Isn’t Japan amazing?
Turns out Nigel is not the only HBGer very attracted to Japan which feels so alien and yet also so familiar
Most of us had only visited through numerous Studio Ghibli films and the novels of Haruki Murakami, all of which are charming and beguiling.
Nigel was interested in reading more Japanese fiction and particularly to gain a female perspective. Hiromi Kawakami is, apparently, one of Japan's most popular contemporary novelists, so who better?
HBG has also enjoyed great success with many of the “foreign" books we’ve read - for example, really enjoyed reading Hans Fallada, Eimar McBride, Emmanuel Livintnoff, Michel Houellbeq, Kenneth Cook etc
Strange weather in Tokyo is reminiscent of Haruki Murakami. It has the same charming simplicity which masks a quiet profundity. The same slightly askew vibe. The two lead characters, Tsukiko and Sensei, are both typically self contained and independent. It feels very Japanese, partly through explicit references to baseball, food and sake, and also to the marking of the seasons, from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms.
Despite an age difference of about 30 years, Tsukiko and Sensei very gradually embark on an intimate relationship. The boundaries and formality begin to dissolve as both slowly come to terms with their feelings. This love story is conveyed through some wonderful and somewhat magical excursions within and outside the city.
Strange weather in Tokyo is an engrossing and enchanting evocation of friendship, love and loneliness, which packs a lot into its 172 pages. Most of us liked or loved it, except one of us who felt it was flat….
Nick 3 / Tristan 7 / Nigel 8 / Keith 6 / Roland 7 / Robin 8
Nigel had lovingly curated a Turning Japanese playlist which embraced some of the more extreme examples of Japanese pop. Not something we’d want on heavy rotation but most found something to enjoy or appreciate
Film: One Cut Of The Dead (2017) directed by Shinichiro UedaOne Cut of the Dead (カメラを止めるな! Kamera o Tomeru na!, transl. "Don't Stop the Camera!") is a 2017 Japanese zombie comedy film directed by Shinichiro Ueda. Made with a low budget of ¥3 million ($25,000) with a cast of unknown actors, the film opened in Japan in a small theatre for a six day run. Following its international success at its screening at the Udine Film Festival, the film began getting wider release, including a re-release in Japan. It grossed ¥3.12 billion in Japan and $30.5 million worldwide, making box office history by earning over a thousand times its budget. The film also received universal critical acclaim, holding a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
This film within a film within a film met with mixed responses. Nick and Nigel were very enthusiastic. Others were less so. Roland was troubled by the lack of cleavage.
Endorse It
Mark Kermode interviews the legendary Malcolm McDowell (Kermode on Film podcast #24 - 9 April 2019)
Milkman (2018) by Anna Burns (Book) (Booker Prize Winner 2018)
Don’t Forget The Driver (iPlayer)
Loro (Film)
Suede (Concert in Brighton)
Bohemian Rhapsody (Film)
Middle England by Jonathan Coe (Book)
The Museum of Jurassic Technology (LA museum)
I, Tonya (Film)
William Boyd - The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth (Book)
The Party (Film - Netflix)
Allotments
Eighth Grade (Film)
Afterlife (Netflix series)
Next time out we’re embracing Roland’s Natural Horrors themed choices
Book: Mythago Wood (1984) by Robert Holdstock
Mythago Wood is a fantasy novel by British writer Robert Holdstock, published in the United Kingdom in 1984. It won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1985. It served as the first in a series of novels known as the Mythago Wood or Ryhope Wood cycle.
Music: Luminous (2014) by The Horrors
Luminous is the fourth studio album by English rock band the Horrors. It was released on 5 May 2014 by record label XL. The album's style has been described as neo-psychedelia, shoegazing and dream pop.
Film: Errementari (2017) directed by Paul Urkijo Alijo
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil is a re-telling of an ancient fable about a Blacksmith who finds himself battling the Devil.
See you there
