Welcome to the Japanese Literature Challenge 3!

The day has arrived, the day for beginning the Japanese Literature Challenge 3! I’m so excited because it is my great joy to read Japanese literature and share the experience with those of you who wish to read it as well.

This year, all you have to do is read one work of Japanese origin. It can be literature of course, but don’t feel confined to that. You may choose to read poetry, biographies, short stories or even manga. If you are willing to read one such piece, you’ve met the challenge. If you read more, all the better.

I have set the time frame between July 30, 2009 and January 30, 2010.

I have a Review Site set up for us here, where we can leave links to the reviews on our own blogs and see what other people have read.

I have prizes! I’ve been collecting them for several months, and I might whet your appetite with a brief sampling of the list here:

• a Moleskine Japanese format notebook, with two Japanese pencils and a Japanese eraser
• a copy of Murakami’s book South of the Border, West of The Sun
• a brochure from the Art Institute of Chicago’s special exhibit on Japanese screens, with a magnet and box of screen cards
• a cell phone charm, and makie stickers made of 24 karat gold, imported from Japan
• two copies of Yakuza Moon by Tendo
• a copy of Eat Sleep Sit by Nanomura
• and more surprises to come!

There are two buttons for you to choose from if you’d like to post one on your blog. The first comes from a work of art painted by Yoshitomo Naro in 1996. It’s entitled “Do Not Disturb!” and I loved its childlike simplicity:

“The dog in Yoshitomo Nara’s “Do Not Disturb!” is a beguiling bookworm who has found a quiet spot to do some reading. An influential Japanese Pop artist who gained a cultish following in the 1990s, Nara is known for painting cartoonishly aggressive children influenced by Japanese comic books and American cartoons. His images, which express children’s alienation and intense independence, are featured on CD cases, ashtrays, clocks and T-shirts.” (Allposters.com) If you like this button, you can grab it from the Review Site, or I’ll send you the code in an email if you’d prefer.

The second choice of a button comes from Tanabata, writer of In The Spring It Is The Dawn. She took the photograph herself, as she is a lovely photographer, reader and current resident of Japan.

I asked her if she would be willing to make a button for the challenge, and she created the beautiful image above. When I asked her about it she said, “That photo was taken on the island of Miyajima, near Hiroshima.  The shrine on the island is called Itsukushima-jinja and is a World Heritage site.  The torii gate is considered one of the three great views in Japan.  Oh, and the photo was taken at sunset.”

But, Tanabata was not the only contributor. I leave you with a beautiful haiku written for this challenge by the Magical Mystical Teacher:

Our journey begins,
the masters bid you welcome—
attend to their words.

Won’t you join in? Leave a comment if you want to participate, linking to the post about it on your blog. I can’t wait to see what you’re thinking about reading!