Anybody read Japanese books?

[foxy49]

Anybody here read Japanese books (in Japanese)?. What's the latest book you've read?.
I've always been a reader but there're many famouse Japanese novels I haven't read yet. I finally read 青春の門 (gate to youth) by Itsuki Hiroyuki and Ioved it. I also read an award winning modern novel 蛇にピアス by kanehara Hitomi. SHe wrote and won an award when she was only 19. It was a very interesting novel. Very different.
Also loved あかね空 by Yamamoto Ichiriki (won a Naoki award). I learned a lot about the every day lives of ordinary citizens during the Edo period. Highly recommended.
What's your favorite Japanese novel?


foxy49

[sosa]

I have a pretty big collection of Japanese books (used to scour the hundred yen bargains at Book Off every week) but I've only actually read a few of them. I've read some of Haruki Murakami's novels in the original Japanese, his writing style is very easy to read (especially for someone whose native tongue isn't Japanese). I like reading historical novels, but they are a hell of a lot more difficult because of the vocabulary and language used. Shiba Ryoutaro's "Kaze no Bushi" is the only one I've actually tried cover to cover.

I've also read some of Natsume Soseki and Akutagawa's short stories. But since I've moved back to Canada I haven't been reading stuff in Japanese much.

[Monty Cristo]

I'm a big fan of post-war literature (i.e. early Oe Kenzaburo, etc.). I do read Murakami Haruki as well and have started what I think will become a post-modern trend in my reading. I first got into Japanese literature with Hoshi Shinichi and the existential writing Abe Kobo.

The other day I was at the 7-11 and couldn't resist picking up a copy of 雑学の大学 from the shelf. After reading about half of it in the store I decided to splurge and spend the 500 to have it for my own!

[scotty7]

not up to reading the originals yet, but I loved Woman in the Dunes, by Abe Kobo, as well as the film version... any particular Murakami book you would recommend?

[godzillagaijin]

His collection of interviews from survivors of the Tokyo Sarin Attack is infuriating at best. Really captures whats wrong with this place.

The Japanese populace will remain blind until each and every eye is violently plucked from their heads.

[terrycooke]

yeah, I read that book as well (the Japanese version). Really opens this society up; shows you how passive and frankly dumb most of 'em are. They're getting what they deserve in terms of governance and wide-scale corruption.

[foxy49]

I've never read Murakami's novels. I heard his stories are quite weired but I am interested in reading his 東京サリン事件.
Monty Cristo, what's 雑学の大学 about?.If you like post-war novels you'd enjoy 青春の門 by 五木寛之 (Itsuki Hiroyuki). It comes in series of 5 books. Not that hard to read.

foxy49

[mehvesh]

I am reading a book called オトナ語 at the moment and it is really fun. It is also easy to read. It talks about the expressions that オトナs use everyday especially at work and this makes you smile thinking the situations at work.

A japanese friend of mine recommended Murakami Haruki's books also, so I am going to read them as soon as I finish the book I am reading. There are lots of interesting Japanese books out there but it just takes so much time to chose at the bookstores.

[Monty Cristo]

I've never read Murakami's novels. I heard his stories are quite weired but I am interested in reading his 東京サリン事件.
Monty Cristo, what's 雑学の大学 about?.If you like post-war novels you'd enjoy 青春の門 by 五木寛之 (Itsuki Hiroyuki). It comes in series of 5 books. Not that hard to read.

foxy49

雑学の大学is a collection of interesting tidbits put into categories like the colleges at a university. Surprising factoids in literature, history, economics, politics, law, psychology, the list goes on.

For example, Natsume Soseki actually hated cats but ended up adopting a stray cat that came to live with him which he ended up naming it "cat."

[foxy49]

I found a great short story call "ザ スパイ in the 団地”.
It'a hilarious story about an incompetent, dasai next door oyaji hired by C.I.A to spy on Uyoku,Red Army and North Korean spies. He love the job and is very good at it. It's so funny.......I love it!!

[eku]

your mailbox is full yo
do some souji

[foxy49]

Alright eku, I did souji.

[eku]

sankyu foxy ...
i think GP should put some kind of warning system that your inbox is gonna explode or something...

[jackalexander88]

I'd like to read more in Japanese, but don't have the ability or confidence to plunge into full length novels. 2-3 pages of Japanese and I'm ready for a rest. A couple of books I was able to read and enjoy were

The Sheep Man's Christmas (Haruki Murakami)
ダアリンは外国人　(小栗さおり）

Can anyone recommend any more easy to read books?

Jack

[Booker]

I'd like to read more in Japanese, but don't have the ability or confidence to plunge into full length novels. 2-3 pages of Japanese and I'm ready for a rest. A couple of books I was able to read and enjoy were

The Sheep Man's Christmas (Haruki Murakami)
ダアリンは外国人　(小栗さおり）

Can anyone recommend any more easy to read books?

Jack

murakami ryu's *in the miso soup* (in za miso su-pu) is quite nice and not too difficult. it's about a gaijin murderer in japan. isn't that nice...

[DenshaDeGO]

「砂の女」that was a great movie! Really depressing, but very interesting. I've never read the novel, but I'd like to.

I like reading books from WWII, things like pilots stories, sailor stories, and things like that. I get looks from people on the train though, so I stopped reading them. They're also very difficult to read, with lots of kanji not really used anymore. Like 豆電球 and 醫者 and others that won't appear on any tests.

The last one I read was 「零戦の運命」.

[Monty Cristo]

「桜島」is a good account of the last few days of the war written by an existential young officer working at the airbase in Kagoshima that was a stationing point for the kamikaze. The interplay between the realist viewpoint of losing the war and the outward nationalistic blustering of "We can't not win" even while quietly knowing defeat was imminent is very interesting. Can't think of the author off the top of my head...

[DenshaDeGO]

dunno if I'd be able to read an existentialist book in English, much less Japanese. I'll keep an eye out for the book the next time I'm in a book store, though.

[kurogane]

dunno if I'd be able to read an existentialist book in English, much less Japanese.

It's actually quite easy. You simply have to decide that it is your decision to read the book, no one can make you or prevent you, and in the end, your decision to read the book or to not read the book is irrelevent to the greater scheme of things, but still holds significant personal significance for your own existence.
As long as you know that, you don't even have to read it, really.
Mind you, if it's well written, there are worse ways to spend your time..............

Like worrying about your position on the Gaijinpot post count hierarchy......................

[Monty Cristo]

Mind you, if it's well written, there are worse ways to spend your time..............

Like worrying about your position on the Gaijinpot post count hierarchy......................

And there I was thinking that hell is other people...

[DenshaDeGO]

Like worrying about your position on the Gaijinpot post count hierarchy......................

Are you worried that I'll over-take you?

Okay so you're reading a book and you start coming up against words you don't know. What do you do? Do you look them all up? Only some of them? Even if it interrupts your reading?

[scotty7]

not Japanese, tho there is, of course, a link... just finished reading Norman Mailer's The Naked And The Dead... it's been a while since a book had such an impact on me... old news for many, I suspect...

[SSDD]

u guys read so many japanese books..
im surprised aye..
or because i dont read much books lol
but i say good on ya!!

i better practice my japanese and english here...haha

[Gone Asiatic]

I read "Yamato No Saigo", but it was an English translation. A very good read, and one you might consider based on the recent box-office movie hit about Yamato.