Edited by Alfred Birnbaum, with two stories translated by Terry Gallagher
This ground-breaking anthology “reflects what may seem to Westerners an almost decadent interest in pastiche, in literary appropriation and in the flouting of tradition for its own sake. Hipper than thou, most of the 11 young writers represented here appear out to shock an easily titillated society.” (Publishers Weekly)
by Jiro Asada, translated by Terry Gallagher
Japanese original was a bestseller, selling over two million copies. Won Naoki award for popular fiction in 1997, and spawned several films: 1999 film starred yakuza film icon Ken Takakura, who won a best actor award at the 1999 Montreal Film Festival for his performance, title film was Japan's submission to the 72nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign...
by Toh EnJoe, translated by Terry Gallagher
“Hard SF” book stands at the intersection of surrealism and quantum physics, exploring ideas about non-linear time, parallel universes (at war with one another!), the future of computing, and the concept of narrative itself. The author was awarded the Akutagawa Prize in 2012, and this translation won the Philip K. Dick Award Special Citation in 2014.
by Noboru Tsujihara, translated by Juliet Carpenter
Intrigue, betrayal, family secrets, forbidden passions – this tale of adventure and suspense links the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989 and the Kobe earthquake of 1995 through the story of Akihiko Waki. The story begins in 1990, as Akihiko learns that his father, presumed dead in China, was leading a double life and is in fact alive and in danger....
by Shiba Ryotaro, translated by Juliet Carpenter (volumes 1, 2 & 3)
Published by Routledge
Clouds above the Hill is one of the best-selling novels ever in Japan, and is now translated into English for the first time. An epic portrait of Japan in crisis, it combines graphic military history and highly readable fiction to depict an aspiring nation modernizing at breakneck speed....
By Mariko Koike, translated by Juliet Carpenter
Published by Thames River Press
Kyoko Noma visits the city of Sendai, where she used to live, and reflects on the events that took place there 20 years earlier, in the second half of the sixties, when the winds of the counterculture student movement were sweeping Japan. This is a tale of intense, heartbreaking love in adolescence, and the...
By Minae Mizumura, translated by Juliet Carpenter
Published by Other Press
A True Novel begins in New York in the 1960s, where we meet Taro, a relentlessly ambitious Japanese immigrant trying to make his fortune. Flashbacks and multilayered stories reveal his life: an impoverished upbringing as an orphan, his eventual rise to wealth and success—despite racial and class prejudice—and an...
By Machi Tawara, translated by Juliet Carpenter
Published by Pushkin Collection
This internationally bestselling book took the world by storm on its publication. Covering the discovery of new love, first heartache and the end of an affair, these poems mix the ancient grace and musicality of the tanka form with a modern insight and wit. With a light, fresh touch and a cool eye, Machi Tawara...
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By Toshio Hagiwara, translated by Jeremy Angel
Pub. Kodansha 2007
Monkeys are supposed to have a natural fear of water, but the Japanese macaques inhabiting the steep slopes of Jigokudani (literally “Hell’s Valley”) in northern Nagano are famous throughout the world for their predilection for soaking in the steaming hot springs that give the location its name. Born and raised near Jigokudani,...
By Takashi HIraide, translated by Eric Selland
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo. They work at home as freelance writers. They no longer have very much to say to one another. One day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. She is a beautiful creature. She leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again...
By Kenpo Project 2004, translated by Fred Uleman
For over 65 years, people have been arguing about Japan’s Constitution. Yet for most of this time, the calls for revision were rejected as covert efforts to revive the wartime military and other state structures. More recently, the calls have been broadened and repackaged, and the focus shifted to the prerequisite referendum stipulated in...
By Chiho Egawa, translated by Helen Iwata
Guruguru and Gorogoro is a popular series of Japanese children's books about two adventurous kittens. Each book contains three humorous short stories, written and illustrated by Chiho Egawa. Helen Iwata has translated the first three books into English. Readers can download an English narration by following the instructions on the inside cover of each...
By Kyotaro Nishimura, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
Published by Thames River Press
Kyotaro Nishimura (b.1930) is Japan’s bestselling mystery author, especially known for his so-called “JR mysteries” set on Japan’s rail network. He has published over 400 books, ranging from social mysteries to spy novels, parodies, and historical fiction, with sales of over 200 million copies. In this...
By Aya Goda, translated by Alison Watts
As protests swirl in the cities and all foreign faces arouse suspicions, venturesome young Japanese student Aya Goda travels deep into the heart of China. There she falls in with the charismatic and combative wandering painter Cao, whose work is initially tolerated by the Chinese authorities and then banned, suddenly flipping the couple over onto the...