The Sheltering Rain HANMURA Ryō translated by Jim Hubbert A diverse cross-section of Japan passes through the bar Lui, and the bartender tends to them all, with all their hopes and their fears. Underneath the black suits—whether crumpled or designer—and the cosmetics, they’re all people on the way to somewhere else in Tokyo’s glittering boom […]

Kthulhu Reich ASAMATSU Ken translated by Jim Rion World War II was a world-spanning conflict that engulfed dozens of countries, a maelstrom that dragged nations and religions and millions of people to their deaths. But it was fought with more than merely guns and machines… Even before the War was begun in earnest, Nazi Germany […]

Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets: Selected Poems ŌOKA Makoto translated by Janine Beichman One of the most important poets of contemporary Japan, Makoto Ōoka’s works continue to resonate powerfully among readers today. He speaks to the spirit, not of Japan and the Japanese, but of humanity, and of the world we are a […]

When I Was a Wolf Outlaw Takes on Fables and Fairy Tales TERAYAMA Shūji translated by Elizabeth L. Armstrong First published in 1982, this delightful collection of essays and rewrites reinterprets, from a nonconformist perspective, such well-known and canonical Western stories as Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Mother Goose stories, and Aesop’s fables. Like Angela Carter’s The […]

Into A Black Sun KAIKO Takeshi translated by Cecilia Segawa Seigle Recognized as the author’s finest work, Into A Black Sun blurs the line between literature and journalism, drawing on his experiences as a war correspondent in Vietnam to present an immersive depiction of the war. This is not a combat novel, but rather an […]

Bullseye! TSUTSUI Yasutaka translated by Andrew Driver A new collection of stories by Tsutsui Yasutaka, famed in Japan and worldwide for his darkly humorous, satirical handling of a vast range of themes central to the human condition. Although often criticized for his treatment of “taboo” subjects such as disabilities, the Emperor, and old age, he […]

Speculative Japan 4: “Pearls for Mia” and Other Tales The fourth book of our well-received Speculative Japan series introduces new talents from Japan, and fresh new stories by some of the outstanding authors we’ve introduced to the English-speaking world already. From deep in the mountains of the Japanese countryside to the plains of frigid Pluto, […]

Mr. Turtle KITANO Yusaku translated by Tyran Grillo In a world of humans, what’s a cyborg turtle to do? It’s a fair question in the bizarre, compelling story of Mr. Turtle. Yusaku Kitano’s science fiction masterpiece, originally published under the eponymous title Kame-kun, renews the visionary integrity that won it the Nihon SF Taisho (Japan’s […]

Tokyo Decadence: 15 Stories by Murakami Ryu translated by Ralph McCarthy A cream-of-the-crop selection of Murakami’s brilliance and piercing wit. This collection shows sides of Ryu Murakami that even avid fans may not be expecting. The intriguing, somewhat disturbing stories that Topaz was based on are included here, as are three entertaining and revealing portraits […]

Long Belts and Thin Men: The Postwar Stories of Kojima Nobuo translated by Lawrence Rogers Kojima Nobuo is best-known in English for his outstanding novella, “Amerikan sukuuru” (1954, “The American School”), which earned the Akutagawa Prize that year. Strongly affected by World War II and the postwar era, his style evolved into a powerful, often […]