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1Jakeofalltrades
My interest in Japan started as I grew up watching Pokemon and Astro Boy, but reading Train Man (the book version) made me interested in not just Manga and Anime, but precursors to that cultural shift, so I would understand the society that produced that artform.
I don't know if Ian Fleming's the best man to explain Japan, but in You Only Live Twice he at least tries to do Japan's culture justice, though there are severe errors in terms of how Bond treats Japanese women. Still, it was a good place to start to see how even a misogynist pig like Bond who thinks he's the best man there is can be confused by a culture he is unfamiliar with.
What I've noticed in my studies of Japanese art and literature is the divide between what their literature says Japan is, and what Anime says Japan is. My hypothesis: There are now two different Japans, one that exists in our world, still shaped by tradition and change intersecting, and Anime/Manga, which although admirable in many ways (Osamu Tezuka's Manga and Anime works attempt to address universal values of humanity, not just Japan's values or purely stories set in Japan) sometimes swerves off the path of what Japan is really like. The book version of Train Man when I compared it to the Manga version was an interesting contrast, because the Manga didn't address the darker elements of Otaku culture nearly as much as the Manga did, and the book actually has more character development with Densha than a one-volume Manga is capable of doing.
My quest is this: to read about the culture I thought I knew, but really never scraped more than the surface of. To know both Japans is to know the immensity of a relatively small country on the map, and neither one of the Japans can be ignored in full understanding.
And I know I can't just read Haruki Murakami and assume I understand Japan because he's just one author. Samurai Historical fiction and a mix of ancient /modern Japanese novels would be good for me.
I don't know if Ian Fleming's the best man to explain Japan, but in You Only Live Twice he at least tries to do Japan's culture justice, though there are severe errors in terms of how Bond treats Japanese women. Still, it was a good place to start to see how even a misogynist pig like Bond who thinks he's the best man there is can be confused by a culture he is unfamiliar with.
What I've noticed in my studies of Japanese art and literature is the divide between what their literature says Japan is, and what Anime says Japan is. My hypothesis: There are now two different Japans, one that exists in our world, still shaped by tradition and change intersecting, and Anime/Manga, which although admirable in many ways (Osamu Tezuka's Manga and Anime works attempt to address universal values of humanity, not just Japan's values or purely stories set in Japan) sometimes swerves off the path of what Japan is really like. The book version of Train Man when I compared it to the Manga version was an interesting contrast, because the Manga didn't address the darker elements of Otaku culture nearly as much as the Manga did, and the book actually has more character development with Densha than a one-volume Manga is capable of doing.
My quest is this: to read about the culture I thought I knew, but really never scraped more than the surface of. To know both Japans is to know the immensity of a relatively small country on the map, and neither one of the Japans can be ignored in full understanding.
And I know I can't just read Haruki Murakami and assume I understand Japan because he's just one author. Samurai Historical fiction and a mix of ancient /modern Japanese novels would be good for me.
2dreamlikecheese
I have a few issues with the English translation of Train Man. The "voices" of the characters are rendered in a way that doesn't seem to ring true to the original Japanese. Keep that in mind when using it as way to understand Japanese culture.
As for recommendations of Japanese novels to read, I can give you a few.
Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara is a great short novel to introduce yourself to contemporary Japanese sub-cultures. This book won the Akutagawa Prize which is Japan's most prestigious literary award. And, best of all, the translation from the original is excellent. I think she has also released another book in the last year or so called Auto Fiction but I haven't read it yet so I don't know what it's like. Be warned....Snakes and Earrings is rather violent and sexual, but that's necessary for the story.
Anything by Haruki Murakami is good. His more fantastical novels are wonderful to read, but for an insight into contemporary Japanese culture I would recommend Norwegian Wood and some of his short story collections like After The Quake. For a bit of fun, try A Wild Sheep Chase.
The other Murakami, Ryu Murakami, is also a good entry point into contemporary Japanese fiction. The one I read was 69 which I highly recommend. Ryu Murakami writes mainly about disaffected youth and this one focuses on a boy in high school in 1969. If nothing else it shows that being a teenager in Japan is not so different to anywhere else....a message which often seems to get lost in the media.
If you're going to read samurai historical fiction can I recommend only reading that which is written by Japanese authors. For example, try Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa which is a Japanese classic. Do not under any circumstances try Shogun by James Clavell. The historical, linguistic and cultural errors in this book made me cringe the whole way through.
Try to find collections of Japanese short stories. It is a form of writing which is very common and popular in Japan. Penguin publishes a collection of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short stories which are varied and excellent. Short novels like The Stones Cry Out are also a good introduction into Japanese society. Stones follows 20 years in the life of a Japanese WWII veteran. It's very moving and thought-provoking, and it's just over 100 pages long.
I think I'll stop there now. I have to go write up a presentation about the ICCPR and ICESCR (don't ask) and this is merely procrastination.
As for recommendations of Japanese novels to read, I can give you a few.
Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara is a great short novel to introduce yourself to contemporary Japanese sub-cultures. This book won the Akutagawa Prize which is Japan's most prestigious literary award. And, best of all, the translation from the original is excellent. I think she has also released another book in the last year or so called Auto Fiction but I haven't read it yet so I don't know what it's like. Be warned....Snakes and Earrings is rather violent and sexual, but that's necessary for the story.
Anything by Haruki Murakami is good. His more fantastical novels are wonderful to read, but for an insight into contemporary Japanese culture I would recommend Norwegian Wood and some of his short story collections like After The Quake. For a bit of fun, try A Wild Sheep Chase.
The other Murakami, Ryu Murakami, is also a good entry point into contemporary Japanese fiction. The one I read was 69 which I highly recommend. Ryu Murakami writes mainly about disaffected youth and this one focuses on a boy in high school in 1969. If nothing else it shows that being a teenager in Japan is not so different to anywhere else....a message which often seems to get lost in the media.
If you're going to read samurai historical fiction can I recommend only reading that which is written by Japanese authors. For example, try Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa which is a Japanese classic. Do not under any circumstances try Shogun by James Clavell. The historical, linguistic and cultural errors in this book made me cringe the whole way through.
Try to find collections of Japanese short stories. It is a form of writing which is very common and popular in Japan. Penguin publishes a collection of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short stories which are varied and excellent. Short novels like The Stones Cry Out are also a good introduction into Japanese society. Stones follows 20 years in the life of a Japanese WWII veteran. It's very moving and thought-provoking, and it's just over 100 pages long.
I think I'll stop there now. I have to go write up a presentation about the ICCPR and ICESCR (don't ask) and this is merely procrastination.
3Jakeofalltrades
I second Musashi, looks like a good read. Starting out reading Japanese fiction is kind of like what happened when I started reading Salman Rushdie, Rushdie gives you a look at world cultures but what he shows you and how he does it makes some people from these cultures angry.
I seem to recall the reason why the Train Man translation took the Japanese feeling out of it, it was translated into British English rather than a Japanese translation. This doesn't mean it's not good, but the importance of the story's message resonates with me more than the language (they changed the Yen to British Pounds in the translation, imperialist swine!).
I seem to recall the reason why the Train Man translation took the Japanese feeling out of it, it was translated into British English rather than a Japanese translation. This doesn't mean it's not good, but the importance of the story's message resonates with me more than the language (they changed the Yen to British Pounds in the translation, imperialist swine!).
4dreamlikecheese
That was my problem with it. Instead of translating it as it is, they tried to use English slang and terms which really don't work in the context of a Japanese internet forum. Have you seen the TV series they made? It was fantastic (though the movie version left something to be desired). I made my friend copy it for me so I could take it back to Oz with me.
5Jakeofalltrades
Yeah. In some ways the Manga is closer to the original language, but is different in the detail it goes into. I still liked Train Man (the book) though, because I'm a bit of a geek myself. Not a crazed Otaku, but enough of a geek to need something to make me inspired to interact with other human beings who happen to be girls too.
At the moment I have the novel version of Brave Story to look forward to, so far it's completely different to what I expected from Japanese fiction, there really is differences to my own culture, but many universal elements.
At the moment I have the novel version of Brave Story to look forward to, so far it's completely different to what I expected from Japanese fiction, there really is differences to my own culture, but many universal elements.
6JackFrost
#5 Brave Story is the ONLY Miyabe book in English I don't own and love. She is an amazing crime fiction writer. If you're interested in mysteries and crime fiction with a female perspective (especially female criminals and female investigators), look for stuff by Miyabe, Kirino Natsuo and Nonami Asa.
7twacorbies
Lafcadio Hearn is a good author to check out. Most of his stuff isn't fiction, but he retells a lot of classic tales that are part of the mythic vocabulary of Japan. I love Temple of the Golden Pavilion: a fantastic novel, not just a great Japanese novel. Junichiro Tanizaki is another excellent novelist- many of his stories involve the tension between the traditional and the modern and the complicated reactions whether desire or repugnance that people felt toward Western culture.
8liao
I might also try a book like J. Thomas Rimer's A Reader's Guide to Japanese Literature to get an idea of the classics.
Peter Carey's book Wrong about Japan would seem to address some of the same issues you perceive about there being two Japans. I haven't read the book, but remember the reviews saying that this was the starting point: his son wanted to go to Japan if it was the Japane of anime and manga and not his father's Japan of temples and daimyos. But, keep in mind, this is what I recall from the review.
Collections of Donald Richie's reviews of Japanese literature, such as Japanese Literature Reviewed should also give you a guide to modern Japanese writing.
One thing to keep in mind--although this may be 'academic'--is that what is chosen to be translated into English may give us a better idea of what the publishers and the English-speaking Market think Japan is like than about Japan itself.
Peter Carey's book Wrong about Japan would seem to address some of the same issues you perceive about there being two Japans. I haven't read the book, but remember the reviews saying that this was the starting point: his son wanted to go to Japan if it was the Japane of anime and manga and not his father's Japan of temples and daimyos. But, keep in mind, this is what I recall from the review.
Collections of Donald Richie's reviews of Japanese literature, such as Japanese Literature Reviewed should also give you a guide to modern Japanese writing.
One thing to keep in mind--although this may be 'academic'--is that what is chosen to be translated into English may give us a better idea of what the publishers and the English-speaking Market think Japan is like than about Japan itself.
9Jakeofalltrades
I actually like comparing both Japans to see what cultural shifts are happening right now. Japanese people I know from school tend to be a lot less showy of emotions and more academic than Westerners I know are. Having heard about how hard it is to get into University in Japan it's small wonder why some Japanese people go to Australia for their tertiary education.
Also, actual Japanese people I know have a distinctive way of expressing themselves, not wanting to be a show off, and when asked about how they trounced you in an exam they are modest and hide their embarrassment behind a smile that isn't meant to be deceitful. They don't really want to be boastful, and they generally try and fit in well with the community, thus I think what happened to one of my Japanese friends who's really talented is that he doesn't like being seen as a nerd who is favoured with academic prizes, because this makes him stand out too much from the crowd.
Understanding this mentality from real life observation makes it easier to put a human face on Japanese values among young people, and how integration is viewed as more important than individualism.
Also, actual Japanese people I know have a distinctive way of expressing themselves, not wanting to be a show off, and when asked about how they trounced you in an exam they are modest and hide their embarrassment behind a smile that isn't meant to be deceitful. They don't really want to be boastful, and they generally try and fit in well with the community, thus I think what happened to one of my Japanese friends who's really talented is that he doesn't like being seen as a nerd who is favoured with academic prizes, because this makes him stand out too much from the crowd.
Understanding this mentality from real life observation makes it easier to put a human face on Japanese values among young people, and how integration is viewed as more important than individualism.
10gscottmoore
I'd like to second the recommendation of Rimer's Reader's Guide to Japanese Literature, this time with double underscoring.
I began using it as a guide to selecting Japanese fiction to explore around 14 years and continue to use it. In the process I've read my way through stacks of great classics by Kawabata, Oe, Tanizaki, Nagai Kafu--the list totals probably 40 writers and 120 books or so.
-- Gerry
I began using it as a guide to selecting Japanese fiction to explore around 14 years and continue to use it. In the process I've read my way through stacks of great classics by Kawabata, Oe, Tanizaki, Nagai Kafu--the list totals probably 40 writers and 120 books or so.
-- Gerry
11sanas
I would recommend you read Mishima's "Spring Snow" and Tanizaki's 'The Makiyoka Sisters' - wonderful!
12KromesTomes
You may want to try Out by Natsuo Kirino ... this is a semi-graphic thriller, but it's set among the workers in a Japanese factory that makes box lunches and, IMHO, provided a fascinating look at modern working-class Japan.
13Jakeofalltrades
I've got Tanazaki's Quicksand, and I found it quite good so far. I'll definitely read more of her stuff.
I wanted to try Rashomon too, completely different author but Samurai stuff would be interesting for me.
Having read a bit of Japanese fiction now, comparing it with Anime I've seen, there are subtle cultural sensibilities that are in both art-forms. There's a lot of emphasis on the beauty of nature in Japanese literature, and in some Anime I've seen this is undertoned in Spirited Away (not so much Howl's Moving Castle).
It's a lot easier to get a whole perspective of the Japanese head by encountering both literature and Anime from Japan, because both have been used effectively to express points about the cycle of existence. I'd also like to see some live-action Japanese movies to compare with the literature that inspired them, Rashomon in particular, and Yojimbo.
I wanted to try Rashomon too, completely different author but Samurai stuff would be interesting for me.
Having read a bit of Japanese fiction now, comparing it with Anime I've seen, there are subtle cultural sensibilities that are in both art-forms. There's a lot of emphasis on the beauty of nature in Japanese literature, and in some Anime I've seen this is undertoned in Spirited Away (not so much Howl's Moving Castle).
It's a lot easier to get a whole perspective of the Japanese head by encountering both literature and Anime from Japan, because both have been used effectively to express points about the cycle of existence. I'd also like to see some live-action Japanese movies to compare with the literature that inspired them, Rashomon in particular, and Yojimbo.
14dreamlikecheese
The movie "Rashomon" is actually based on a couple of Akutagawa's stories, not just the unbelieveably short Rashomon. In fact, it takes most of the story from "In A Grove" by the same author. If you get the Penguin Classics version of Rashomon, it includes this story as well as 15 other Akutagawa short stories.
Just to let you know, Tanizaki is a bloke.
Just to let you know, Tanizaki is a bloke.
15sanas
I would recommend (Mishima)'s (Spring Snow) and (Tanizaki's) (The Makiyoka Sisters), they are beautifully written and observed novels
16Jakeofalltrades
14>
Dude looks like a lady, from his picture. I never knew!
Dude looks like a lady, from his picture. I never knew!
17JoseBuendia
Anything by Yukio Mishima, Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata and The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki.
My favorite of Mishima is Forbidden Colors and Confessions of a Mask.
Almost forgot - Kobo Abe's The Woman in the Dunes.
My favorite of Mishima is Forbidden Colors and Confessions of a Mask.
Almost forgot - Kobo Abe's The Woman in the Dunes.
18sadxboyx28
Well Uhm If U need help reading cant help ya but yeah I would go for the more fun books or interesting horror
19junevonjune
I'm a huge Kobo Abe fan....
There is the woman in the dunes but my fave is the box man or the face of another. tanizaki is a great author too both the key or diary of a mad old man are great.
There is the woman in the dunes but my fave is the box man or the face of another. tanizaki is a great author too both the key or diary of a mad old man are great.
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