69 Contemporary Japanese Novels
There is nothing like snuggling up with a nice hot cup of Milo and good read as a way to relax during ones’ nights away from the bars and clubs of Roppongi, Kawabata and Ame-mura.
If you are in Japan, or are interested in this country you will probably want to read some of the delightful fiction produced on these isles. Top of your list would have to be Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto who offer deep and revealing perspectives on contemporary life in Japan. Ryu Murakami is a good place to start if you are looking for Japan’s darker side. For crime and detective fans, Seichi Matsumoto and Miyuki Miyabe will leave you turning pages till late into the night and for fans of horror fiction the eery works of Koji Suzuki will send a shiver down your spine.
Here is the list of 69 contemporary Japanese novels:
Haruki Murakami
1. Pinball, 1973
2. A Wild Sheep Chase
3. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
4. In a Norwegian Wood
5. Dance Dance Dance
6. South of the Border, West of the Sun
7. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
8. Sputnik Sweetheart
9. Kafka on the Shore
10. After Dark
11. The Elephant Vanishes
Banana Yoshimoto
12. Kitchen
13. Asleep
14. Goodbye Tsugumi
15. NP
16. Lizard
17. Amrita
18. Moonlight Shadow
19. Hardboiled & Hard Luck
Genichiro Takahashi
20. Sayonara Gangsters
Kenzo Kitakata
21. Ashes
22. Winter Sleep
23. The Cage
24. City of Refuge (forthcoming)
Taichi Yamada
25. Strangers
26. In Search of a Distant Voice
Kaori Ekuni
27. Twinkle Twinkle
Keigo Higashino
28. Naoko
29. Malice (forthcoming)
Mari Akasaka
30: Vibrator: A Novel
Natsuo Kirino
31. Out: A Novel
32. Grotesque
Miyuki Miyabe
33. The Devil’s Whisper
34. Brave Story
35. Shadow Family
36. Crossfire
37. All She was Worth
Mariko Hayashi
38. Green Green Grapes of Home
Akimitsu Takagi
39. The Informer
40. The Tattoo Murder Case (Soho Crime)
41. Honeymoon to Nowhere (Soho Crime)
42. No Patent on Murder
Randy Taguchi
43. Outlet
Seicho Matsumoto
44. Inspector Imanishi Investigates (Soho Crime)
45. Pro Bono
46. Points and Lines
Asa Nonami
47. The Hunter
48. Now You’re One of Us
Ami Sakurai
49. Innocent World
Seishi Yokomizo
50. The Inugamui Clan (Stone Bridge Fiction)
Yusuke Kishi
51. The Crimson Labyrinth
Hitomi Kanehara
52. Snakes and Earrings
Koji Suzuki
53. Birthday
54. Dark Water
55. Death and the Flower
56. Paradise
57. Ring: The Ring Trilogy – 1
58. Spiral: The Ring Trilogy – 2
59. Loop: The Ring Trilogy – 3
Kenzaburo Oe
60. Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
61. The Silent Cry
62. Somersault
63. The Changeling
64. A Quiet Life
Ryu Murakami
65. In the Miso Soup
66. Coin Locker Babies
67. A Paler Shade of Blue
68. Piercing
69. Sixty-Nine
The list is in no particular order, although I started with my favourite Japanese author Haruki Murakami and worked my way down to his namesake Ryu Murakami with his novel Sixty-Nine being a nice place to end a list of 69 Japanese contemporary novels. I would say I have read about half of the books on the list – and it was quite nice to find some new names while I was researching this list – Mari Akasaka and Hitomi Kanehara being two new finds I will have to track down.
I wonder if I missed any contemporary Japanese authors? Japan does have a huge publishing industry – and those authors who make it to translation into English are the cream of the crop. I left off authors such as Konno Abe, whose work, despite being post-modern in nature doesn’t fit into the realm of the contemporary.
This list was inspired by upstairsforthinking’s list of books from the Guardian’s List of Top 100 Books of All Time that he hasn’t read.
7 Comments, Comment or Ping
elliott
Amy Yamada. She was reasonably popular in the 1990s and has had works translated into English. Hitomi Kanehara, who you mentioned, lists her as one of her inspirations. Her work generally falls into the “romance” category, which I can’t say I really enjoy. Snakes & Earrings is worth a read but doesn’t quite measure up to the two Murakamis in my humble opinion. Of the list you have above, I like Haruki Murakami’s Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen best. Nice one. Will check out some of the others…
Oct 24th, 2007
Robin Guest
Yoko Ogawa (my fav Japanese author at the moment):
The Diving Pool (three novellas) and
The Professor and The Housekeeper
Also Taichi Yamada – I Haven’t Dreamed of Flying For Quite A While (excellent)
Yasutaka Tsutsui – Hell (didn’t like this one)
Mar 4th, 2009
George Miller
Steven Gerard Farrell’s 2010 novel, “Zen Babe,” is a thriller set in Japan right before the outbreak of the war. It involves Buddhism, Baseball, Soviet Spies, terrorist groups and the Japanese secret police.
Apr 21st, 2010
Simon
Zen Babe sounds interesting so thanks for the comment and I will pick up a copy if I see one.
Apr 21st, 2010
Gracie Parker
I practive both Tai-Chi and meditation on my spare time. It is really good for general health.::-
Jul 4th, 2010
Fred
Thanks for the recommendations. I just bought four books on your list! I’m currently reading Kafka on the Shore. Are there any other cultures or genres where you can find literature that’s reminiscent of the Murakamis? I know Rushdie writes pretty fantastic stories, but I’m not really a fan. His work doesn’t seem to carry the same weight. Thanks!
Jul 30th, 2010
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