10 BOOKS SET IN JAPAN: NOVELS TO UNDERSTAND AND LOVE IT

Contemporary Japanese literature has grown widely throughout the world in recent years and certainly represents a fantastic way to immerse yourself in Japanese culture and travel with your mind to this country. We have made a list of ten books by as many novelists and writers , which we hope will increase your knowledge and your desire to visit Japan : happy reading and happy travels!

Some novels available in the TENOHA Milano Bookstore © TENOHA Milano by Anna Daverio

1. “Moshi Moshi” by Banana Yoshimoto

The narrative takes place around the neighborhood of Shimokitazawa, which almost becomes a living entity in the lives of the inhabitants and makes us understand, by immersing ourselves in the everyday reality of the characters, how people live - even in different ways but still united with the within a unique context - their daily life in Tokyo.

2. “Every Day is a Good Day. Fifteen Joys Tea Taught Me” by Noriko Morishita

The tea ceremony (茶の湯) is not a gesture limited to just pouring this drink into a cup; it is a fundamental moment of Japanese tradition: a central ritual of the culture and everyday life of this country, which can represent, in a certain sense, the way to change your life.

The cat statues on Gotokuji Island © Alain Pham

3. “Breasts and Eggs” by Mieko Kawakami

The novel tells the intimate journey of three women who fight to choose their future within Japanese society: against social pressures, stereotypes, the legacies of the past, the traditional vision of ryōsai kenbo - according to which the woman is the mother wisely, she provides for the house and takes care of the children.

4. “I Am a Cat” by Natsume Soseki

A classic of Japanese literature, published for the first time in 1905, towards the end of the Meiji period, in which Japan began to open up to the West. The story is set in this particular period, where tradition and modernity coexist. The author uses the cat - the protagonist of the book, who seems to have the gift of speech - as a pretext and tool to show the human being, with all his many defects and facets.

Some novels available on the TENOHA Milan e-SHOP © TENOHA Milan by Anna Daverio

5. “Hitchhiking with Buddha. Journey Through Japan” by Will Ferguson

Definitely the perfect book for those who want to discover the particularities and deepen their knowledge of this wonderful country in an authentic way. The author, recounting his journey from north to south, describes the nation's culture as genuine and uncontaminated as possible, involving the reader in amusing anecdotes and interesting oddities.

6. “The Golden Pavilion” by Yukio Mishima

By reading this novel, which was the most successful in Japanese publishing until the 1980s, the reader can truly understand how important Buddhism is for the Japanese people. A path to follow linked to nature and life which, in the case of the book's protagonist, were unfair.

A glimpse of Lake Kawaguci © Steven Diaz

7. “Mrs. Tokue's Recipes” by Durian Sukegawa

Set in the suburbs of Tokyo, which Sukegawa evokes on the page in such a clear way that one can almost perceive smells, sounds and colours, it is, first and foremost, a story of friendship, of solitudes that meet due to the need to no longer be so. : between the pastry chef Sentarō, who reluctantly runs a dorayaki shop (traditional Japanese dessert), and the elderly lady Tokue who shows up at his door asking to become his helper.

8. Forbidden Story of a Geisha” by Mineko Iwasaki and Rande Brown

For those who want to get lost in their imagination among the streets of Kyoto, for those who want to know the story of Mineko Iwasaki, but above all for those who want to discover the ancient Japanese tradition of the Geisha, a woman destined and prepared down to the smallest detail for this full world of rules and study.

The Yakitori Alley market in Shinjuku-ku © Alexandre Chambon

9. “Tokyo Horizontal” by Laura Imai Messina

Reading it you might think that the protagonists of the story are Sara, Hiroshi, Carmen and Jun, but, once the novel is finished, you understand that the real star at the center of the events told is Tokyo itself. The chaotic but fascinating metropolis captivates the reader and, in addition to making him passionate about the events told, leads him to discover the inhabitants of the city and their behaviour.

10. “The Girl from the Convenience Store” by Murata Sayaka

This novel perfectly describes the meticulousness and care traditionally associated with Japanese culture: it tells the story of a young girl who finds her dimension in daily choices (sometimes banal yet transgressive) and by working in a kombini store, one of the typical supermarkets of the Rising Sun open 24/7.

A kombini store of a well-known chain in Sumida City © Arga Aditya @mousserlane

What is your favorite novel set in Japan? Do you know other books by Japanese authors ?

TENOHA E-SHOP
the first Japanese concept store in Europe: online

Moshi moshi - €8.00

Every day is a good day. Fifteen joys that tea taught me - €16.00

Breasts and eggs - €19.50

I am a cat - €9.90

Hitchhiking with Buddha - €13.00

Discover all the titles in our 本 Books section