RJL is excited to bring you this two-parter about LGBTQ+ stories from Japan. Part one covers some of the earliest writing in Japanese through the end of the Meiji Period in 1912. Part two (coming soon) covers Taisho Japan (when women finally enter the stage) through some of Japan's contemporary queer writers. This episode is rated mature. CW: homop…

Today, we’re talking about crime and mystery novels from Japan. We’ll start with the development of the crime and mystery genre in the English-speaking world. We’ll move on to Japanese crime and mystery writing—how it was inspired by Anglo-American crime and mystery writing and how it evolved in its own way. And we’ll end with the life and work of …

This episode is marked mature. In this episode, we take a look at Japanese writing about the American bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed as many as 215,000 people in August 1945. We’ll start with the history of the atomic bomb, its use, and its effects on the hibakusha who survived. Then we’ll take a look at atomic bomb literature itsel…

In this episode, we take a look at the history of Koreans writing in Japan. We’ll start with the history of Koreans in Japan, including anti-Korean prejudice before and after WWII. We’ll move on to Zainichi Korean writing. And we’ll finish with a look at Kazuki Kaneshiro’s Go, translated into English by Takami Nieda. Notes and sources on the episod…

In part three of this episode, we’ll finish our story of Japanese apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. First, stories from the mid-90s and 20-aughts. Then, stories from after the March 2011 Triple Disasters. We’ll end with a look at the life and work of author Yoko Tawada who has written several apocalyptic stories, including one of the most importan…

In part two of this three part episode, we're looking at the apocalyptic and dystopian fiction of Japan. We'll begin with the evolution of the idea of "the end of the world" in Japan, especially after Japan started importing American and European science fiction. We'll move on to Japanese apocalyptic stories, especially between 1945 and the 1970s a…

In part one of this three part episode, we're looking at apocalyptic and dystopian fiction as genres. Their origins in Western and Central Asia. Their evolution in Western Europe. And a history of English-language apocalyptic and dystopian storytelling that will provide us with context and a basis for comparison when we turn to Japanese stories in …

In part two of this two-part episode on misogyny in Japanese literature, we're talking about the life and work of Yukio Mishima, especially by way of his I-Novel, Confessions of a Mask. Check out part one for 400 years of attitudes about women in Japan Woman in modern Japanese literature, especially in the work of some of its most important writers…

In part one of this two-part episode, we're talking about misogyny in Japanese literature. 400 years of attitudes about women in Japan Woman in modern Japanese literature, especially in the work of some of its most important writers Check out part two (coming soon) for the life and work of Yukio Mishima, especially by way of his I-Novel, Confession…

There is no one quite like Kenji Miyazawa. Born into wealth, he longed to be “a real peasant”. One of Japan’s most influential children’s writers, he sold only one story during his lifetime. Read Japanese Literature takes a look at Miyazawa's colorful biography through three of his beloved stories. Miyazawa produced the artwork for this episode. It…

To celebrate the overseas release of The Boy and the Heron (aka How Do You Live?) RJL delves into the stories that inspire animator Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, especially Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Howl’s Moving Castle My Neighbor Totoro We’ll end with a deep dive into Kiki’s Delivery Service—the Ghibli film and the novel by Eiko Kada…

In this episode, we're talking about one of the most important voices in modern Japanese literature, Haruki Murakami. His biography Why so many people have such strong feelings about his writing And his short story "TV People" We'll end with what I like best about this much loved (and much hated) author. Notes and sources on the episode page. Let R…

In this episode, we're talking about Japanese children's literature. The history of children’s literature in general The history of children’s literature in Japan And Sachiko Kashiwaba and Temple Alley Summer—a story that is about Japanese children’s literature (at least a little bit!) Notes and sources on the episode page. Let RJL know what you th…

How does a book make it from the mind of a Japanese author into the hands of an English-language reader? In part 2 of this 2-part episode, we'll tackle the question, “How do Japanese books get translated into English?" What kinds of choices do translators make when they present a Japanese-language text to English-language readers? We're still looki…

How does a book make it from the mind of a Japanese author into the hands of an English-language reader? In part 1 of this 2-part episode, we'll tackle the question, “Why do some Japanese books get translated into English?" How do publishers decide what gets translated? How do they decide what doesn’t get translated. And we'll take a look at Minae …

In this episode, we’re talking about Japanese science fiction. The history of the genre. SF in Japan. Breakthrough feminist sci-fi writer Izumi Suzuki. Plus loads of SF stories, including Suzuki’s “Night Picnic”. CW: suicide Transcript, notes and sources at the podcast episode page. Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if yo…

This episode is marked mature. In this episode, we're talking about writing from Okinawa. The history of the Ryukyu Islands, especially the Battle of Okinawa. The evolution of writing from Okinawa. And the life life and work of author and activist Shun Medoruma, especially his Akutagawa-winning story "Droplets". CW: war, forced suicide (historical)…

On March 11, 2011, at 2:46pm, one tectonic plate forced its way on top of another 45 miles (or 72 km) off the Eastern coast of Japan. It caused a 9.0 magnitude megathrust earthquake that lasted about six minutes. The Great East Japan Earthquake triggered a tsunami—a great wave—that may have reached heights up to 133 feet (more than 40 meters). The …

This episode is marked mature. Today we'll explore two trends in contemporary Japanese fiction: Protagonists who don’t want to have sex And women who want to have babies anyway. To take a closer look at these trends, we’re going to ask a couple of questions about contemporary Japan: What is “celibacy syndrome”? Does it even exist? What role does mo…

The Akutagawa Prize is probably Japan’s most celebrated literary award. To better understand the Akutagawa Prize and its place in modern Japanese literature, we’ll start with an introduction to the history of “literary” fiction in Japan. Then we’ll move on to the history of the Akutagawa Prize itself, from its creation in 1935 through its most rece…

Magical realism is a literary genre famous for unexplained fantastical encounters that pop-up in the otherwise everyday world. Today, we’re going to take a look at magical realism in Japanese fiction. We’ll start with defining magical realism, including a look at why that term is difficult and why some people think of it as controversial. Then we’l…

Today, we’re going to look at cats in Japanese literature. We’ll start with the history of cats in Japan. We’ll move on to cats in Japanese folklore and fiction, including the work of Haruki Murakami. And finally we’ll end with a discussion of our readers' choice, “The Town of Cats” by Sakutaro Hagiwara. Notes and sources at the podcast episode web…

In this episode… Is she a man-eating crone? Is she a lonely wanderer? Or is she a sensual matriarch? However you define her, she’s the yama-uba—Japan’s legendary mountain witch. Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Donate to RJL's Patreon. Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.) Please note…

In this episode… Post-bubble Japan. The history of socially-conscious Japanese literature. And Yu Miri’s Tokyo Ueno Station, a powerful examination of Tokyo by one of the most invisible people imaginable—the ghost of a homeless day laborer. Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Donate to RJL's Patreon. Let RJL know what you think! (Cont…

In all our episodes so far, we’ve talked almost exclusively about what Japanese literature looks like in Japan. But we’re English-speakers and English-readers on an English-language podcast about Japanese literature in English. In honor of Women in Translation Month, we’re talking about why there is such a wealth of contemporary books by Japanese w…

In this episode, we’re talking about Japan’s bubble economy of the 1980s and the work of Banana Yoshimoto. Runaway consumer spending. Everything kawaii. A Nobel laureate’s contempt. And a young author whose career challenged the publishings powers that be. Content warning: This episode addresses transphobia as well as hate crimes against Asian Amer…

Today, we’re talking about the literature of change in the 1960s—how writers took on questions about what it meant to be Japanese in the post-war era and what was the continuing role of Japanese tradition. We’re looking especially at Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe. *This episode incorrectly states that Kenzaburo Oe was born in 1925. He was born in …

Today we’re talking about the 1930s and 40s in Japan—fascism, World War Two, and the American Occupation. In particular, how did 20 years of censorship shape Japanese literature? We're also taking a look at the life and work of Akiyuki Nosaka, whose novella, "Grave of the Fireflies" inspired the classic anime film. We'll discuss his short story, "T…

Today, we’re talking about the I-Novel—the highest form of literature in Japan in the 1910s and 20s. It’s a genre one American scholar describes as “perhaps the most striking feature of modern Japanese literature.” And it’s a genre Haruki Murakami claims to have an allergy to. We’ll also be looking at the life and work of Osamu Dazai and asking, “W…

The father of the Japanese short story shares his dark vision about what it means to be an artist. We’re taking a look at Japan in the 1910s and 1920s, the era of the Taishō Democracy and the heyday of Japan’s literary magazines and serial novels. Content warning: This episode addresses addiction, suicide, and sexual assault. Notes and sources at t…

Last episode, we talked about the coming of the West and the way it impacted Japanese literature. This time we’re talking about women as they take up a prominent position in the story of Japanese literature for the first time in almost 1000 years. Special focus on Ichiyō Higuchi and her best-beloved story "Takekurabe". Please note that this episode…

In this episode, we’re looking at the Meiji Era of Japanese history and its literature. The shogunate is replaced. Japan looks outward to the West and inward toward itself. And a man named Natsume Sōseki chronicles it all from the perspective of a stray cat. Notes and sources are available on the podcast episode webpage. Let RJL know what you think…

In this episode, we’ll be talking about Ueda Akinari and his Tales of Moonlight and Rain, some of the most influential Japanese ghost stories ever written. - A raging intellectual debate - A supernatural party game - And a friend just dying to keep his promises For notes, links to the suggested reading, and an illustration of Okiku, please visit th…

How does “this fleeting world” transform from a Buddhist precept to a name for the red-light district? What did reading look like in early Modern Japan? And how many dildos does a man need to pack for a trip to the Island of Women? For notes, links to the suggested reading, and an illustration of sailing to the Island of Women, please visit the epi…

Enjoy the story of a vengeful would-be lover who turns into a 40-foot snake, a sharp-witted woman with criticisms of her husband’s equipment, and a curmudgeonly Buddhist priest who learns to love poetry. In this episode, we’re talking about setsuwa—medieval Japanese anecdotes. Many of them originate as Buddhist preaching, so we’ll also take a look …

We're talking about two central genres of Medieval Japanese literature—the warrior ballad and Noh drama. We’ll see two characters from The Tale of the Heike again, including the valiant female warrior Tomoe. This time, she's a mournful ghost. https://readjapaneseliterature.com/2021/12/22/episode-4-yoshitsune-ballads-and-tomoe-drama/ Let RJL know wh…

The great samurai epic and the rise of the samurai class. Visit this episode's webpage for information on buying the book and resources for further reading. Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.) Please note that text messages are for feedback only. RJL can't respond directly. Get in touch at www.readj…

The world's oldest novel. A hero who is a paragon of beauty with an extreme Oedipus complex. (CW: sex, rape, incest, pedophilia.) Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.) Please note that text messages are for feedback only. RJL can't respond directly. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Supp…

Gods having sex, founding of the imperial dynasty, and some of the origins of WWII. Plus thoughts on the role of women in early Japanese history. Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.) Please note that text messages are for feedback only. RJL can't respond directly. Get in touch at www.readjapaneselite…