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5 Japanese books
To satisfy any curious reader
So, you’ve just discovered Japanese culture and cannot wait to explore more about Japan, samurais, and robot-girls.
Don’t know where to begin? These books are for you!
- Before the Coffee gets Cold
Enter the world of Funiculi Funicula:
“A cafe that transports you back in time.”
Fumiko is devastated when her boyfriend leaves Tokyo for a better job abroad. Undeterred, she decides to avail of the special offer at the cafe where they broke up - time travelling. However, the magic of time travel comes with a set of complicated, and unbreakable rules that discourage all but the most determined.
The book explores themes of love, loss, longing and family.
It was adapted from an award-winning Japanese play by the author, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and translated to English by Geoffrey Trousselot.
More theatre-fantasy than sci-fi, it reads like interconnected short stories that take place in the same cafe, and captures the lives of its owners, staff and customers.
The best part?
It feels like one is sitting on a chair and watching live theatre unfold before them.
My only criticism is the lack of explanation or historical exploration of how the cafe acquired its supernatural abilities.
Nevertheless, this book will please avid and new readers alike, as well as patrons of performing arts.
It is thought-provoking from the very first line:
“If you could go back, who would you want to meet?”
Final word — Get the book before your coffee gets cold!
2. The Housekeeper and the Professor
Yōko Ogawa’s novel, translated by Stephen Snyder, has the special quality of not only satisfying literature buffs and bookworms, but also fans of mathematics.
It captures a uniquely Japanese tale based on the lives of an agency housekeeper and her mathematician-professor employer.
The catch? The Professor has lost his short-term memory.
One would imagine that such a situation would drive any housekeeper crazy. Indeed, most of his previous employees left for exactly this reason.
Nonetheless, the titular Housekeeper does not mind being reintroduced to the Professor every morning. She even gets her young son along to practice maths after school.
Whether you were the best or worst student in high-school maths, the touching connection and engaging conversations between the three main characters will surely grab your attention and keep the pages turning.
No spoiler, it also contains an interesting romantic twist. My only critique is that the surprise turn is not explored in detail, leaving it up to the reader to fill in the blanks.
Apart from prime numbers and mouth-watering descriptions of Japanese meals, the Professor’s unique sagacity makes this book worth a read.
My favourite pearl of wisdom from the Professor’s amnesiac but genius brain:
“It’s important to use your intuition. You swoop down on the numbers, like a kingfisher catching the glint of sunlight on the fish’s fin.”
Wish I had known that in school!
For those of us whose math skills are a bit rusty, some of the more technical discussions may be a bit harder to grasp.
But if you’re willing to look beyond explanations of Euler’s formula, the novel is a heart-warming read that is sure to be gentle on one’s soul.
Last words — Don’t forget your calculator when you grab this book from the nearest bookshelf. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the Professor’s love for maths will rub off on you!
3. The Book of Five Rings
Interested in learning about traditional Japanese samurai warriors and martial arts?
There is nothing better than the writings of legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Book of Five Rings has been translated from the original ‘Go Rin no Sho’ several times.
This is hardly surprising. It doles out oodles of wisdom and fascinating teachings from one of the world’s greatest kenjutsu master.
Although it is primarily a lesson on combat, that Musashi fought since he was thirteen, it has found wide application. It is also used in business and management, strategy and spirituality.
The book is riddled with difficult to understand technical details about warriorship.
However, everything about it is stunning — from the backstory and duels of its author, to the chapterization which is based on five elements — earth, water, fire, wind and void.
For those of you who may be wondering, the last part, and my personal favourite — ‘Book of the Void’ covers Musashi’s zen-like spirituality, and contain his ideas on consciousness, spirit and correct mindset.
Final word — One of Musashi’s nine principles from the ‘Book of the Earth’ tells us to:
“Do nothing which is of no use.”
Well, it is of great use to keep a copy of this book handy! As handy as Musashi’s katanas during combat. Order it online or read a free ebook, like this one.
4. Men without Women
Consider it a contemporary take on its namesake — Ernest Hemingway’s short story collection.
Men Without Women is a collection of stories by famed Japanese author Haruki Murakami.
Originally published in 2014, it was translated in English by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen, and made available to a wider audience in 2017.
Murakami is at his magical-realist best when he captures the lives of men who have lost women for one reason or another.
While men will enjoy the common poignant experience of missing their ex-lovers, women will appreciate the inside look into a man’s mind.
The unputdownable collection also captures Murakami’s inimitable taste in music.
All stories may not satisfy every reader. For instance, I was not happy about the offensive generalization made by one broken-hearted protagonist, that every woman has an “independent organ” which allows them to lie without guilt.
But believe me when I say that there is something for everybody.
The stories flow into each other, making this collection a page-turner without the mystery. Murakami's writing is effortlessly smooth, much like the professional abilities of Misaki, a female driver from the story 'Drive My Car':
“It was all too smooth, too mysterious. He could only make out a slight gradation in the engine’s hum. It was like the wings of a flying insect, now drawing closer, now fading away.”
My favourite story from the collection is an uncomplicated tale about a whimsical woman, dubbed ‘Scheherazade’ by the ailing narrator, Habara, as a nod to the famed storyteller from the Middle Eastern tales — One Thousand and One Nights.
She is his nurse and extramarital lover.
After each session, she narrates imaginative tales about her past lives and loves, which leaves Habara, and the reader, desperate for more.
Final word -
Go to the nearest bookstore or order it online! Don’t forget to keep your speakers at hand, and explore the wonderous world of the author’s favourite songs, as mentioned in the book.
Here’s a handy playlist that I made with most of the sounds that perfectly match the rhythm of Murakami’s magical tales.
5. Klara and the Sun
Nobel laureate and Booker prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro’s sci-fi novel has been lauded by everyone from Obama to Bill Clinton.
Published in 2021, this book captures Japan’s obsession with robots and the melancholy experienced by common Japanese folk in the future.
Right off the bat, it introduces us to the idea that even convenience stores are way different in times to come!
The storefront displays realistic solar-powered robot children, called Artificial Friends or AFs, waiting to become companions to lonely children.
That is, if their parents can afford them.
The AFs are all unique, have the ability to process complex information and even impart a kind of wisdom. As Klara, the titular AF observes:
“people often felt the need to prepare a side of themselves to display to passers-by — as they might in a store window — and that such a display needn’t be taken so seriously once the moment had passed.”
While it may take some effort to understand Klara’s view of the world, it is also her perspective that is the most enjoyable detail of the novel.
Last word — Kazuo Ishiguro’s genius has been recognized time and time again, with every new award. It is time to indulge yourself with his latest novel.
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