MY FAV BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN

---

GLIMPSES OF UNFAMILIAR JAPAN - Lafcadio Hearn - 1894

Lafcadio Hearn, half-Greek half-British free soul of the 19th Century, arrives in Yokohama, Japan, in 1890, as a journalist. Used to find the magic everywhere it is (from France to the West Indies and the USA), his eyes are getting big when he discovers poetic, enigmatic, delicate and sometimes rude Japan.

Lafcadio is my hero, my model, my maitre-a-penser. The greatest point about this book is that all the comments he made about his discoveries are still perfectly matching the impressions of today's visitor. As if industrialization, globalization and so on had never had the slighest effect on the very special emotion of being in Japan. Lafcadio, you rock. When I die, you're one of the ghosts I want to have an appointment with in the week.

---

THE GINGER TREE - Oswald Wynd - 1977

Young British Mary is sent to China to marry her fiance, sent in mission in the far East. Free-minded and curious about the world, she is way too interested in the Chinese people and their living condition for her time and finds herself in opposition with the European colonial spirit. Then, while married, she deeply falls in love with a Japanese officer - and gets pregnant of an illegitimate son. Rejected by her own society, she has to take refuge in Japan where many challenges are waiting for her. But strong and smart Mary can do it !!

What can I say ? Awwwww. A passionate romance between a Western lady and a Japanese hansome guy (Kentarooooo) ? I take it ! When I think that this story was created by a white male's brain, that's really amazing. Oswald, thumbs up, man. This novel is deep, poetic, definitely unique. A must-read for all the girls who fight to survive in Japan !

---

AMERICAN FUJI - Sara Backer - 2002

Gaby is an American lady who chose to cut herself from the world, being in Japan, for health-related reasons. She loves the country and its society even in its barbarian aspects, and most of all, she understands it. Ex-university teacher, fired for blury reasons, she works for a fantasy-funeral company. One day, she gets the call of a lost-in-translation American writor, Alex, whose son died in a car accident in Japan. He just has a few weeks to learn more about his death, and is desperate by the attitude of the Japanese around. The cultural gap is too heavy for his shoulders, and he's going to cling to Gaby as if she was a life preserver.

This author said "American Fuji is about alienation and forgiveness". The different visions of the two outsiders are both true and legitimate, and represent the mixed feelings of the alien-gajin in Japan. The mystery of the death of Alex's son becomes a real dramatic string in the story. And those fascinating protagonists... Oh please, read it, and then let's talk.

---

TOKYO - Mo Hayder - 2005

A neurotic young woman who calls herself "Grey" comes to Tokyo with an obsessional idea : finding a very old film related to the Nankin Massacre. The only person who ever saw it is an old Chinese teacher of Tokyo University. But some memories are buried too deep... Without money nor friends, she is going to survive in the gloomy area of backstreet-Takadanobaba. Little by little, the traumatic secrets of Grey find an echo in the big History. Individual destiny and collective memory sometimes interwine...

Welcome to a disturbing, sick, murky Tokyo ! The shadows of the past horrors - massacre, torture, cannibalism - are hiding in the spaces behind the buildings. You will be totally hypnotized by this suspens story.

---

 TOKYO SANPO & MANABE SHIMA - Florent Chavouet - 2009 & 2010

Frenchy Florent spends 3 months in Tokyo with his girlfriend, for the first time. He walks, he stops, he draws. Tokyo, or the neverending inspiration. A bit later, here he comes again, but this time he randomly picks up a small, insignificant, anonymous island : Manabe shima... that became the most famous piece of Japan for the French Japan-lovers !

With a very fresh sense of humour and an original second-degree looking on things, he pictures "the most beautiful of the ugly cities" like no one else could. Both Tokyo-addicts and newbies can spend a great time reading "Tokyo Sanpo". I almost prefer Manabe shima for it is a color-bright, joyful picture book, with the same ludic spirit than the first creation. Please come again Furo-san !

---

TALES OF THE OTORI - Lian Hearn - 2002

Ok guys, this one is just for fun. But a great fun. Imagine all the feudal Japanese myths and legends concentrated in one book : ploting clan lords, neverending honor warriors, ninja and ninja's magic, and so on. This is the story of young Takeo, adopted by the lord of Otori clan, trying to avenge the death of his noble adoptive father. On his way he meets the gorgeous Kaede, also caught into complicated clan wars. Adventure, romance, honor ; add a bit of mystery, and a few invented historic events on the way (the first giraffe on the Japanese ground...), and you're set.

Nothing in this novel is true. But who cares ? And just because the author wears the same family name than divine Lafcadio, it's worth reading it.

---

NI D'EVE NI D'ADAM - Amelie Nothomb - 2007

Impossible to make a list about my fav books about Japan without dropping the name of Amelie Nothomb. Actually, in many of her books, Japan has a central role to play; but in this one, there is also a Japanese romance. Invented-Amelie (the narrator) tells us about the time she was having a hard time working for a Japanese company (see "Stupeur et Tremblements") and was dating a shy and classy Japanese young man. Guess what, it didn't work. But it makes a wonderful story.

Heart-breaking. And hilarious at the same time, of course. Rinri is perfect: smart, galant, and sincerely in love with UFO-Amelie. But something is missing, something Japanese men refuse to give to a woman : the fusional experience, the connection of souls that we are craving for. And at a certain point, Amelie gets bored of her perfect - and cold - Japanese fiance. Touché.

(To be continued)