Literature

‘My Pointless Struggle’ by Yohei Kitazato - Metropolis Japan

‘My Pointless Struggle’ by Yohei Kitazato

The secret to success in Japan’s cut-throat business world? Being as selfish as possible

The Aftershocks of Trauma - Metropolis Japan

The Aftershocks of Trauma

A collection of short stories about Japan’s largest earthquake disasters

Japan’s Lost Tradition of Wild Food - Metropolis Japan

Japan’s Lost Tradition of Wild Food

'Eating Wild Japan' tracks the culture of foraged foods with a guide to plants and recipes

Studio Ghibli on the Page - Metropolis Japan

Studio Ghibli on the Page

The best books of Hayao Miyazaki’s Ghibli universe

2021: What is the Future of Japanese Literature? - Metropolis Japan

2021: What is the Future of Japanese Literature?

With Japanese literature in translation finally breaching feminist frontiers, what’s next?

5 (Translated) Japanese Novels to Read in 2021 - Metropolis Japan

5 (Translated) Japanese Novels to Read in 2021

New works by Mieko Kawakami, Haruki Murakami and more

Fresh Ink: ‘Tales of the Zashiki Children’ by Kenji Miyazawa - Metropolis Japan

Fresh Ink: ‘Tales of the Zashiki Children’ by Kenji Miyazawa

The English-language debut of a prolific Japanese writer

Scientific Literature About an Unscientific World - Metropolis Japan

Scientific Literature About an Unscientific World

Kanji Hanawa divulges society’s absurdity in two translated novellas

‘The Hole’ by Hiroko Oyamada - Metropolis Japan

‘The Hole’ by Hiroko Oyamada

David Boyd translates Oyamada's surreal novel of transformation and isolation

Atomic Trauma and Family Albums – 75 Years Later - Metropolis Japan

Atomic Trauma and Family Albums – 75 Years Later

Kazu Sashida's crucial book sheds light on the horrors of Hiroshima

Comedy is Tragic in ‘Spark’ - Metropolis Japan

Comedy is Tragic in ‘Spark’

A review of manzai star Naoki Matayoshi’s translated novel

The Resurgence of a Japanese Literary Master - Metropolis Japan

The Resurgence of a Japanese Literary Master

Fifty years after his death, Yukio Mishima is reemerging in translation

Talking With the Only Gaijin in the Village - Metropolis Japan

Talking With the Only Gaijin in the Village

Scotsman Iain Maloney on his new book about life in rural Japan

Your Summer Reading List - Metropolis Japan

Your Summer Reading List

Recommendations from Tokyo's literary scene

Breasts, Eggs and Existential Feminism - Metropolis Japan

Breasts, Eggs and Existential Feminism

Mieko Kawakami’s intimate portrait of womanhood in 'Breasts and Eggs'

Yoshitomo Nara: Beyond the Big-Headed Girls - Metropolis Japan

Yoshitomo Nara: Beyond the Big-Headed Girls

Yeewan Koon's new book traces Yoshitomo Nara's diverse career

The American Who Brought Ghibli to the World - Metropolis Japan

The American Who Brought Ghibli to the World

An interview with Steve Alpert, author of 'Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man'

Questioning Normalcy in the Age of the Pandemic - Metropolis Japan

Questioning Normalcy in the Age of the Pandemic

'Convenience Store Woman' author Sayaka Murata on breaking norms

Art/Cult and Commerce: Japanese Cinema Since 2000 - Metropolis Japan

Art/Cult and Commerce: Japanese Cinema Since 2000

A review of American film critic Mark Schilling's new book

The Titanic Literary Accomplishment of Yoko Ogawa - Metropolis Japan

The Titanic Literary Accomplishment of Yoko Ogawa

Power and metaphor in 'The Memory Police'

Mind the Gap - Metropolis Japan

Mind the Gap

The ongoing battle to translate Japan's leading literary women

After a Forty Year Career, the Architect Becomes a Philosopher - Metropolis Japan

After a Forty Year Career, the Architect Becomes a Philosopher

A review of Edward Suzuki's memoir: GOoD Design Philosophy

Yoko Tawada’s The Emissary - Metropolis Japan

Yoko Tawada’s The Emissary

Mutation and hope in a not-so-distant dystopian Tokyo

Across Space & Time: Translating ‘Night on the Galactic Railroad’ - Metropolis Japan

Across Space & Time: Translating ‘Night on the Galactic Railroad’

Kenji Miyazawa's untranslatable masterpiece