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japanese book recommendations

japanese literature is one of the reasons i absolutely adore the language and the culture. it’s unique, different from anything i’ve seen in literature from other parts of the world. during the years of learning japanese i’ve discovered many authors and books that are now my favourite, so i thought i’d share them with you! they can become great help while studying japanese, but you definitely should read them for fun first - it’s worth it, believe me.

i’m gonna include romaji, in case someone who doesn’t speak japanese wanted to read these!

dazai osamu - ningen shikkaku (太宰治・人間失格) (english title: no longer human)

this novel is considered one of the masterpieces of contemporary literature in japan. it’s taught at school, adapted to mangas and films and anime series, reissued up to this day despite it being first published in 1948. the book follows a man who feels like he is losing his ability to be human. it’s a timeless story, but also very sad and engulfing the readers in hopelessness. don’t read if you hate emotional rollercoasters.

natsume souseki - kokoro (夏目漱石・こころ)

natsume is another of the most respected japanese writers, this novel considered his masterpiece. during a trip, the protagonist meets someone he calls sensei - someone he deeply admires and looks up to. however, sensei is more mysterious than it seems. though the plot is quite simple and spoiling it in any way would be ruining your fun, it’s definitely worth reading. the author conveyed the feelings of admiration, loss, guilt, shame, as well as described developing friendship between the two men.

yumeno kyuusaku - dogra magra (夢野久作・ドグラマグラ)

the japanese say that whoever finishes this novel will surely go mad. i can’t deny; when reading it for the first time i stopped halfway because it’s very long and difficult. i still want to go back and read it properly though. it’s a very creepy and disturbing story about a man who wakes up in a mental hospital, not remembering who he is, why he’s there and what he has to do with the woman who keeps calling him from behind the wall. since this novel has no english or even european language translation (only a french one, to my knowledge) reading it would be big challenge. it contains a lot of medical vocabulary related to psychiatry and mental illnesses. recommended to horror fans.

yoshimoto banana - kitchen (吉本ばなな・キッチン)

this novel is quite short and fairly easy to read. it’s often described as a shoujo manga without pictures. it tells a story of a young woman who loses her last family member and suddenly finds herself lost in the adult world. luckily, she gets the chance to live with her acquaintance and his mother. the mother is actually a father, but it doesn’t stop them all to live together like a family. this book is very calm and melancholic, devoid of swift action, focused more on the feelings of the characters. it’s full of coziness and descriptions of food. read when it’s dark outside.

sakurazaka hiroshi - all you need is kill (桜坂洋・all you need is kill)

now this book might seem like it doesn’t fit in this list, which is full of classics and serious books. it’s a light novel, made solely for entertainment. it even got a hollywood adaptation starring tom cruise (which isn’t very good, mind you). what i love about this novel, though, is its simplicity in telling the story. the hero, a soldier, gets trapped in a time loop which feels like a nightmare but also allows him to master his fighting skills. the narrations follows his witty thoughts, which is very entertaining. despite it being simple, the novel is touching and gripping, it also has a fairly simple language to read it in japanese.

that sums up my top 5 japanese books list. if you have any recommendations of your own, don’t hesitate to add them here, since i’m always looking for new books to read!

頑張りましょう！

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bjshbhsd

5 years ago