A great japanese non-fiction book I would recommend is “In Praise of Shadows” by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. Written in the 1930s about Japanese aesthetics and culture in comparison to western aesthetics
What an exciting collection of books! Watching your channel has really broadened my sense of classic literature, so thank you. I Am A Cat sounds particularly interesting; I love the idea of examining society from such an unconventional perspective. Lovely video, as always!❤️✨
Dandelions, Toddler Hunting and Other Stories, and Masks sound really interesting. also, it's great that you mention the translators every time! they're still underappreciated
Can I just say thank you so much for adding your own subtitles to your videos recently! It's really helpful, especially for book titles and authors since the auto-generated ones aren't always accurate and my hearing impairment doesn't help whatsoever ahaha
love this haul! i recently finished Kokoro and was absolutely blown away by it and ever since then, I've decided to collect all of his works. So, it's great seeing someone else who felt like that 😭
FINALLY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS MASKS!!! I cannot stress enough how much I loved the book!! Fumiko Enchi is my favourite Japanese author like wow!! terroritory of light is also such a beautiful read, though I have to say I found reading Dandelions really tedious; it was a lot of dialogue and I feel like it didn't really go anywhere?
I’m always so happy to hear about classics from around the world that I have never heard of, thank you so much for the treasure trove of books you bring to my attention!🤗🤗🤗
Botchan was the first Soseki book I read and I *really* liked it. Japanese literature (and, indeed, Asian literature in general) is a bit of a blank spot for me, I need to get a lot better acquainted with it.
for a korean novel read, no one writes back. a wonderful novel. recently i read it for a video essay on korean literature. as for japan, i think the books suggested in this video is great, but also any book by murakami. recently i read the convenience store woman. it's great.
Hey Seji. Really enjoyed your book haul in this video. I used to live in Matsuyama, where Bothchan is set. I live about 40kms north of there now. Yes, "I am a Cat" is wonderful. My friend has a guinea pig named Botchan. Keep it up.
Your videos are always so refreshing! Sometimes it feels like I'm hearing everyone talk about the same few books but you always talk about books I've never heard of!❤️❤️
Oh man I came here right after having watched the Night on the Galactic Railroad and I liked the animation film so much. Now I need to get the book. This is actually the first video of yours I was lucky enough to run into wow. Subscribing immediately
Oh, "No Longer Human" has been on my tbr for a while now, maybe this will finally make me read this book. Also, I really want to read "Dandelions" and "Frolic Of The Beasts". Thank you for introducing them!
Ahh I love seeing your videos pop up on my feed!!! Your so inspiring to watch and I love your thoughts on everything. Also the outfit showing off you do before is so nice like I love your clothes :)
A lot of these sound pretty good. I've read Night on the Galactic Railroad. I really liked it. The movie version adds some odd extras, but gets the feeling/vibe right all along the way. That said, I've read "I am a Cat" (mentioned in the Botchan section) and hated it. If you think it's about cat antics, it's not. It's mostly a bunch of men talking, as I recall. Not for cat lovers like myself.
Why have I not heard of your channel before today?! Such a good video. Now, I'm off to your main channel to binge watch more of your videos. Toodle pip! :)
I am currently obsessed with Japanese literature. I read The Territory of Light a couple of years ago and it has stuck with me. It was such a beautiful story. I'm reading The Memory Police at the moment and I can't wait to read more amazing books. Thanks for a great video. xx
This video came at the perfect time for me! I recently realized I had read nothing from the Japanese canon, and was searching for some good places to start. I will take all these books you mentioned to heart, especially since you emphasized woman authors, and that’s always something I like to focus on. Thank you!
I can’t wait to see your reviews on these. 😍 My partner is obsessed w Pewdiepie who happens to be a fan of Japanese literature, so we’ve actually been meaning to buddy read a Japanese classic!
Thank you for the video. All of these books sound quite moving. In particular, Dandelions, The Frolic of Beasts, and Toddler Hunters and Other Stories caught my interest. Perhaps also In the Shade of Spring Leaves. I'm not a huge fan of biographies as I find they can be quite dry, especially compared to autobiographies or memoirs, but the inclusion of her diary entries and short stories makes it seem like it would be quite good.
I have to say thank you for the storygraph recommendation. That site is fantastic and I’m completely obsessed with it. So much better than goodreads and it’s not even out of beta yet. I imported my library from goodreads, and I’m getting better recommendations than I ever got from there.
Botchan has been on my TBR for a good while now, but I want to read more Japanese classics, so this video was a great list of "recommendations" for me. Thank you!
The frolics of the beasts sounds like it might share some themes with the Sedish classic "Doctor Glas" by Hjalmar Söderberg, which has a similar love triangle. It has one of my favourite quotes: “People want to be loved; failing that admired; failing that feared; failing that hated and despised. They want to evoke some sort of sentiment. The soul shudders before oblivion and seeks connection at any price.”
Awesome video! Yukio Mishima is one of my favorite authors, if you haven’t already I definitely recommend his books in the Sea of Fertility saga. Spring Snow stays as one of the most visceral reads I have experienced!
I hope you have a better time with Dandelions than I did. I read it last month and hated it and found it depressingly boring. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Japanese literature but I'm not a fan of Kawabata and Dandelions was a real sleeper. Territory of Light is an excellent look at single mothers in Japan but this books is excellent in portraying how being a single mother doesn't make you a saint. You mentioned that Tsushima is Dazai's daughter but you'd be interested to know that Tsushima's own daughter is currently a nominee for a literary prize as well. It runs in the family! Fumiko Enchi is an excellent author. Her The Waiting Years was also lovely.
This video is in good timing. I was looking into classic Japanese literature just a few days ago. I have "I am a Cat" and I'm on my library's waiting list for "Memory Police" (4.5 month waiting period 😭). Thanks for recommendations.
Wow, haven’t heard some of these mentioned since my Japanese Literature classes. 😍 Mishima-sensei’s work is always worth the time. If you can get access to the Noh play that inspired it (Motomezuka), it adds new levels to the reading. My favorite of Mishima’s work is The Sound of the Waves. I’m looking forward to your reviews of these books.
If you haven't yet, you should read The Pillow Book. It was written by Sei Shonagan (I think that's how to spell it. It's been a while since a read the book) and she's very cool and interesting.
botchan is my favourite from soseki. the izu dancer is a great short story, along with Akutagawa's in the grove. i am so glad i found your channel. i make similar videos, so if you have time check them out.
Oh, what an interesting haul! I'm not sure if I'll read some of these books, but you make me curious about them with the way you introduce them! So I'm looking forward to possible reviews :) I think I see if there are German translations available, this might help with narrowing down the list of potential reads, it's always easier to read classics in one's first language :'D
Funny enough tons of Japanese classics are translated to German (often before they are in English) so I'm pretty sure all of these have German translations as well :)
i'm reading a murakami novel right now which always gets me in the mood to read more japanese literature, so this video could not have come at a better time for me :D thank you for the interesting recs! i think i'll try and pick up I Am a Cat next 👀
Definitely want to read more from Yukio Mishima. His earlier novel, The Sound of Waves, is one of my favorites! A lot of these authors are on my radar and I will be checking out your reviews in the future 😊 ~Laura
I have been on a no-buy for August. I had "eyes bigger than my stomach" as my Mom would say in July. But I just finished a couple of recs that I got from you! I read Iola Leroy and Passing and really enjoyed both of those. Passing got me with a surprise ending. :) I want to read "I Am a Cat!" That sounds cool. Do you have any pets, Seji? I already have Rashomon on my list thanks to another of your videos.
So many great books and that jumpsuit is adorable! I kind of want it all, haha. I need to get to Botchan since I've owned it for waaaay too long. I so want to read I am a Cat as well! I'm excited to hear your thoughts on all of these.
I LOVE Fumiko Enchi. The Waiting Years is my favorite. I read a few short stories by Taeko Kono for my Modern Japanese Literature course at university which were also great. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on them once you get to them :)
@@TheMightyBluPepper If you want a Japanese book that deals with an illness like this one I suggest Kenzaburo Oe's A Personal Matter. It is about Bird, who has just become the father to his first child whom he discovers has a mental deficiency that means he will be handicapped his entire life. The doctor suggests that the child be left to die and the book is about the father's reaction to these circumstances. It's a tough book that deals with the side of human nature that exists but no one wants to admit to having those kind of emotions/thoughts. It's an almost vulgar book but it's wonderfully crafted. If this doesn't sound interesting to you tell me what kind of Japanese book you'd like to read and I'm sure I can recommend something else more along what you are looking for.
Have you been to Japan? It used to be easy to get a job there teaching English. If you haven't and you can get a gig I'd highly recommend doing so. It's wonderful. I was in Hokkaido, which is in a way of speaking, a medieval place in parts yet. I mean there are, or were in 2001, still people there living an agrarian lifestyle, not many but some. Whether by choice or heredity I did not learn. I was there only three months. Many times, I have wished that I'd remained in Japan . . . . Please excuse me, I hope you do not think it too obnoxious, it seems I am full of recommendations today. When you said you were getting into love triangles, I had to think of Nabokov. One might make the claim that love triangles were his specialty: Lolita, most famously, of course, but the triangle design is washed over by the outrageous crime which is the central grotesque. Two which come blazing into mind are the searingly entertaining and monstrous "Laughter in the Dark", and the robotically Teutonic masterpiece "King, Queen, Knave", both of which were from his early Russian period. I believe that both were written while he lived in Berlin. I love talking books!
"A little under 150 pages, so nothing you can't finish in a single sitting" wow I really must have ADD like they diagnosed me... I thought they were kidding ._. it takes me a couple days to read that much and I'm an English major xD
Oh I loved Kokoko, it was such an insightful read. I think you’d like I am a Cat, it’s so funny! (I know it’s satire, but still!) I’m pretty sure the cat spent like 3 pages making fun of a poor woman’s face😂
Have you ever read As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams? It's written by a Japanese woman from olden times and is a travel journal. It's been on my to-read list for a while.
Thanks for the video, Seji! I have had my eye on The Master of Go by Kawabata for some time now, so it'll be interesting to hear about his other works from you. I also have a request - I have lately become interested in Korean culture. Could you recommend some Korean classics if you have read any? Thanks!
I looove these books and your interest in Japanese literature! Excuse me if I'm behind, but have you read Hiromi Kawakami? Record of a Night Too Brief is one of my favorite books, it's very short but it has the same magical realism and dream-like setting as it sounds like Dandelions and The Memory Police do (haven't read either but I want to!)
I've got Botchan on my wishlist for my Christmas book haul so this makes me happy ✌🏽 BTW have you watched the live action of Nigen Shikkaku? It's a noir-like telling of Dazai's life.
These all seem very interesting! I think I would prefer to improve my Japanese enough to get copies from Kinokuniya in Japanese and slowly improve my reading comprehension (speech has always been easier for me). Have you ever heard of the book Sayonara, Gangsters? It was the first translated Japanese novel I read. It's a BONKERS thriller.
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