, a work that took the Japanese literary scene by storm and continues to haunt the popular consciousness. ...and another Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui who I keep meaning to read, some of his books have been made into anime too such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time & Paprika One review says 'Yasutaka Tsutsui is the doyen of avant-garde Japanese writers. His work is by turns innovative, thought-provoking and - not least - extremely entertaining... Tsutsui stands squarely within the modern and post-modern domain from Franz Kafka to J.G. Ballard', another says he is more deserving of international fame than Haruki Murakami being one of the most famous science fiction authors in Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I have nothing to contribute to this thread (I'm pretty sure Battle Royale isn't 'about' Japan - least I hope not! ) but I'm loving all the suggestions so I just wanted to say great thread, Raven and contributors! I'm noting down author names and titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I have nothing to contribute to this thread (I'm pretty sure Battle Royale isn't 'about' Japan - least I hope not! ) but I'm loving all the suggestions so I just wanted to say great thread, Raven and contributors! I'm noting down author names and titles. Hi Noll, how are you? I know you will enjoy 'The Sound of Waves', I found it to be absolutely gorgeous, everything about it, a great read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readwine Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 My most favourite about Japan so far is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexie Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 What about The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Thanks for the suggestions folks, I shall look into some of the above a bit further! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexie Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 You're welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueK Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 You might enjoy The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd: Book overview In 1903, a young Scotswoman named Mary Mackenzie sets sail for China to marry her betrothed, a military attache in Peking. But soon after her arrival, Mary falls into an adulterous affair with a young Japanese nobleman, scandalizing the British community. Casting her out of the European community, her compatriots tear her away from her small daughter. A woman abandoned and alone, Mary learns to survive over forty tumultuous years in Asia, including two world wars and the cataclysmic Tokyo earthquake of 1923. I read this years ago and loved it. It was also a TV drama some years back too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Ryu Murakami (no relation to Haruki Murakami) his books show the darker side of Japan, I have only read 'In the Miso Soup' & 'Piercing', both well written but quite sinister. I have just got Piercing out from the library.Interesting blurb about that book on the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 You might like Lian Hearn's series of books that begin with Across the Nightingale Floor. They're supposedly young adult, but I'd call them quite a challenging read maybe for that age group. The best way I can describe them is historical with a slight fantasy bent. The first three are excellent. I believe Hearn has written two more, but I haven't read those yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Thanks Mia, I have seen that book at a book exchange shop near where I live. I have some credit there. (and the TBR pile just grows and grows:lol:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 When I had another look at the Lian Hearn books, it seems that they are actually set in a mythical, Japan-like country. But to all intents and purposes, it is Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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