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Willow Heath

Will predominantly writes about the books of Books and Bao, examining the literature of a place and how the authors have used the art of storytelling to reflect the world and the culture around them.

Even if The Underground Village were to be underwhelming, it is worth attention for being perhaps the only collection of stories to come out of Japanese-occupied Manchuria (written by a lower-class female Korean communist born in what is now North Korea) that you’ll ever read. Fortunately, thanks in no small part to some witty and …

Read More about The Underground Village by Kang Kyeong-ae BOOK REVIEW

When we travel or move abroad, there are often specific home comforts we seek out. For me, it’s English books. And so, what a delight it was to find the excellent Itaewon Foreign Bookstore in the heart of Korea’s capital. The store is owned by a delightfully grumpy old Korean man, who has been known …

Read More about Bookstores Around the World: Itaewon Foreign Bookstore (Seoul, Korea)

Tokyo’s Jimbocho district is renowned for its 300+ bookstores, each offering something unique and exciting. What sets @Wonder apart, however, is its alleyway entrance, bookended (pardon the pun) by near-endless shelves of second hand Japanese texts to peruse and admire, and the store’s attractive upstairs café. @Wonder is one of the newer bookstores in the …

Read More about Bookstores Around the World: @Wonder (Tokyo, Japan)

It was a little over a year ago that a fourth type of chocolate was created by a genius team of Swiss-Belgian chocolatiers. And Japan – ever the lover of gimmicky foods and eccentric flavours – has leapt on ruby chocolate like you wouldn’t believe. Earlier this year Japan began selling the ruby chocolate flavour …

Read More about Ruby Chocolate Afternoon Tea at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo

Two months ago I had already decided on my favourite novel, and novelist, of 2018: Convenience Store Woman and its author Sayaka Murata. I loved this book for its daring to go against the norm, something that is often far more punk rock here in Japan than it is in the West. But as we …

Read More about The Lonesome Bodybuilder by Yukiko Motoya BOOK REVIEW

For any curious lover of history, searching for an enlightening but comprehensive history of Japan, like what’s found here in Japan Story, there are many places to look. Just last year, Jonathan Clements published his excellent A Brief History of Japan, which does exactly as it says on the tin. Another book to capture the …

Read More about Japan Story by Christopher Harding BOOK REVIEW

Directed by Eric Khoo Masato, a young ramen chef in Takasaki, Japan, is struck by the sudden death of his father. Feeling lost and alone, he leaves for Singapore in hopes of learning more about his Singaporean mother who died when he was only ten years old. He aims to learn how to make the …

Read More about Film Review: Ramen Teh (Tokyo Film Festival 2018)

Here is the second of two articles summarising and reviewing the stories found in the Keshiki series, brought to you by Strangers Press. Here’s part one. What is the Keshiki Series? Eight chapbooks, each containing a tale (or tales) of around thirty or forty pages, all by Japanese authors of varying successes that you may …

Read More about The Keshiki Series: New Voices from Japan (Part 2)

Eight chapbooks, each containing a tale (or tales) of around thirty or forty pages, all by Japanese authors of varying successes that you may not have heard of. If you have, here is more of what you already love. If you have not, these books are a wonderful treat indeed: a glimpse into the styles, …

Read More about The Keshiki Series: New Voices from Japan (Part 1)

Most established authors become known for their tropes, be they genre, theme, character type, or writing style. For Murakami, his tropes are his events. Read enough of his works (whilst listening to a few old jazz records) and the lines between them start to blur. You may come to ask yourself, which flashback to pre-war …

Read More about Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami BOOK REVIEW