- A Pale View of Hills by Ishiguro
- A Personal Matter by Oe
- A Quiet Life by Oe
- After Dark by Murakami
- All She Was Worth by Miyabe
- Asleep by Yoshimoto
- Be With You by Ichikawa
- Beauty and Sadness by Kawabata
- Beyond the Blossoming Field by Jun’ichi Watanabe
- Dreaming Pachinko by Adamson
- First Snow on Fuji by Kawabata
- I am A Cat by Natsume
- In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami
- Kafka On The Shore by Murakami
- Kitchen by Yoshimoto
- Kokoro by Soseki
- Kusamakura by Soseki
- Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Oe
- Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro
- Norwegian Wood by Murakami
- Now You’re One Of Us by Nonami
- Paprika by Yasutaka Tsutsu
- Rashomon by Akutagawa
- Remains of The Day by Ishiguro
- Real World by Kirino
- Rouse Up O Young Men of The New Age by Oe
- Silence by Endo
- Singing Shijimi Clams by Kojima
- Singular Rebellion by Maruya
- Snow Country by Kawabata
- Some Prefer Nettles by Tanizaki
- Supermarket by Azuchi
- The Sound of Waves by Mishima
- The Housekeeper and The Professor by Ogawa
- Shipwrecks by Yoshimura
- Strangers by Yamada
- Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda
- Ten Nights’ Dreams by Soseki
- The Bells of Nagasaki by Nagai
- The Dancing Girl of Izu by Kawabata
- The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Ogawa
- The Elephant Vanishes by Murakami
- The Fox Woman by Johnson
- The Old Capital by Kawabata
- The Ocean In The Closet by Taniguchi
- The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Basho
- The Pillow Book by Shonagon
- The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Mishima
- The Setting Sun by Dazai
- The Stationmaster by Asada
- The Tale of Genji by Shikibu
- The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter by Kawabata
- The Temple of The Golden Pavilion by Mishima
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami
- The Woman In The Dunes by Abe
- Thousand Cranes by Kawabata
- Thirst for Love by Mishima
- Totto-Chan: The Little Girl By The Window by Kuroyanagi
- Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Murakami
- When The Emporer Was Divine by Otsuka
- Yakuza Moon by Tendo
19 Responses to “Book Suggestions for The Japanese Literature 3 Challenge”
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The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki MurakamiRead Alongs
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)
Norwegian Wood and After Dark were my favorites from last year. Murakami is a genius
Mark, I haven’t read Norwegian Wood yet, but After Dark is practically a Must Read for everyone, isn’t it? It’s classic Murakami, but not so long that it becomes overwhelming for someone new to him. I have to say that Murakami is my new favorite author of the decade.
Norwegian Wood, for me, is breathtaking. It’s my favorite Murakami and I really loved it. I guess it would be my very definition of a bittersweet love story. It’s different from Murakami’s other signature works in the sense that it hardly contains any surreal elements. I think its flavor is a bit similar to his other novel South of The Border West of the Sun, which they say is rather good too (perhaps I should read that for the challenge). As for After Dark, I really enjoyed its unique narrative style. It’s a masterpiece
I would like to read Norwegian Wood, especially to see what Murakami does without the magical fantasy. What a gifted writer he is, to be able to write fiction as well as nonfiction. I can’t get enough of him; thank goodness I’ve just started!
Hi Bellezza,
I got your link from Mark David, and I’m loving the idea of this challenge! I’ve only read one book by Murakami (Dance Dance Dance), but I’m looking forward to reading more of his books this year, and it looks like there are a few more Japanese authors I can indulge in!
I’ll be coming back here in a couple of days definitely, to see what it’s going to take to join this challenge!
Michelle, I’m so glad you stopped by! I left you a comment on your blog, but I really hope you’ll join in the challenge. You have so many books I want to read on your own list!
I will for sure be dropping by at the end of the month to join the Japanese challenge. I already have After Dark on my TBR shelve and if I like it I will read his larger master works.
Wow, I appreciate the work it must have taken to put this list together with the links!
Thank you!
You are so welcome! I needed it myself.
I. Love. This. List. I am saving it to go through on Goodreads.
I love this list, too, and I can’t take credit for it. It’s gleaned from comments other participants have left on the Japanese challenges, with only a few suggestions of my own thrown in. Of course, that’s one of the main reasons we blog: to get new recommended titles, right? Besides the friendships, of course.
Just discovered your blog, I love Murakami’s writing, and have delved into Ishiguro, so think this challenge is an interesting one. Think I may partake in it…
Hi Meredith
Thank-you so very much for the book mark.
I was able to buy a few Japanese novels through amazon market place
SUPERMARKET: A NOVEL
THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE PROFESSOR: A NOVEL
COIN LOCKER BABIES
IN THE MISO SOUP
Madeleine, I bought Supermarket at Amazon as well, although I haven’t read it yet. I just finished The Housekeeper and The Professer, and I loved it!!! Coin Locker Babies was very touching to my heart, as it deals with abandoned children: always a painful subject to me. I’ve not read In The Miso Soup yet. I’m looking forward to your thoughts when you finish what you’ve bought.
Bellezza,
I can be so slow sometimes ~ I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this challenge properly.
I’ve chosen a book – Yakuza Moon – but am uncertain… Do I post my choice, then read and review, or are we to choose and then add our name to the list when we’ve read and written the review? I think the latter’s the case, but just wanted to check.
I’ll actually be reading two books. Before reading Yakuza Moon I’ll be reading Yakuza by David Kaplan and Alec Dubro, which apparently has quite a reputation as a definitive work on the Yakuza.
I’ve smiled at the comments I’ve seen sprnkled through from folks who say “I don’t read non-fiction”. I’m the other end of the spectrum – I rarely read fiction (unless you count certain newspapers and op-ed pages). So, I’m backing my way into the literature challenge, and may give Murakami or Ishiguro a try after that.
I was glad to see Yakuza Moon on the list!
Shoreacres, you’re not slow one bit! As to a proper way, I don’t suppose there is one. I’m glad you’ve chosen Yakuza Moon; what a fascinating book! When you’ve finished it, and written your review, please leave a link to it on the Review Site (www.japlit3challenge.blogspot.com) so we can all read your thoughts.
I love how many different kinds of readers there are. You prefer nonfiction, I far prefer fiction. Together we make a world, encouraging and teaching one another.
It would be great if you tried Murakami, but be prepared: he’s REALLY fiction…like, into magical realism/fantasy sometimes.
Yakuza Moon will be one of the prizes, so I’m sure participants will be really excited to read your review.
Bellezza, I would like to participate. I have found the perfect book for my blog, Ukigumo or Drifting Clouds (1887) by Futabatei Shimei. It’s considered the “first modern Japanese novel,” whatever that means. The authort translated Turgenev into Japanese, which, for me, is a good sign.
I haven’t the slightest idea if it’s actually any good, but I’ll give it a try and report back.
Amateur Reader, if Turgenev translated it, it’s bound to be good as you said. (I love Russian literature! I think I’ll host a Russian Literature reading challenge some year.) I thought The Tale of Genji was considered the first Japanese novel, but who knows. It certainly can’t be considered modern as you say Drifiting Clouds would be. I love what you bring to the challenge with all your interests and knowledge.
You’re right – The Tale of Genji is the first Japanese novel, and, perhaps, the first novel ever.
Drifting Clouds is the first modern Japanese novel. I’ve started the book and now see what that means – it’s the first Japanese novel to incorporate up-to-date Western ideas of novelistic structure and psychological realism. But it still feels Japanese, so it’s not just imitative.
It’s pretty good so far.