23 Japanese books to read in 2023

World Book Day 2023 will be on 2 March 2023. To mark the occasion, I have compiled this list of 23 Japanese books to read in 2023.

A fan of Japan (a country that I am yet to visit) and literature, I have read quite a few Japanese books in the recent years. A year ago, I joined the Virtual Book Club: Japanese Literature on Meetup. This is a book discussion club that meets online once a month. Before each meeting, a Japanese book (that has been translated into English) has been selected for the attendees to read, whereas during the 90-minute meeting the attendees share their thoughts, impressions and reflections on the book. The book club started in 2020. So far, 25 Japanese books have been discussed.

The books discussed in the first two meetings I attended were ‘The Traveling Cat Chronicles’ by Hiro Arikawa and ‘Men Without Women’, a short stories collection by Haruki Murakami. Although I had already read them both, this was a good opportunity to re-read them. The next book discussed was Yuko Tsushima’s ‘Territory of Light’, which I hadn’t previously read. Since then, I have read (some of) the books that were discussed in subsequent meetings, such as Shusaku Endo’s ‘Silence’ and Sayaka Murata’s ‘Convenience Store Woman’, as well as books that had been discussed previously, such as Mieko Kawakami’s ‘Breasts and Eggs’ and Miri Yu’s ‘Tokyo Ueno Station’. Over the last few years, I have also read many other Japanese novels, some of which are included in today’s list.

Beyond Murakami: 23 Japanese books to read in 2023

Don’t get me wrong, I am a great fan of Haruki Murakami’s writing. However, the reason why I have decided not to include any of his books in this list of 23 Japanese books to read in 2023 is very simple: I plan to publish another post specifically discussing some of his works (those I’ve read so far that is). Yet, there is another novelist of the same surname included in this list, Ryu Murakami, the author of the novel ‘In The Miso Soup’.

‘In The Miso Soup’, by Ryu Murakami

In this atmospheric psychological thriller, Ryu Murakami (not to be confused with Haruki Murakami) takes us deep into the dark world of the Tokyo sex district. This fascinating story takes place as another year comes to an end, and provides some interesting insights into modern Japanese society.

Japanese books for cat lovers

It is no secret that I am a travel enthusiast as well as a cat lover. So, when I came across the following titles, I knew I had to read these books.

‘The Travelling Cat Chronicles’, by Hiro Arikawa

‘The Travelling Cat Chronicles’ is one of my favourite Japanese books. It is a beautifully written story about a man and his cat who travel together around Japan. While the protagonist visits friends and family in search of a new home for his beloved cat, he also re-visits his past. A film adaptation was released in 2018 directed by Kôichirô Miki.

‘The Guest Cat’, by Takashi Hiraide

There is a famous quote by the American author Kristin Cast: “Cats choose us; we don’t own them”. This is the premise of this book by Takashi Hiraide, where a cat sneaks out and spends time with a young couple, rather than its legitimate owners.

‘If Cats Disappeared From The World’, by Genki Kawamura

‘If Cats Disappeared From The World’ is a story about a young man who finds out that he has a terminal illness and he will die soon. Then, the devil appears offering to prolong his life one day at a time, as long as he chooses one thing to disappear from the world. How much is he willing to sacrifice and how far is he prepared to go? A film adaptation was released in 2016.

‘A Cat, a Man, and Two Women’, by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki

Jun’ichirō Tanizaki is considered one of the major writers of modern Japanese literature. ‘A Cat, a Man, and Two Women’ was first published (in Japanese) in the 1930s. It tells the story of a man (Shozo), his cat (Lily), and his two wives: his ex (Shinako) and his current (Fukuko). Oblivious to the complex relationships between the human protagonists, Lily becomes the object of a custody battle between Shinako and Shozo/Fukuko, and succeeds in transforming the latter from a vengeful betrayed woman to a kind human being. A film adaptation, ‘Shozo, a Cat and Two Women’, was released in 1956.

‘The Cat Who Saved Books’, by Sosuke Natsukawa

Just the fact that this is a book about books and cats, written by a Japanese doctor/author, was more than enough for me to read it. ‘The Cat Who Saved Books’ is a beautifully written story, that certainly lived up to my expectations.

‘She and Her Cat’, by Makoto Shinkai

Shinkai is a Japanese filmmaker turned author. This is his debut novel, consisting of four interconnected stories, each written from a different cat’s perspective. It is based on an anime film, written and directed by the author.

Japanese crime mysteries

It is not a secret that I love crime mysteries. Agatha Christie is my favourite crime author and, of course, I have read all her novels (as a teenager). As an adult, I have been obsessively reading Scandinavian (‘Nordic Noir’) crime mysteries. In the last few years, I’ve been also getting familiar with those from the Land of the Rising Sun. Here are those I’ve read so far.

‘Six Four’, by Hideo Yokoyama

‘Six Four’ is the first novel by Yokoyama to be translated and published in English, as well as the first Japanase crime mystery I’ve read. It was one of the first books discussed in the Virtual Book Club: Japanese Literature, a year before I joined. It is a contemporary crime mystery taking place in a Japanese city, and naturally offers an interesting perspective into the Japanese psyche. A two-part film adaptation was released in 2016 and directed by Takahisa Zeze. Other works by Yokoyama available in English are the novel ‘Seventeen’, and the collection of short stories ‘Prefecture D’.

‘The Inugami Curse’, by Seishi Yokomizo

Born in Kobe in 1902, Yokomizo was one of Japan’s most famous and best-loved mystery writers. ‘The Inugami Curse’ was first published in 1972. It reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie’s stories. Other works by Yokomizo available in English are ‘The Honjin Murders’, ‘The Village of Eight Graves’, ’Death on Gokumon Island’ and ‘The Devil’s Flute Murders’ (which will actually be available later this year). They all feature Detective Kosuke Kindaichi. Of those, ‘The Inugami Curse’ was the first to be made into a film (in 1976, re-made in 2006).

‘The Aosawa Murders’, by Riku Onda

This is Onda’s first crime novel, as well as her first work to be translated into English. The book consists of fourteen chapters, each ‘written’ by a different character talking about a book written about a mass killing, the author or the killing itself. Little by little, the truth is revealed.

‘Tokyo Express’, by Seicho Matsumoto

Born in Fukuoka in 1909, Matsumoto was Japan’s most celebrated crime writer. ‘Tokyo Express’ was published in 1958 and was his first full-length detective novel. It is a very interesting read, as it takes us back to a time when there were no bullet trains, and a train journey from Tokyo Ueno Station to Sapporo would last a little over a day, whereas a flight would take (only) three hours.

Japanese books previously discussed in the Virtual Book Club: Japanese Literature

‘Tokyo Ueno Station’, by Miri Yu

Let’s come back to Tokyo now. Published in 2014, ’Tokyo Ueno Station’ tells the story of a labourer, who became homeless at some stage of his life. Miri You sheds light on a marginalised and little-known part of contemporary Japanese society.

‘Breasts and Eggs’, by Mieko Kawakami

‘Breasts and Eggs’ is perhaps the most famous novel by Mieko Kawakami (not to be confused with Hiromi Kawakami). Divided into two parts, it is quite a long book (>400 pages) and not particularly easy to read. It tells the story of several women and explores issues of particular interest to women, such as breast-enhancement surgery (in the first part) and artificial insemination and maternity (in the second part).

‘Territory of Light’, by Yuko Tsushima

First published in 1978, ‘Territory of Light’ tells the story of a young mother, who after separating from her husband, struggles to bring up her two-year-old daughter alone. Contrary to the ‘Breasts and Eggs’, ‘Territory of Light’ is one of the shortest novels included in this list.

‘Silence’, by Shusaku Endo

First published in 1966, ‘Silence’ was adapted into a film by the renowned director Martin Scorsese in 2016. The film stars Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield and Liam Neeson. This was not the first, but the third time it was adapted into a film. The story takes place in the 17th century, when Christian missionaries were prosecuted in Japan.

‘Convenience Store Woman’, by Sayaka Murata

The ‘Convenience Store Woman’ is one of my favourite books in this list. It tells the story of a 36-year-old woman, who has been working in the same convenience store for eighteen years. Even though Sayaka Murata spent eighteen years working part-time in convenience stores, I am not sure how much of this engaging story is fictional versus autobiographical. Either way, the ‘Convenience Store Woman’ is a short and easy-to-read book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Although not explicitly stated, the protagonist is portrayed as having autistic traits.

‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

This beautiful novel takes the reader to a hidden cafe in Tokyo, where customers have the opportunity to travel back in time. It is the first in a series of four novels (the last one is yet to be published) and it is also one of the most recent novels discussed in the Virtual Book Club: Japanese Literature, earlier this year.

Japanese books yet to be discussed in the Virtual Book Club: Japanese Literature

‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe’ & ‘Before Your Memory Fades’, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The second and third novels in the series follow the same premise as the first one. The third book in the series, however, takes place in Hakodate, a city in Hokkaido. Interestingly, among the main characters, there’s a psychiatrist.

‘Strange Weather in Tokyo’, by Hiromi Kawakami

Let’s now return back to Tokyo. Hiromi Kawamami (not to be confused with the author of ‘Breast and Eggs’ who shares the same surname) is a rather prolific author and many of her works have been translated into English. Yet, this is the only novel of hers I’ve read. ‘Strange Weather in Tokyo’ is very different to Mieko Kawakami’s novel. It tells the story of a relationship between a woman in her late 30s and one of her former high school teachers, whom she happens to meet in a bar.

‘Life Ceremony’, by Sayaka Murata

Having enjoyed reading ‘Convenience Store Woman’ by the same author, I bought ‘Life Ceremony’, as soon as it was published in English (in 2022). Unlike the former, however, this is a collection of 12 short stories. The English edition also includes the short story ‘A Clean Marriage’, the story that announced Murata to the world (first published in Japanese in 2014).

‘The Woman in the Purple Skirt’, by Natsuko Imamura

I read ‘The Woman in the Purple Skirt’ a couple of years ago, before I encountered ‘Breast and Eggs’ and the ‘Convenience Store Woman’, but after my first acquaintance with ‘Men Without Women’. Narrated by ‘the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan’, it’s an easy-to-read novel that has been compared to ‘Convenience Store Woman’.

‘Scattered All Over the Earth’, by Yoko Tawada

Let’s now go on a journey to Europe. Yoko Tawada is a Japanese author who currently lives in Berlin and writes both in Japanese and German. In this novel, Japan has vanished. The story takes place in Europe, where Hiruko, thinking that she might be the last Japanese person left, pursues a man, who she suspects might also be Japanese.

Japanese books yet to be released in English

As well as these books I have read in English, I have come across several more translated into Italian. ‘La mia vita con i gatti’ by Noriko Morishita and ‘A volte basta un gatto’ by Saki Murayama are yet to be translated into English. ‘I miei giorni alla libreria Morisaki’ by Satoshi Yagisawa will be released in English in July 2023. Since my Italian is not as good as my English, I am looking forward to reading the ‘Days at the Morisaki Bookshop’.

Further reading

Check out my previously published posts, which include both fiction and non-fiction recommendations:

5 (+1) Japanese novels to read in 2020

5 (+1) Books from the Land of the Rising Cat

Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)