Hi Book Friends!
I am traveling to Japan early next year, what books should I read before I go?! I’m looking mostly looking for fiction/literature (English translation) or non-fiction historical (survey) books.
(I’m not a huge manga nor anime fan, although open to suggestions if you strongly recommend it!)
by Monstertheory777
2 Comments
*The Tale of Genji* by Murasaki Shikibu is THE classic of Japanese literature. There is a good English translation by Royall Tyler in both an abridged and unabridged version.
*Snow Country* by Yasunari Kawabata is a short read, but very poetic. One of the great modern Japanese novels. The English translation is by Edward Seidensticker.
Others I haven’t read, but are very popular include several of Haruki Murakami’s books and *Battle Royale* by Koushun Takami.
And I don’t know about non-fiction surveys of Japan, but *The Book of Five Rings* by Miyamoto Musashi was a very influential non-fiction book.
Here are 5 popular books written by Japanese authors.
* Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
* Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
* Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
* Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
* Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
If you need more, have a look at this long list of [Japanese books (in English)](https://readaroundtheworldchallenge.com/books/country/language/japan/english) that were recommended for the read around the world challenge, grouped by genre, story setting, author gender, etc.