2:46 : Aftershocks : Stories from the Japan Earthquake by Various

A quick rundown… Short vignettes from those affected by 2011′s Japan earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown.

Strengths: The raw emotion.

Weaknesses: I would have liked to hear more, but I understand this was a difficult time.

Why I read it: I love Japan and its people.

Pages: 86 (ebook)

Published: 2009

Publisher: Quakebook

Setting: Japan

Rating: N/A

If you liked this, try: after the quake by Haruki Murakami

The story of this book is amazing: a group of people united through Twitter to create a book about the terrible earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan early this year – all in a week. The number of people involved is amazing too: Yoko Ono, journalists from around the world, the people of Japan and others from around the world. Not everyone had a direct link with Japan, but they all cared and worried about the thousands affected. Simply, this book is an example of the caring side of the human spirit.

Why did I read this? I am a Japan-ophile myself, having visited the country on a prolonged visit and fallen in love with the people, the scenery, the culture in addition to studying Japanese for six years. I found the people incredibly kind – from the gentleman who showed me back to my hotel when I was lost (which was the completely opposite way to where he was going) and the schoolchildren at Genbaku Domu in Hiroshima. I wanted to support the Japanese Red Cross (from which the cost of the book went to).

This book conveys so many emotions – from terror, loss and shock to the happiness of being reunited with family and then again to some strangely funny moments. It really does cover the entire spectrum. It’s also put together really well – one moment you’ll be wiping away tears and the next you’ll be smiling through them. It also goes to show that this quake affected many people and the great way people joined together to help others. (I was in Singapore post-quake and the generosity demonstrated by store, school children and the community was impressive).

This book is a must read for those who love Japan and want to help. Well done to those involved, you’ve got a great record of reactions to the quake.

1Q84 Book 3 by Haruki Murakami

A quick rundown… Continues where Book 2 concluded, with Aomame and Tengo looking for each other in 1Q84.

Strengths: The beautiful writing and the need to for the pair to reunite.

Weaknesses: Too short! Open for a further sequel.

Why I read it: Absolutely loved Books 1 & 2.

Pages: 377 (ebook), also available in Australia combined with Books 1 & 2

Published: 2011

Publisher: Random House

Setting: Japan

Rating: 9 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Other Haruki Murakami books, such as The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

Thanks to Random House Australia who kindly offered me the opportunity to continue on with Book 3 of 1Q84 (Readings Books let me read their ARC of Books 1 & 2). Book 3 continues where Book 2 left off, with Aomame and Tengo determined to find each other in this crazy world of 1Q84. Leader is dead and Sakigake and Ushikawa are trying to find Aomame. Tengo is in the cat town, as his father lies unconscious. Aomame is waiting for Tengo in her apartment, but the NHK fee man keeps pounding on her door. Fuka-Eri too, is disturbed by an abusive NHK collector. Is it a coincidence that Tengo’s father wants to be buried in his NHK uniform?

If you haven’t read Books 1 & 2, you’ll think that I’ve invented the above or gone mad. But no, this is all logical to those who inhabit the possibly parallel world of 1Q84. The main aim of the book is to reunite Aomame and Tengo. (Isn’t it odd that Aomame is always referred to by her surname and Tengo by his first name? We also find out Aomame’s first name, thanks to Ushikawa). I did feel that this book wasn’t as detailed as the other two, but perhaps this is because of several reasons: a) realistically, it’s a continuation of the same story and doesn’t need the same background; b) Book 3 is translated by Phillip Gabriel in contrast to Jay Rubin, hence a little bit of bumpy ground initially; and c) I believe this book was written later by Murakami after he’d had time away from 1Q84. Maybe I feel this way because I had a break of several weeks before continuing the story, rather than just turning the page to another section. But really, Book 3 is there to make an attempt to tie up the loose ends that Book 2 made you so frustrated about, isn’t it?

Well, kind of. This is Murakami after all, where there are often more questions than answers. Fuka-Eri disappointingly drifts off into the background, as does Komatsu and the dowager. The Little People reappear and new characters are introduced. But essentially, Book 3 is about three people we already know: Aomame, Tengo and Ushikawa. The chaser and the chased.

It wouldn’t be Murakami if there weren’t some weird and seemly unexplainable twists. Book 3 doesn’t disappoint in that sense, and twists make events in the previous two books seem clearer. The ending however, no matter how much you wished it to happen, is a little linear and predictable – unusual for Murakami. It does leave you with a sense of fulfilment though. Does the pedestrian ending means there are more events to unfold in a Book 4? Let’s hope so. I’d love to hear more about this world.

This is definitely not a standalone book – in fact, as very little backstory is summarised; it needs to be read after Books 1 & 2. If you read it all together, 1Q84 will not disappoint.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

A quick rundown… A woman murders her ex-husband and her neighbour helps to cover it up. How will the police work out what happened?

Strengths: Quirkily Japanese, an interesting way of telling a murder mystery.

Weaknesses: Focuses on the action, rather than the nuances of the characters and their motivation.

Why I read it: Very much hyped overseas, I was eagerly anticipating its release in Australia.

Pages: 384

Published: 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown

Setting: Japan

Rating: 7 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Villain by Shuichi Yoshida; Out by Natsuo Kirino

I was really looking forward to this book – completely caught up in the hype, I was stalking bookstore and ebook websites waiting to pounce. Once I finally got my hands on a copy, I began reading straight away. Perhaps my expectation of Japanese fiction has been influenced by Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 and Yoshida’s Villain, but I was hoping for beautiful prose, an analysis of the human psyche and amazing twists and turns in the plot. Sadly, I didn’t find this in The Devotion of Suspect X.

The plot sounds promising: a woman kills her ex-husband almost by accident with an electrical cord and her neighbour (who has a bit of a crush on her) helps her to cover everything up – from disposing of the body to inventing alibis for her and her daughter. Then things start to become too controlling… We also read of the murder from the point of view of the police, and a detective’s university lecturer friend.

While The Devotion of Suspect X has elements of Japanese quirkiness (the protagonist working in a bento shop, the murder weapon being a komatsu cord) it is effectively a murder story that focuses ultimately on the solving abilities of the police rather than the minds of those involved. It could be set anywhere in the world and Japan is not used as a unique backdrop. To put it frankly, this book is overhyped.

The language is nothing special either – whether that is true of Higashino’s writing or whether there is some loss in translation, I don’t know. There’s not enough description to paint a clear scene in my mind. Instead, the narrative focuses on the action but the impact of the police solving the murder is somewhat diminished as the reader saw the majority of it in the first place. The tying up of the ‘why’ the neighbour Ishigami assisted isn’t as interesting. It all seems kind of awkward.

Would I read anymore of Higashino’s translations? Probably, as I enjoy my Japanese fiction. But I certainly won’t be rushing out to purchase them hot off the press!

1Q84 (Books 1 & 2) by Haruki Murakami

A quick rundown… The story of two seemly unconnected people in Tokyo in 1984 and the mysterious things that are taking place.

Strengths: Absolutely fantastic writing that captures the heart and imagination; the story will remain with you long after you’ve finished.

Weaknesses: The ARC copy I had occasionally repeated extraneous details.

Why I read it: chosen by Readings Books to review it as part of their Uncorrected Proof Book Club. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Pages: 593 (ARC copy)

Published: 2011

Publisher: Harvill Secker (Random House)

Setting: Japan

Rating: 10 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (if you like things linear), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (if you like the more fantastic side).

I finished reading 1Q84 (surely the blockbuster novel of 2011) almost a week ago, but I wanted to collect my thoughts before I put fingers to keyboard. This is a novel (sounds trite, perhaps epic would be a better word) that remains with you for a long, long time after reading it. I’ve kept thinking about the story and how each event fits in the overall structure of the book, how clever and intricate the world created is and how I can picture in my head a world that doesn’t exist…or does it?

The ARC copy I read comprised of Books 1 and 2 (Book 3 will be published in the UK on 25^th October 2011, I’m uncertain of an Australian release date). The sheer weight of the first two books (nearly 600 pages) will come as a delight to Murakami fans. For readers new to Murakami, it may take a little while to warm up to the picture that is being painted lovingly before you but persevere, the puzzle pieces soon fall into place. The book opens with Aomame (whose name means ‘green pea’, we never know her by any other name) in a taxi, stuck in a traffic jam in Tokyo in 1984. She is going to be late for her appointment when the taxi driver informs her of an emergency exit that will take her off the expressway back to ground level. He says a few odd things, but Aomame is not concerned about that. She takes his advice, goes down the stairs and off to her appointment – killing a man.

Meanwhile, Tengo is a young writer who is struggling to make a name for himself while teaching mathematics at a cram school. At a meeting with his somewhat mentor, he is asked to rewrite a novel written by a seventeen year old girl that has been submitted for a new writers’ prize. The novel, Air Chrysalis, is nothing like he’s ever read before. Neither is its author, Fuka-Eri, a strange girl who never uses a question mark in her speech.

Can you see the Murakami originality coming through? The cover pictured gives quite an insight into the main symbols of this book.

I don’t want to spoil the story for others – it’s highly original and will keep you reading all through the night but be prepared for almost anything to happen: religious cults, strange sightings of the moon, an older woman out for revenge, missing persons, murder, love, sex and all sorts of people – from big to small.

Murakami must be lauded for his ability to think of such an intricate plot – almost every detail is leading you further into the story and almost nothing is there by chance. It all combines together later in the second book with exquisite tension before the explosion of the bittersweet ending. Be aware that there is a fair bit of sex in this book but I felt it was needed to show where the characters were coming from and where they were heading.

On finishing this book, I hardly dared to look up at the moon in case I was in 1Q84! Everything else I’ve read since has paled in comparison to 1Q84.
I simply can’t recommend this book more highly – it’s a beautiful masterpiece.

A Geek in Japan by Hector Garcia

In a nutshell… Japan – its history, people, traditions, culture and how to find your way around.

Strengths: A lot more detailed than on first glance.

Weaknesses: Some typos and the excessive use of the word ‘moreover’

Why I read it: I love Japan

Pages: 211

Published: 2011

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

Setting:

Rating: 9 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Lonely Planet Japan

A Geek in Japan is one of those books I saw on the shelf at my local bookstore and just had to have. I love Japan and I love to learn more about it. A Geek in Japan is deceiving though, in that it contains much more information than you think at first glance. Hector Garcia has obviously put a lot of time and effort into researching this book, which delves into many aspects of Japan. It includes history, social structures (I learned more from this book than I did from six years of Japanese), culture, work life, leisure, anime, cosplay, vending machines, zen, Shinto, Buddhism, temples, shrines and walking tours of various places in Tokyo.

What I found very interesting was that according to Hector, the Japanese wish for harmony as a whole over triumph of the individual – which is very different to what occurs in the West. It was also interesting to see repetition given as a way of learning – if you do something hundreds of times, you will end up getting it right. The work structures were also very interesting – the consultation between many levels with the focus on precision. If I wasn’t a gaijin, I think I’d like this!

Hector explains things very clearly in the majority of circumstances but occasionally the English sounded a little ‘off’ to me (for example, a lot of use of the word ‘moreover’). This is a small thing to get used to.

I learnt so much from this book, more than I did over a long period of study and a long trip to Japan. It clarified a lot of things for me. Well done on a great book – this would certainly be of use to those going to Japan or just wanting to know more about it. The pictures are excellent too.

Villain by Shuichi Yoshida

In a nutshell… The discovery of who murdered a young woman in Japan.

Strengths: Characters, how the characters interact

Weaknesses: Some may find it difficult to keep up with the names

Why I read it: Bought with gift voucher

Pages: 304

Published: 2010 

Publisher: Harvill Secker

Setting: Japan

Rating: 9 out of 10

If you liked this, try: Real World by Natsuo Kirino

Villain was one of the books I bought with a Christmas gift voucher. I am interested in Japanese fiction translated into English, enjoying Natsuo Kirino and Haruki Murakami to name a few. So when I saw another Japanese translated work on the shelf, I jumped on it immediately.

Villain does not disappoint. It is a tightly woven thriller, linking together many disparate characters who are all somehow involved in the murder of a young lady on the creepy Mitsue Pass. It involves her friends, her (imagined) boyfriend, a boy she met on a dating website and various family members. One of these people is her murderer – but which one? Why was she killed?

As I’ve found with other Japanese thrillers, this is exquisitely detailed. We have background into the characters and their settings, which are translated very well into English by Philip Gabriel. We know of Yuichi’s past, his grandmother’s problems and the girls he’s been seeing. We also know about his car and what he’s eaten for snacks. This may sound superfluous, but it’s not. We warm to Yuichi and the other characters, simply because we know so much about them. Yoshida paints a very clear picture of each scene – so much so that you can picture the characters and the setting in detail. The blurb on the inside cover of the book states that it’s part police procedural, but in my opinion it’s definitely not! There is little police involvement, and it is all from the characters’ viewpoint.

The identity of the murderer also creeps up slowly on the reader. It’s very subtle, and I wondered how I could have missed the signs of who did it. Even more interesting, is the reasons why the murder was committed. One thing I won’t be doing is using any online dating sites any time soon! (A lot of the young characters use a particular online dating site, to try for romance in between work and family life. Is this a comment on the pressures of the Japanese youth of today, especially with the frequent use of love hotels in the narrative?) As is often the case with Japanese books, not everything is resolved but you can make a fairly educated guess as to what happens to some of the characters whose threads are left hanging.

I really enjoyed this book as it had all the elements of a great thriller – taut and exciting. The insight into the young Japanese was an added bonus. I’ll be looking forward to reading more of Shuichi Yomada’s work.

 I read this book as part of the Japanese Literature Challenge 5, which I am taking part in for the second year running.

Blossoms and Shadows by Lian Hearn

Ugh. I don’t really know how to say this eloquently but here it is: this book sucked. Dreadfully. It had so much promise – Japan, historical fiction, a strong female character, a beautiful cover…and yet I had to force myself to read it. It was boring, I couldn’t keep track of the characters and it jumped around a lot. I think I know even less now of the samurai era than before I started.

Blossoms and Shadows is set in 1860s Japan, as Westerners began to enter the country and Japan itself was in a revolution. We follow Tsuru, a doctor’s daughter, as she grows up, gets married and works in war-ravaged Japan. She has an illicit relationship with a family member while pretending to be a man, suffers a breakdown, goes back to her husband and eventually adopts her sister’s child. Tsuru occasionally disappears during the book and we follow a Japanese historical figure for a chapter. I found this particularly difficult as I couldn’t keep track of their names (and I studied Japanese for six years!) nor did they have a lot of meaning or anything memorable to keep them in my head.

While beautifully presented, this novel has little to recommend it. Perhaps if you are already familiar with this period in Japanese history, you might enjoy it. Tsuru is an uncomfortable character, chopping and changing in sex, her ambition and loves. It’s hard to follow and frankly, quite boring. 

Read this if: Frankly, I wouldn’t.

2 out of 10.

Autobiography of a Geisha by Sayo Masuda

(Image from Goodreads)

As the title states, this is a true story of a Japanese geisha in the 1940s and 1950s. Beware though: it’s not the beautiful sweetness that you read or saw in Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha. No, life as a geisha was not about that for Masuda-san.

Masuda-san was sold by her parents to act as a nursemaid (as a child- not much bigger than the children she was meant to look after) and then again by an uncle to a geisha house. She had little education and could barely read and write. There she and her ‘elder sisters’ gradually rose up the ranks to become geishas. They learned the dancing and the shamisen, but the main objective was money for sex. The girls were indentured to the geisha house, forced to collect ‘points’ to pay out their contract. There were pregnancies, deaths from diseases and suicides.

But life after being a geisha was harsh. Masuda-san did many jobs to try and look after her brother: mistress, collecting and selling food, selling soap on the black market and waitressing. The poverty after WWII is tangible. Masuda-san only told her story to a women’s magazine to try to win a prize. She did, and fifty years later, her book is still in publication and translated into English.

This story is poignant as it tells of the stigma forever attached to geisha at this time (will people find out Masuda-san’s history?) and the running away from love as to avoid that stigma for her beloved. It’s not a pretty picture, but a very compelling one.

8 out of 10.

I read this book as part of the Japanese Literature Challenge 4.