サウスバウンド 奥田英朗

Southbound
Hideo Okuda

You are an 11 year old boy living in Tokyo. You deal with bullies by standing on your own two feet, even if it means getting punched. You don't trust adults. You are beginning to realize your sexuality and attraction to other girls. You have decent mates to hang around with and you would do anything for them. Your dad doesn't work and is renowned for being an extremist anarchist. He often comes to your school to complain. He often has visitors from people asking him to pay his taxes. Your dad and his mates don't believe in the "system" and soon enough you find yourself wrapped up in a murder case. Your dad isn't to blame, but his reputation does him no good. Your mother just rolls her eyes at your fathers antics and carries on with life. But rumours have it that she isn't as innocent as she seems...

You wake up one morning to find most of your belongings gone and a ticket to move to a remote island in southern Okinawa. Your mum is delighted by your fathers plans. Suddenly your father becomes very reliable - he works and provides for his family. But then the "system" catch up with him. Your father just loves a fight. And to your dismay, you find yourself agreeing with his views. But to what cost?

A two-part book about the pursuit of freedom, the bond of a family, and the growth of an adolescent boy.

And, of course, the added benefit of Okinawa :p

Omoide no Marnie

I haven't seen the movie. 

But now I want to. 

I recently read the Fumiko Naito translated version of "Omoide no Marnie". Tough going at first, but rewarding in the end. For the first half of the book it's just about a lonely girl who has made a friend. And then suddenly her friend disappears in front of her eyes. Literally. What then happens is a heartwarming story that makes you want to re-read the beginning of the book again in a different light. 

Language wise: no difficult vocabulary, relatively smooth to read for JLPT N2 and above. 

100回泣くこと

「誰かとともに生きるということは、いつか失う悲しみを背負うことであり、同時に、いつか失わせてしまう悲しみを背負うことだと。もし本来の寿命は変わらずに、愛する人よりも先に死ぬか、それとも後に死ぬか、を自分で選べるとしたら、果たしてどちらを望むだろうか。」

"Living your life with someone means you also have to live with the fact that one day you'll have to deal with living without them. Would you prefer to be the one left behind, or the one to leave first?"

***

I read the book 「100回泣くこと」by Kou Nakamura. While I have friends who said they weeped during the movie, I admit to not weeping during reading the book. In fact, the first chapter was a struggle to get through. I've no interest whatsoever in motorbikes... But things got better, the story deepened and I started finding myself saying "...just one more page... just one more page..." 

We can all relate to the feeling of losing touch with people we are close to, despite our best efforts. Since coming to Japan, I've been feeling that more and more. Maybe that's why this book made such an impact on me at the end. 

I feel totally depressed now... Haha

カフーを待ちわびて

This book, set on a small island in Okinawa Prefecture was written by Maha Harada and won the "Japan Love Story award". It was also made into a movie in 2009. I have yet to see the movie.

Akio is a slightly disabled man who runs a shop with his beloved dog, Kafu. A few months ago he went on his very first trip to the Japanese mainland, organised by his childhood acquaintance, Shunichi. Shunichi, a guy popular with the girls, is always cracking jokes about Akio's bachelor-ness. As always, Akio grits his teeth, counts to three and smiles. Lonely, tired of Shunichi's remarks and at a shrine renown for suicides, Akio writes his wish on a piece of wood before returning to Okinawa. "Anyone want to be my wife?"

Three months later, Akio gets a letter from a woman named Sachi. "In response to your wish at the shrine, let me be your bride." Thinking it's a prank, Akio burns the letter and carries on with life. But the letter haunts him. Who would do such a thing? Was it real? Why? Who replies to wishes written at shrines?

Frustrated, Akio takes his dog for a walk along the beach. Along the way he bumps into a tourist. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Akio" says the beautiful woman. Shocked, Akio stutters as he answers. The woman smiles and says "Nice to meet you. I'm Sachi. Did you get my letter?"

In time, Sachi ends up lodging at Akio's home, helping out at his shop and trying (and failing) to cook meals. Akio finds himself falling for this clumsy yet beautiful woman even though he doesn't know much about her. He is scared to ask, for if he asks she might disappear. After all, this is all a dream, right? Who in their right mind would give up everything and fly to a small island in the middle of nowhere in order to answer a wish left by an unknown man at a shrine?

A boy called H

Now time to rave about a book, seeing as I haven't seen the film yet. I hope to rent it once it comes out on DVD. "Shonen H" is split into two separate books, so it'll be interesting to see how the film is put together.

Shonen H is a fictional story *closely based* on a real boys memoirs before, during and after WWII. The book honestly deals with the ugly realities of war and what it must have been like for a rebellious teenager from a Christian family growing up within the strict war regime. You grow up with the boy, you share his embarrassment when he wets his bed, you cheer him on when he finds a way to make money using his design skills, you feel his anger towards a nation full of contradictions, you worry for him as he heads into a downward spiral...

Not only did I find it interesting as it is set in and around where I live, but it is also interesting as the boy is an aspiring graphic designer :)

I now realise that this book has been translated into English, but I read it in Japanese. As a gaijin, I found this book very smooth to read as the Japanese language used is not so complicated.  That said, it helps significantly if you are familiar with Banshu dialect. (The Japanese dialect spoken in Kobe.)