Books set in Japan (219)


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1.

47 Ronin by John Allyn EN

0 Ratings
Description:
Japan's most celebrated tale of honor, loyalty, and revenge—and the basis for the 2013 Hollywood feature film, starring Keanu Reeves—47 Ronin is the epic tale of a heroic band of Samurai warriors who defied the Japanese Emperor and avenged the honor of their fallen master. The story begins in 1701 when the noble Lord Asano attacks an official at court in a fit of anger. His punishment is swift and harsh; the Emperor orders Lord Asano to commit ritual suicide (harakiri). His lands are confiscated, his family is exiled, and his Samurai warriors are ordered to disband—becoming Ronin or masterless... continue

2.

A Cat, a Man, and Two Women by Junichiro Tanizaki EN

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Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
This collection of stories is distinguished by its lightheartedness and comicealism.

3.

A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by László Krasznahorkai EN

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Country: Europe / Hungary flag Hungary
Description:
A quiet, poetic, and exquisitely gorgeous novel describing a wandering mythic figure in a Kyoto monastery, by the 2019 National Book Award winner

4.

A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro EN

Rating: 4 (5 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day Here is the story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. In a novel where past and present confuse, she relives scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II.

5.

A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe EN

Rating: 2 (1 vote)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
First pub. 1964. Author's most dramatic work, won him the prestigious Shincho Literary Prize. In the novel the narrator tells how he responds to the birth and problems posed by his handicapped child. Recipient of the 1994 Nobel prize.

6.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Description:
A novelist on a remote island in the Pacific is linked to a bullied and depressed Tokyo teenager after discovering a Hello Kitty lunchbox that washed ashore in this new novel from the award-wining, best-selling author of My Year of Meats.

7.

A True Novel by Minae Mizumura EN

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Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
As an impoverished immigrant with mixed Chinese origins, Taro Azuma has faced prejudice his entire life. Desperately trying to make his fortune, Taro has a secret; he is obsessed with a girl from an aristocratic family. When Taro's ambitious leads him to become one of the wealthiest Japanese men in America, he finally gets close to her. But her relatives are determined to uncover his background. Using the template of Wuthering Heights, A True Novel is an epic love story and an in-depth study of social history after WWII.

8.

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami EN

Rating: 4 (6 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
Haruki Murakami's third novel, A Wild Sheep Chase is the mystery hybrid which completes the odyssey begun in Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973. The man was leading an aimless life, time passing, one big blank. His girlfriend has perfectly formed ears, ears with the power to bewitch, marvels of creation. The man receives a letter from a friend, enclosing a seemingly innocent photograph of sheep, and a request: place the photograph somewhere it will be seen. Then, one September afternoon, the phone rings, and the adventure begins. Welcome to the wild sheep chase. 'Mr. Murakami's style and ima... continue

9.

A Woman of Pleasure : A Novel by Kiyoko Murata EN

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Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
An unforgettable novel of fearless women banding together to pursue the lives they want, inspired by the real-life historic Japanese courtesan strike In 1903, a fifteen-year-old girl named Aoi Ichi is sold to the most exclusive brothel in Kumamoto, Japan. Despite her modest beginnings in a southern fishing village, she becomes the protégée of an oiran, the highest-ranking courtesan at the brothel. Through the teachings of her oiran, Shinonome, Ichi begins to understand the intertwined power of sex and money. And in her mandatory school lessons, her writing instructor, Tetsuko, encourages Ichi ... continue

10.

Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad EN

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Description:
When Englishman Chris Broad landed in a rural village in northern Japan he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. With no knowledge of the language and zero teaching experience, was he was about to be the most quickly fired English teacher in Japan's history? Abroad in Japan charts a decade of living in a foreign land and the chaos and culture clash that comes with it. Packed with hilarious and fascinating stories, this book seeks out to unravel one the world's most mysterious and impenetrable cultures.