Murakami, after the quake: stories (2002)

Haruki Murakami.
after the quake: stories.
Translated by Jay Rubin.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.
New York: Vintage International, 2003.
Originally published: 神の子どもたちはみな踊る, Kami no Kodomo-tachi wa Mina Odoru [literal translation: "All God's Children Dance"], Tokyo: Shinchosha, 2000.

Book Information : Publisher USA; Publisher UK; Wikipedia; Google Books; Amazon.com; GoodReads.com.

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Author Information :

• Haruki Murakami, harukimurakami.com, Penguin Random House.
  (This website has a little more than one usually finds in an author webpage maintained by a publisher.)
• Haruki Murakami, Penguin Books Ltd. (UK), A Penguin Random House Company.
• Haruki Murakami (b. 1949), Wikipedia English.
• 村上春樹 (1949–), Wikipedia Japan.
• murakami.club.
• Search for works created by Haruki Murakami, Internet Archive.
• Haruki Murakami, GoodReads.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
• 村上春樹, 神の子どもたちはみな踊る ["All of God's Children Dance"], 2000, Wikipedia Japan.
  (See this article for links to separate articles about each story in the collection.)
• Haruki Murakami, After the Quake, Wikipedia English.
  (This article has a synopsis of each story in the collection.)
• Great Hanshin earthquake (aka Kobe earthquake), 17 January 1995, Wikipedia English.
• 阪神・淡路大震災 [The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake], 17 January 1995, Wikipedia Japan.
  (Article includes a discussion of the various names given to the event, and this, the official government bestowed name.)
~~~~~~~~~~
• Japanese literature: Postwar literature (1945–onwards), Wikipedia English.
• 日本の近現代文学史 [History of modern Japanese literature], Wikipedia Japan.

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Translator Information :

• Jay Rubin (b. 1941), Wikipedia.
• Jay Rubin, "The Other World of Murakami Haruki," Japan Quarterly, volume 39, number 4, 1991.
• Jay Rubin. Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words. London: Random House UK, 2002; Vintage UK, 2005.
  [Publisher; Wikipedia; Google Books; Amazon.com.]

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Ōe, Teach us to Outgrow Our Madness (1977)

Kenzaburō Ōe.
Teach us to Outgrow Our Madness: Four Short Novels.
Translated by John Nathan.
New York: Grove Press, 1977, 1994.

Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; GoodReads.com.

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Author Information :

• Kenzaburō Ōe (1935–2023), Wikipedia English.
• 大江 健三郎 (1935–2023), Wikipedia Japan.
• 1994 Nobel Prize in Literature, Wikipedia English.
• Kenzaburō Ōe, "Japan, The Ambiguous, and Myself," Nobel Lecture, 07 December 1994.
• Kenzaburo Oe, Grove Atlantic (publishes many English translations of Oe's works in the USA).
• Search for works by Kenzaburō Ōe, Internet Archive.
• Kenzaburō Ōe, GoodReads.com.
• Japanese literature: Postwar literature (1945–onwards), Wikipedia English.
• 日本の近現代文学史 [History of modern Japanese literature], Wikipedia Japan.
• Postwar Japan, Wikipedia English.
• 連合国軍占領期後の日本 [Japan after the Allied Occupation], Wikipedia Japan.

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Translator Information :

• John Nathan (b. 1940), Wikipedia.
• John Nathan, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California Santa Barbara.
• John Nathan, GoodReads.com.
• John Nathan. Japan Unbound: A Volatile Nation's Quest for Pride and Purpose. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2004.
  [Google Books; GoodReads.com; Amazon.com.]
• John Nathan. Living Carelessly in Tokyo and Elsewhere: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.
  [Publisher; Google Books; GoodReads.com; Amazon.com.]
• John Nathan, "Kenzaburo Oe: Mapping the Land of Dreams," Japan Quarterly, vol. 42, num. 1, January-March 1995.
• Preston L. Houser, "Awakening the Goddess Within: An Interview with Mayumi Oda [conducted Summer 1999]," Kyoto Journal, 02 October 2011.
  (Mayumi Oda was the first wife of John Nathan.)

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Contents of Teach us to Outgrow Our Madness: Four Short Novels :

1. "The Day He Himself Shall Wipe My Tears Away," 1974.
2. "Prize Stock," 1958.
   • 飼育 (小説), "Shiiku" (Breeding / Cultivation / Care), English translation title "Prize Stock," 1958.
     (The 1957 date given by English Wikipedia differs from Wikipedia Japan's 1958 which I consider more authoritative on the topic of Japanese authors.)
   • Won the Akutagawa Prize [芥川龍之介賞] for the first half of 1958.
   • The translation of "Prize Stock" by John Nathan was reprinted in :
     The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories, Edited by Theodore W. Goossen, Oxford University Press, 1997, 2010.
     [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com, 1997; Amazon.com, 2010.]
     My post for the Oxford anthology is here.
3. "Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness," 1969.
4. "Aghwee the Sky Monster," 1964.

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Murakami, The Elephant Vanishes: Stories (1994)

Haruki Murakami.
The Elephant Vanishes: Stories.
Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993; New York: Vintage International, 1994.

Book Information : Publisher; Wikipedia; Google Books; Amazon.com; GoodReads.com.

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Author Information :

• Haruki Murakami, Penguin Random House
  (website has a little more than one usually finds in a author webpage maintained by a publisher).
• Haruki Murakami (b. 1949), Wikipedia English.
• 村上春樹 (1949–), Wikipedia Japan.
• Search for works created by Haruki Murakami, Internet Archive.
• Haruki Murakami, GoodReads.com.
• Japanese literature: Postwar literature (1945–onwards), Wikipedia English.
• 日本の近現代文学史 [History of modern Japanese literature], Wikipedia Japan.
• The Elephant Vanishes, a collection of stories originally written 1980-1991, Wikipedia.
• About Noboru Watanabe:
  • MK, "Haruki Murakami’s Best Friend" [Mizumaru Anzai (1942-2014)], murakami.club, 10 September 2021.
• murakami.club.

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Translator Information :

• Alfred Birnbaum (b. 1955), Wikipedia.
• Jay Rubin (b. 1941), Wikipedia.

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Sansom, Japan: A Short Cultural History (1978)

G. B. Sansom.
Japan: A Short Cultural History.
Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1978.

(Publication history: First edition 1931; Second edition 1943; Second edition revised 1952.
The 1978 Stanford reprint is of the 1952 revised second edition.)

Book Information : Publisher; Amazon.com; Archive.org.

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Author Information :

• George Sansom (1883 – 1965), Wikipedia.
• Marius B. Jansen, Donald Keene and Arthur F. Wright, "Sir George Sansom — An Appreciation," The Journal of Asian Studies, Volume 24, Issue 4, August 1965, pages 561-562.
  (Alternate copy at Cambridge University Press.)
• Katharine Sansom. Sir George Sansom and Japan: A Memoir. Tallahassee, Florida: The Diplomatic Press, 1972.
  [Google Books; Amazon.com.]
• Search for George Sansom at Archive.org.

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Wikipedia Articles :

• History of Japan.
• Shogun, "the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868".
• Culture of Japan.
• Religion in Japan.
• Shinto.
• Buddhism in Japan.
• Edo neo-Confucianism.
• Japanese art.
• Japanese aesthetics.
• Japanese people.
• Genetic and anthropometric studies on Japanese people.

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Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy :

• Graham Parkes and Adam Loughnane, Japanese Aesthetics.
• Japanese Philosophy.
• Japanese Confucian Philosophy.
• Huayan Buddhism (Kegon in Japan).
• Tiantai Buddhism (Tendai in Japan).
• Japanese Pure Land Philosophy.
• Daoism.
• Japanese Zen Buddhist Philosophy.
• The Kokugaku (Native Japan Studies) School.
• Kūkai (774–835).
Other articles that seem relevant to Japan or refer to a period not covered by Sansom's book:
• Chinese Ethics.
• Communitarianism.
• Religious Diversity (Pluralism).
• The Kyoto School of philisophy, 20th Century.

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More Recently Published Books :

Some recently published books that cover the same topics as Sansom's Japan: A Short Cultural History.
• Mikiso Hane and Louis G. Perez. Premodern Japan: A Historical Survey, second edition. Westview Press, 2015; New York: Routledge, 2018.
  [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
• Nancy K. Stalker. Japan: History and Culture from Classical to Cool. Oakland: University of California Press, 2018.
  [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]

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Kaga, Marshland (2024)

Otohiko Kaga.
Marshland.
Translated by Albert Novick.
Dallas, Texas: Dalkey Archive Press / Deep Vellum Publishing, 2024.
Originally published: 湿原, Shitsugen, Asahi Shimbun, 1985.

Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; GoodReads.com.

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Author Information :

• Otohiko Kaga (1929–2023), Wikipedia English.
• 加賀乙彦 (1929–2023), Wikipedia Japan.
• Search for works by Otohiko Kaga, Internet Archive.
• Otohiko Kaga, GoodReads.com.
• Otohiko Kaga. Riding the East Wind [錨のない船, Ikari no nai fune, 1982]. Translated by Ian Hideo Levy. Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International, 1999.
  [Internet Archive; Amazon.com; GoodReads.com.]
  (This abridged translation of the original is the only other work by Kaga that has been translated into English so far.)
• Japanese literature: Postwar literature (1945–onwards), Wikipedia English.
• 日本の近現代文学史 [History of modern Japanese literature], Wikipedia Japan.

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Translator Information :

• Albert Novick, LinkedIn.

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Wikipedia Articles :

• Postwar Japan.
• 連合国軍占領期後の日本 [Japan after the Allied Occupation].
~~~~~~~~~~~
• Nemuro, Hokkaido [根室市].
  (Hometown of the character Atsuo Yukimori in Marshland.)
• Kotohira Shrine, 金刀比羅神社, Nemuro.
  Google Maps coordinates. Clicking on the map link for Kotohira Shrine will open a panel on your screen from which you can see photos of the shrine and the area of Nemuro around the shrine.
• 北海道空襲 [Hokkaido air raids], 14-15 July 1945.
• 風蓮湖 [Lake Furen], surrounded by the wetlands referred to in Marshland.
• 羅臼町 [Rausu Town, Hokkaido].
• 流氷なび [Drift Ice Navigation], @ryuhyonavi, X (Twitter).
  (Drift Ice at Rausa was featured in a scene in Marshland. This X account has many photos of the scenery around Rausa.)
• 世界自然遺産のまち『知床羅臼町』 [World Natural Heritage Town "Shiretoko Rausu Town"], @rausutown, X (Twitter).
• 北方地域 [Northern Territories], islands north east of Hokkaido claimed by Japan.
• 北方領土問題 [Northern Territories Issue], a territorial dispute between Japan and the Russian Federation .
~~~~~~~~~~~
• 1968–1969 Japanese university protests.
• 1968 in Japan: October 21: New Left [日本の新左翼] forces occupy Shinjuku Station for 国際反戦デー [International Anti-War Day].
• 1968年の日本 [Japan in 1968].
• Shinjuku riot [新宿騒乱], 21 October 1968.
• 1969 in Japan [1969年の日本].
• 東大安田講堂事件 [University of Tokyo Yasuda Auditorium Incident], 18-19 January 1969.
• National Foundation Day (Japan), 11 February.

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Inoue, The Counterfeiter and Other Stories (2000)

Yasushi Inoue.
The Counterfeiter and Other Stories.
Translated by Leon Picon.
Boston, Rutland Vermont, Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing (Periplus Editions), 1965, 2000.

Book Information : Google Books; Amazon.com; Internet Archive.

Note: "The Counterfeiter" was recently published in a new English translation:

• Yasushi Inoue. Life of a Counterfeiter. Translated by Michael Emmerich. London: Pushkin Press, 2014.
  (Also includes two other stories: "Reeds" and "Mr. Goodall's Gloves.")
  [Publisher; Google Books; Internet Archive; Amazon.com; GoodReads.com.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Information :

• Yasushi Inoue (1907–1991), Wikipedia English.
• 井上靖 (1907–1991), Wikipedia Japan.
  (Japanese Wikipedia pages for Japanese authors are far more detailed than the corresponding English Wikipedia one.)
• 井上靖記念館, Yasushi Inoue Memorial Museum, Asahikawa City, Hokkaido.
• Yasushi Inoue Books in English, Internet Archive.
• Yasushi Inoue, GoodReads.com.
• Japanese literature: Postwar literature (1945–onwards), Wikipedia English.
• 日本文学 [Japanese Literature], Wikipedia Japan.
• 日本の近現代文学史 [History of modern Japanese literature], Wikipedia Japan.

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Translator Information :

• Leon Picon Obituary (1917-1994), The Washington Post, 23 August 1994.
• Lew Schmidt, "Interview with Leon Picon" (transcript), The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training: Foreign Affairs Oral History Project, Information Series; Library of Congress, 30 October 1989.
  Another, better formatted, version of the transcript, The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.
  • Unfortunately, Picon did not discuss his Japanese literary translation work in this interview; the interviewer mainly asked about his work as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. It's not only about the details of State Department bureaucracy: the interview contains interesting biographical information about Picon, amusing anecdotes about William Faulkner's visit to Japan, and a few, too few, other accounts about his time in Japan. Picon was in Japan from 1955 to 1965.
  • United States Information Agency (USIA), Wikipedia.
  • "Impressions of Japan," U.S.I.S., 1955.
    (A film about William Faulkner's visit to Japan, discussed on pages 16-24 of the LoC interview transcript, pages 12-18 in the ADST version.)
  • Charles Frankel. The Neglected Aspect of Foreign Affairs: American Educational and Cultural Policy Abroad. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1966.
    [Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Charles Frankel. High on Foggy Bottom: An Outsider's Inside View of the Government. New York: Harper & Row, 1969.
    [Google Books; Amazon.com.]
  • Charles Frankel. "paper title unknown." In: Prologue to the Future: the United States and Japan in the Post-industrial Age. Edited by James William Morley. Published for The Japan Society by Lexington Books, 1974.
    [Google Books; Amazon.com.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contents of The Counterfeiter and Other Stories :

1. "The Counterfeiter" [1951].
   • Life of a Counterfeiter, Wikipedia English.
   • "The Counterfeiter" was recently published in a new English translation:
     Yasushi Inoue. Life of a Counterfeiter. Translated by Michael Emmerich. London: Pushkin Press, 2014.
     (Also includes two other stories: "Reeds" and "Mr. Goodall's Gloves.")
     [Publisher; Google Books; Internet Archive; Amazon.com; GoodReads.com.]
2. "Obasute" [1956].
   • Ubasute, Wikipedia English.
     This article has an image of the ukiyo-e woodblock print "Ubasute no tsuki" (The Moon of Ubasute) from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (number 97), 1885-1892, by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.
     Seeing this image after reading the story, I wonder if it was one of Inoue's inspirations for his story (or perhaps an inspiration for the cover art on the book of stories mentioned by the narrator in the story).
   • うばすてやま [Ubasuteyama], Wikipedia Japan.
3. "The Full Moon" [1958].
   • The president of a corporation initiates a series of annual company retreats scheduled to coincide with the harvest moon.

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Natsukawa, The Cat Who Saved Books (2023)

Sosuke Natsukawa.
The Cat Who Saved Books.
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai.
London: Picador (Pan Macmillan), 2021.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2023.
(Originally published in Japan by Shogakukan, 2017.)

Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; Goodreads.

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Author Information :

• 夏川草介 [Sosuke Natsukawa, a pen name / psuedonym] (b. 1978), Wikipedia Japan.
• Sosuke Natsukawa, The Cat Who Saved Books, 2017, English translation 2021; Wikipedia English.

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Translator Information :

• Louise Heal Kawai, @quietmoonwave17, Twitter / X.
• Louise Heal Kawai, Words Without Borders [has a translation by Louise Heal Kawai].
• Louise Heal Kawai, Granta [has a couple translations by Louise Heal Kawai].
• Some other books translated by Louise Heal Kawai :
  • Masateru Konishi, 小西マサテル (b. 1965), My Grandfather, the Master Detective [20##], English translation 2025.
  • Sosuke Natsukawa, 夏川草介 (b. 1978), The Cat Who Saved the Library [20##], English translation 2025.
  • Seicho Matsumoto (1909–1992), Point Zero [1959], English translation 2024.
  • Rio Shimamoto (b. 1983), First Love [2018], English translation 2024.
  • Hideo Yokoyama (b. 1957), The North Light [2019], English translation 2023.
  • Seishi Yokomizo (1902–1981), Death on Gokumon Island [1948], English translation 2022.
  • Seishi Yokomizo (1902–1981), The Honjin Murders [1946], English translation 2019.
  • Soji Shimada (b. 1948), Murder in the Crooked House [1982], English translation 2019.
  • Mieko Kawakami (b. 1976), Ms Ice Sandwich [2013], English translation 2018.
  • Hideo Yokoyama (b. 1957), Seventeen [2003], English translation 2018.
  • Ito Ogawa, 小川糸, (b. 1973), The Island of Expectation [Japanese title: つるかめ助産院, Tsurukame Midwifery Clinic, 2010], English translation 2017.
  • Seicho Matsumoto (1909–1992), A Quiet Place [1975], English translation 2016.
  • Taeko Tomioka, 富岡多恵子 (1935–2023), Building Waves [Japanese title: 波うつ土地, The Land of Waves or Wavy Land, 1983], English translation 2012.
  • Shoko Tendo, Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter [2004], English translation 2007.

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Wikipedia Articles :

• Young adult literature.
• 日本の近現代文学史 [History of modern Japanese literature].
• 大衆小説 [Popular novels].
• 中間小説 [Intermediate novel].
• ファンタジー [Fantasy].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comments :

The Cat Who Saved Books is not adult literature. The main characters are two high school students; the simple story uses fantasy adventures to make pious points about the value of books. A cat plays a secondary role as a messenger ... from the the spirit world? ... from the main character's recently deceased grandfather? The book is not about people's relationships with their cats as is the case with Hiraide's The Guest Cat or Inaba's Mornings With My Cat Mii. Given the age of the main characters, the use of fantasy elements (which seem intended for an Anime production), and the pious lessons imparted, I categorize this book as Young Adult literature that's safe (i.e., non-controversial) for the middle school or high school classroom (but which might cause an unfortunate degeneration of the curriculum since its use might displace an older more sophisticated classic work of greater literary merit).

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Inoue, Lou-lan and Other Stories (1981)

Yasushi Inoue.
Lou-lan and Other Stories.
Translated by James T. Araki and Edward Seidensticker.
Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International, 1979, 1981.

Book Information : Amazon.com; Internet Archive; Goodreads.

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Author Information :

• Yasushi Inoue (1907–1991), Wikipedia English.
• 井上靖 (1907–1991), Wikipedia Japan.
  (Japanese Wikipedia pages for Japanese authors are far more detailed than the corresponding English Wikipedia one.)
• Yasushi Inoue Books in English, Internet Archive.
• Japanese literature: Postwar literature (1945–onwards), Wikipedia English.
• 日本文学 [Japanese Literature], Wikipedia Japan.
• 日本の近現代文学史 [History of modern Japanese literature], Wikipedia Japan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contents of Lou-lan and Other Stories :

1. "Lou-lan" [1959], translated by Edward Seidensticker.
   • Loulan Kingdom.
   • Tarim Basin.
2. "The Sage," translated by James T. Araki.
   • Issyk-Kul, eastern Kyrgyzstan.
3. "Princess Yung-t'ai's Necklace," translated by Edward Seidensticker.
   • Princess Yongtai (685 – 701).
4. "The Opaline Cup," translated by James T. Araki.
   • Emperor Ankan (466 – 536) and Princess Kasuga no Yamada (? – d. 539).
   • The Shōsō-in of Emperor Shōmu (701 – 756).
   • Furuichi Kofun Cluster.
5. "The Rhododendrons," translated by Edward Seidensticker.
   • "The Rhododendrons of Hira" was included in:
     The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature: Volume 2: 1945 to the Present, Edited by J. Thomas Rimer and Van C. Gessel, Columbia University Press, 2007 (pages 128-148).
     [Publisher; Amazon.com.]
     and also in:
     The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature: Abridged, Edited by J. Thomas Rimer and Van C. Gessel, Columbia University Press, 2011 (pages 542-562).
     [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
6. "Passage to Fudaraku," translated by James T. Araki.
   • 補陀落渡海 [Fudaraku Crossing the Sea], Wikipedia Japan
     (article explains the religious and cultural background and history of the practice).
   • "Passage to Fudaraku" was included in:
     The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories, Edited by Theodore W. Goossen, Oxford University Press, 1997, 2010.
     [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com, 1997; Amazon.com, 2010.]
     My post for the Oxford anthology is here.

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Sukegawa, Sweet Bean Paste (2017)

Durian Sukegawa.
Sweet Bean Paste.
Translated by Alison Watts.
London: Oneworld Publications, 2017.
(First published in Japan by Poplar Publishing Co., 2013; revised edition, 2015.)

Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; Goodreads.

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Author Information :

• ドリアン助川 (b. 1962), pen name / psuedonym of Tetsuya Akikawa, Wikipedia Japan.
  (Google Translate presents his name with four slightly different spellings in this article: Durian Sukekawa, Durian Sukegawa, Dorian Sukegawa, Dorian Sukekawa.)
• Tetsuya Sukegawa, Meiji Gakuin University.
• 助川 哲也 ; SUKEGAWA Tetsuya, The Faculty of International Studies, Meiji Gakuin University.
• あん (小説), first published 2013, revised edition 2015, movie 2015; English translation published as Sweet Bean Paste; Wikipedia Japan.
• Sweet Bean Paste, 2017; Wikipedia English.
• "Author of novel on leprosy stresses every life has meaning in lecture," The Mainichi, 15 September 2018.
• Alison Watts and Durian Sukegawa, "An Introduction to Durian Sukegawa’s A Dosimeter on the Narrow Road to Oku." Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, Volume 21, Issue 5, Number 1, 15 May 2023.
• Durian Sukegawa, "Cycling the Narrow Road to the Deep North: Thoughts, Sights, and Encounters," translated by Alison Watts, Asymptote, April 2020.
  (This excerpt from A Dosimeter on the Narrow Road to Oku does not overlap with the one published in Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus above. I recommend reading the Asia-Pacific Journal one first since it covers the beginning of Sukegawa's journey and ends with his arrival in Nasu while the Asymptote excerpt continues, after an introduction, with stories of people he met while in Nasu and later in his journey.)
• "Travelogue as Moral Inquiry: Cycling the Narrow Road to the Deep North [PDF], A Primal Design: Spring 2020 Educator’s Guide, Asymptote, 2020, pages 5-9.
  (This is a collection of lesson plans for teachers using the excerpt from Asymptote above.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Translator Information :

• Alison Watts: Japanese to English Literary Translator.
• List of other books translated by Alison Watts at her website Alison Watts.
• Alison Watts, LinkedIn.
• Alison Watts, Words Without Borders.
• Deborah Iwabuchi, "The Saga of Sweet Bean Paste: A Conversation with Alison Watts," SCBWI Japan Translation Group.
• Alison Watts, "Literary Journeys: Living Through Art in the Wake of Disaster," Words Without Borders, 11 March 2019.
• Christopher Hermelin, "Alison Watts: The Life of a Translator and Reading for Fun When Your Job is in the Literary World," So Many Damn Books, 13 December 2022.
• "Ms Alison Watts," St Mark's College, North Adelaide, South Australia.
  (Biography and interview of an alumna of the college.)
• Watts Sashiko, Alison Watts' website about Sashiko (a type of embroidery).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles :

• Leprosy in Japan.
• Tama Zenshoen Sanatorium, appears as "Tenshoen" in Sweet Bean Paste.
• National Hansen's Disease Museum (Japan), mentioned in Sweet Bean Paste.
• Cannabis in Japan; the character Sentaro in Sweet Bean Paste spent two years in prison for a cannabis offense.

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Inoue, Shirobamba (1993)

Yasushi Inoue.
Shirobamba: A Childhood in Old Japan [1962].
Translated by Jean Oda Moy.
New York: Weatherhill, 1993.
(This English translation was previously published: London: Peter Owen Publishers, 1991.)

Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; Internet Archive Open Library.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles :

• Yasushi Inoue (1907–1991).
• 井上靖 (1907–1991).
  (As usual, the Japanese Wikipedia page for a Japanese author is far more detailed than the one on English Wikipedia.)
• しろばんば [Shirobamba] (serialized 1960-1962).
• Japanese literature: Postwar literature (1945–onwards).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yasushi Inoue Books in English, Internet Archive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tanizaki's The Makioka Sisters provides a glimpse of Japanese life in mid-1930s Osaka and its suburbs. In an analogous manner Inoue's Shirobamba provides a glimpse of Japanese life in a rural village on the Izu Peninsula at the beginning of the 20th century.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Endō, Volcano (2012)

Shūsaku Endō.
Volcano [1959].
Translated by Richard A. Schuchert.
London: Peter Owen Publishers, 1972, 2012.

Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wikipedia Articles :

• Shūsaku Endō (1923–1996).
  Endō is best known for his novel Silence (1966).
  Many of his other works are also available in English translation.
• 遠藤 周作 (1923–1996).
  (As usual, the Japanese Wikipedia page for a Japanese author is far more detailed than the one on English Wikipedia.)
• Japanese literature: Postwar literature (1945–onwards).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mitsios, editor, New Japanese Voices (1991)

New Japanese Voices: The Best Contemporary Fiction from Japan.
Edited by Helen Mitsios.
New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1991.

Book Information : Editor's Website; Google Books; Amazon.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor Information :

• Helen Mitsios, helenmitsios.com.
• Helen Mitsios, New York School of Career and Applied Studies.
• Helen Mitsios, editor. Digital Geishas and Talking Frogs: The Best 21st Century Short Stories from Japan. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Co., 2011.
  [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
• Helen Mitsios, editor. Beneath the Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary Icelandic Poetry. Northfield, Massachusetts: Talisman House, Publishers, 2014.
  [Publisher; Wikipedia; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
• Helen Mitsios, editor. Out of the Blue: New Short Fiction from Iceland. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2017.
  [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
• Helen Mitsios, editor. New Greek Voices: The Best Short Fiction from Greece. New York: Tiber & Hudson Publishers, 2024.
  [Publisher; Amazon.com.]
• Rasia Kliot and Helen Mitsios. Waltzing with the Enemy: A Mother and Daughter Confront the Aftermath of the Holocaust. Jerusalem: Urim Publications, 2011.
  [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]

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Contents of New Japanese Voices: The Best Contemporary Fiction from Japan :

[Notes: My only complaint is that the book does not explicitly state when the stories were originally published; the 1980s is most likely for all of them.

Each entry in this list contians: author's name as it appears in New Japanese Voices, which may differ from its appearance in other sources; English Wikipedia article for the author, if available; Japanese Wikipedia article for the author, always available; story title; translator name.
When there is overlap in how an author's name appears in New Japanese Voices and his English Wikipedia page, I collapse the two together.
The Japanese Wikipedia article about an author is usually much more informative than an English Wikipedia article, if one even exists. I recommend using a web browser that will translate webpages for you.
This is my explanation for why so many names may be given for an author.

For some authors I listed other works available in English translation; for some authors I could find no other works in English translation; for some well known authors (for example, Murakami and Yoshimoto) I didn't list any additional works.]


1. Masahiko Shimada, 島田 雅彦 (b. 1961), "A Callow Fellow of Jewish Descent," Translated by Hiroaki Sato.
   Other work by Shimada Masahiko available in English translation include:
   • Masahiko Shimada, Dream Messenger [1989], Translated by Philip Gabriel, Kodansha, 1992.
     [Google Books; Amazon.com.]
   • Shimada Masahiko, "Desert Dolphin" [1992], Translated by Kenneth Richard, in The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories, Edited by Theodore W. Goossen, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
     [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com, 1997; Amazon.com, 2010.]
   • Masahiko Shimada, Death By Choice [2003], Translated by Meredith McKinney, Anthem Press, 2013.
     [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
2. Haruki Murakami, 村上 春樹 (b. 1949), "On Meeting My 100 Percent Woman One Fine April Morning" [1981], Translated by Kevin Flanagan and Tamotsu Omi.
   Also published in:
   • Haruki Murakami. The Elephant Vanishes: Stories. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993; New York: Vintage International, 1994.
     ("On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning," Translated by Jay Rubin.)
     [Publisher; Wikipedia; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
3. Makoto Shiina, 椎名誠 (b. 1944), "Swallowtails," Translated by Joseph Farrar.
4. Seikoh Itoh, いとうせいこう, 伊藤 正幸, Ito Seiko (b. 1961), "God is Nowhere; God is Now Here," Translated by William J. Tyler.
   Several translated works by Seiko Ito are listed on Amazon.com but none of them are in English.
   A Google search of Seiko Ito produces some meaningful results in English:
   • Seiko Ito, Discogs.
   • Seiko Ito, "From Radio Imagination," Translated by Hart Larrabee, The Massachusetts Review, Volume 57, Number 4, Winter 2016, pp. 671-691.
   • Watch Seiko.
   • seikoito, X / twitter.
   • Tea with Seiko Ito and Keijiro Suga, Japanese Fika, vol.09, 07/26/2024, PaperSky.
     ("Japanese Fika" is a series of interviews conducted by Seiko Ito published on the PaperSky website.)
   • Seiko Ito, Fred Perry UK.
5. Eimi Yamada, Amy Yamada, 山田　詠美 (b. 1959), "X-Rated Blanket," Translated by Nina Cornyetz.
   Other work by Yamada Amy available in English translation include:
   • Amy Yamada. Trash. Translated by Sonya L. Johnson. Kodansha, 1994.
     [Google Books; Amazon.com.]
   • Amy Yamada. Bedtime Eyes. Translated by Marc Jardine and Yumi Gunji. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2006.
     (Contains the novellas: "Bedtime Eyes," "The Piano Player's Fingers" and "Jesse.")
     [Amazon.com.]
   • Amy Yamada, "Fiesta" in Inside and Other Short Fiction: Japanese Women by Japanese Women, Kodansha, 2006.
     [Amazon.com.]
6. Yang Ji Lee, Lee Yangji, 李良枝 (1955 – 1992), "Yu-Hee," Translated by Constance Prener.
   Excerpt from Yuhi (1988) which won the 100th Akutagawa Prize in 1989.
7. Sei Takekawa, 竹河 聖, "On a Moonless Night," Translated by Mauricio Lorence.
8. Kyoji Kobayashi, 小林恭二 (b. 1957), "Living in a Maze," Translated by David Hanna.
9. Genichiro Takahashi, 高橋源一郎 (b. 1951), "The Imitation of Leibniz," Translated by Minoru Mochizuki.
   Other work by Genichiro Takahashi available in English translation:
   • Genichiro Takahashi. Sayonara, Gangsters [1982]. Translated by Michael Emmerich. New York: Vertical, 2004.
     [Publisher; Wikipedia; Amazon.com.]
10. Tamio Kageyama, 景山 民夫 (1947–1998), "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," Translated by James Dorsey.
11. Mariko Hayashi, 林 真理子 (b. 1954), "Wine," Translated by Dawn Lawson.
12. Banana Yoshimoto, 吉本ばなな (b. 1964), "Kitchen," Translated by Ann Sherif.
    Excerpt from:
    • Banana Yoshimoto. Kitchen [1988]. Translated by Megan Backus. New York: Grove / Atlantic, 1993.
      [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]

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Coppard, The Hurly Burly and Other Stories (2021)

A. E. Coppard.
The Hurly Burly and Other Stories.
Edited by Russell Banks.
New York: Ecco Press (HarperCollins Publishers), 2021.

Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.

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Wikipedia Articles :

• A. E. Coppard [Alfred Edgar Coppard] (1878 – 1957), Wikipedia.
• Russell Banks (1940 - 2023), Wikipedia.

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