March Was Made of Yarn: Reflections on the Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Meltdown

by David Karashima (Editor), Elmer Luke (Editor)

In time for the one year anniversary of the 2011 earthquake in Japan, a collection of essays and stories by Japanese writers on the devastating disaster, its aftermath, and the resolve of a people to rebuild.

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake occurred off the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a 50-foot tsunami that crushed everything in its path—highways, airports, villages, trains, and buses—leaving death and destruction behind, and causing a major radiation leak from five nuclear plants. Here eighteen writers give us their trenchant observations and emotional responses to such a tragedy, in what is a fascinating, enigmatic and poignant collection.

Genres: Japan, Fiction, Short Stories, Japanese Literature, Essays, Anthologies, Historical Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

David Karashima is a prize-winning novelist and the author of many translations of contemporary Japanese fiction into English, including works by Hitomi Kanehara, Taichi Yamada, Yasutaka Tsutsui and Hisaki Matsuura.

Reviews

[Alison]

As is usual for any collection, some stories I liked, some I didn't. The title story "March Was Made of Yarn" (written by Mieko Kawakami and translated by Michael Emmerich) was a particular favourite, as was Hiromi Kawakami's reworking of a previously published story, "God Bless You", into a post-Fukushima version entitled "God Bless You, 2011".

I read this over the summer, starting when I was in Natori at my mother-in law's. Everyday I walked the dog in the sports ground of the municipal gym around the corner, where the neighbourhood Obon festival is held, and the place where bodies were temporarily stored after the tsunami. It was hot, obon (festival of the dead) was approaching, and the air felt heavy. Reading this book helped bridge the disconnect between life going on in such an ordinary way on the surface, and knowledge of the awful scenes that had taken place there. I suppose that's one of the functions of literature, and I hope that these writers reflections will not end with this book.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a poignant and emotional moving collection of short stories written by various big name writers in Japan on the theme of the triple disaster. How does one begin to grasp what happened on March 11, 2011? The devastation brought by one of the largest mega-earthquakes in history, followed by a massive tsunami, followed by nuclear meltdowns? For those faraway, we would need to rely on our artist to help us understand.

The collection is truly wonderful.

I loved so many of the stories. One of my favorites was Kazumi Saeki's "Hiyoriyama." I wasn’t familiar with this writer before, and was very moved. I was also so happy to read more from Yoko Tawada (I am a big fan of her poetry) Tawada. Her story Island of Eternal Life was so interesting, and I wondered if her new book was inspired by it. Another story that really struck me was by a foreign non-Japanese writer, Barry Yourgau. I was not familiar with his work but it was really quite something about a fisherman dreaming. Beautifully written. I had not read anything by Ryu Murakami in twenty years,.... was nice to read his work again at the end of the anthology.

There is poetry, a great introduction, a manga.... mostly fiction. And what fiction it is!

[Erkki Toht · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kui ma õieti mäletan, siis juba antoloogia sissejuhatuses anti mõista, et teos tegeleb eelkõige 11. märtsi sündmuste teemaga. Erinevad autorid, erinevad tõlkijad, ja erinevad rõhuasetused, vaatenurgad jms. Võib-olla olid minu ootused lugema asudes liiga kõrged, sest mitte kõik lood ei tegelenud 2011. aasta Tohoku loodusõnnetuse ja selle järelmite mõtestamisega (nt „God Bless You“ 1. versioon, „Pieces“, „Nightcap“, „Box Story“), nagu ma hiljem lugedes nentima pidin. Õnneks oli sissejuhatuses siiski mainitud, et ainult kaks kirjanikku on pärit sellelt alalt, mida õnnetus tabas, mistõttu võis ette arvata, et isiklikke kogemusi ja vahetuid muljeid 3/11-st suurel hulgal tulema ei hakka. Ja seetõttu ei olnudki üllatav, et nendes juttudes, kus loodusõnnetust (või tuumajaama õnnetust) mainiti, ei olnud see sageli keskne teema, vaid pigem mingi element taustal.

Vist ainult kahes jutus, Kazumi Saeki „Hiyoriyamas“ ja Hideo Furukawa „Sixteen Years Later“, kõlas tsunami ohvrite hääl. Teised jutud tegelesid pigem meenutamisega, mingite isiklike kogemuste, traumade mäletamisega, mis üldse ei pruukinud olla seotud 11. märtsi sündmustega. Üsna huvitav oli Shinji Ishii õhukoera lugu („Lulu“), kus oli kaks erinevat aega, hulgaliselt tegelasi ja ulmeline koer; ja ka siin said sõna õnnetuse ohvrid, kuid põhiliselt anonüümsena (nt viis autsaiderit), ja seetõttu oli jutt hõre, nagu ka selle peategelane. Meelde jäi Yōko Tawada „The Island Of Eternal Life“, kuna olin vahetult enne seda lugenud sama autori lühiromaani „The Emissary“, ja võisin nüüd avastada mitmeid sisulisi kokkulangevusi, mis aitasid mõista varem loetud teksti.

[Mario Menti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to remember the 10th anniversary of 東日本大震災, the Tohoku earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, tomorrow (March 11).

Published a year after the event, it's a really interesting collection of short stories from Japanese writers, addressing the disaster in different ways.

Yoko Tawada's "The Island of Eternal Life" is a kind of sketch of what was to become her novel "The Last Children of Tokyo", while the bleakest, angriest and most harrowing piece is a short manga by Brother & Sister Nishioka ("The Crows and The Girl").

But I think my favourite was Shinji Ishii's "Lulu", a magical, almost child-like story of translucent women and an imaginary dog (Lulu of the title) that helps orphaned children in an emergency evacuation centre come to terms with their trauma and grief. It's simple in some ways, but so emotionally charged and beautifully written it will stay with you for a long time.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A consistently strong collection of short stories responding to the 2011 Tohoku tsunami and nuclear disaster. Those reactions take a variety of forms: reimagination, dreams, poetry. All of these forms offer a fresh reflection on both the past and the future.

[Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of writing (fiction, non-fiction, poetry and manga) centres around the events of March 2011, the earthquake and tsunami that followed. Unfortunately, the collection is uneven. Some pieces are incredibly haunting and somber, some, including the piece that gives the book its title, did not capture me in any way. Could it be the translation or my lack of cultural understanding? Perhaps, but I think good literature crosses cultural boundaries and focuses on humanity at its core.

My favourite piece in this collection is "The Charm" by Kiyoshi Shigermatsu in which a woman who used to live in the area most devastated feels compelled to do something but cannot figure out what. She takes her school photo from the time she lived there and travels to the evacuation centre in hopes that someone in the photo will come forward. For a few days she wanders about the region, not sure how to help and looking for clues to her past. She eventually finds her past in the charm, a little playground rhyme, that two girls chant on the playground.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories by various Japanese authors on the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe.

My personal favourite is “lulu” by Shinji Ishii: Lulu is a little dog that sneaked into one of the numerous shelters for orphaned children that were established after the quake. In the night, she sees mysterious, ghost-like women, who, coming down amidst a shining light from the ceiling, comfort the sleeping children. All of them, except five, who seem too wrapped up in darkness for the women to notice. So, Lulu decides to comfort these children on her own, in the only way she knows – the way of a dog…

Another story I enjoyed, although it is much darker, is “Grandma’s Bible” by Natsuki Ikezawa, where a man called Kimura tells his story to a rescue team: Though born in Matsubetsu, he lives in Tokyo, but has an offer to move to Arizona for business, which he is going to accept. Wishing to travel light, he packs his most valuable belongings into a trunk and sends it to his brother, still in Matsubetsu, for safekeeping. However, during the scheduled delivery, the tsunami comes and wipes out the little village, and Kimura now feels obliged to stay…

Note that not all the stories talk about the tsunami or have a direct connection to it. The book is simply a collection of stories expressing the writer’s feelings at that time; in Japan, many things are left unspoken. When I bought the book it was said that part of the proceeds will go towards disaster relief in Japan, I'm not sure if this is still the case. However, even today, there are still charity events all over Japan for The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake.

[Claudia Marcela · Rating 4 out of 5]

March 11, 2011. An earthquake off the northeastern coast of Japan—magnitude 9.0, duration six minutes, type megathrust—unleashes a fifty-foot tsunami that within fifteen minutes slams its way ashore, surging inland six miles, crushing all in its path, and triggering the slow, relentless leak of radiation from first two, then three, then five nuclear power plants. In one's wildest imagination, this is beyond conceivable. But this is just the beginning.

En este conjunto de ensayos sobre el terremoto, tsunami y casi desastre nuclear de 2011 en Japón, los autores comparten distintas reflexiones sobre cómo modificó la forma de vida de todo un país y cómo el desastre les trajo de vuelta la esperanza para el futuro.

Algunas historias son más literales y otras más poéticas y hay alguna que otra bizarra. Mi favorita fue Lulu, sobre un perro que cuida de los niños aislados en un pabellón médico.

If you shut your eyes to a frightening sight, you end up being frightened forever. But if you look everything straight on, then there is nothing to be afraid of.

[jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible collection, loved all the short stories contained in it. My top 3:

1) The Island of Eternal Life by Yōko Tawada. The reason why I acquired this volume in the first place! A brief but intense origin and counterpart to her full lenght novel The Emissary
2) Little Eucalyptus Leaves by Murakami Ryu
3) Box Story by Akikawa Tetsuya

Honorable mentions:
- After the disaster, Before the disaster by David Peace. Made me cry over Akutagawa once again.
- Grandma's Bible by Natsuki Ikezawa

[moonsbook · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book gives you a view of how it actually was during Japan's disasters. it also supports you by giving personal stories of those who were affected. something to note is that this book has numerous stories by different authors in which those stories are binded together to make a book, so it is not from one author telling one story from one side. some stories do really make me think, but there is one i especially love which is called Pieces by Mitsuyo Kakuta, translated by Wayne P. Lammers. i love the story and the words there, just how descriptive and how striking they are to home.

i think it is just incredibly special reading those people's stories to learn about something that happened long time ago when i wasn't even born yet. therefore, you can try reading this book, especially if you're like me; someone who is trying to take the small little things from stories to make up life.

x

[JKC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always feel bad giving a low rating to something so heartfelt or important. This is a compilation of short stories written by the Japanese who have lived through or even just lived after, the harrowing experience of a nuclear meltdown, tsunami, that left subsequent wounds both environmental, health-related and heart- and soul-related. I'm sure there are some dynamo stories in here but it was a DNF for me as the first few, at least, just didn't grab me enough. For me, it wasn't the window into the experience I was looking for; but maybe that's my problem. It's their window, and that's enough for them. It's something that has gripped their country ever since, kind of like 9-11 for us. That poignant realization in itself is valuable to gain from this book, or just the existence of this book.

[bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

i usually dislike anthologies and they definitely crammed all the best pieces in the first half which created some mild disappointment by the end but this is Crazy beautiful. impossible not to cry at 'lulu' and 'the charm'. even the more 'disappointing' pieces still come together to form an impossibly vivid and heartfelt and Human mosaic in the face of this huge monstrous insurmountable disaster. this is what writing is all about!!!!!!!

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

A collection of short stories, it is a quick read. The writing style was very new to me because it was originally written in Japanese. I think that's what's interesting is that it takes you into the minds of the Japanese - so you can understand better their reaction to the catastrophe. But, a lot are fiction and seem to relate little to the topic.

[Envy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book made up of many individual authors' stories. To be honest, I found many of the stories to be difficult to follow, maybe just being too abstract for me personally. But there were a few that I enjoyed reading, particularly 'Lulu', 'Little Eucalyptus Leaves' and 'After the disaster, before the disaster'.

[Stephanie Gillis · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read selections of this for a class and I figured I would just read the whole thing. There are some very thought provoking stories and others that just didn’t resonate as much with me. I think my top three were The Charm, Pieces, and March Yarn.

[Allison Urban · Rating 2 out of 5]

Five or six good stories, the rest were just average.

[Dale Plotzki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didnt understand a single damn thing in this book.

[Sarah Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed all of these stories, especially box story, pieces, ride on time and the charm.

[Kaushiky Hazra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

[abby]

read for popular culture and everyday life in japanese history

[sickbobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came in wanting to feel “dem feels” of the event and the aftermath. Like any anthology, there are some that was what I wanted and some were not. Surprisingly, it was Ryu Murakami’s beautiful essay, Little Eucalyptus Leaves, was the one that stood head and shoulders above everyone else. The infamous Murakami delivered a poignant and insightful summary of how powerful hope is. Not something that I would expect coming from him but there you go. Regardless, March Was Made of Yarn is an important piece of work to help remember the tragic events and those who suffered on that fateful day on March 11, 2011.

[edel · Rating 4 out of 5]

First: Imagine, for a moment, that you know nothing of what is happening here, or what is to come.

Last: He believed the disaster was still to come.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all anthologies, there are going to be stories you love and some that you just don't care for. The collection is much more focused on the after rather than the actual events of March 2011. One thing I've always found Japanese writers do so well is making the mundane into something more. It just so happens that the earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster taints this every day life now.

We get two versions of God Bless You 2011, a walk with a bear in the Japanese countryside. One was written in 1993 and the other reworked in 2011 to show the changes of the world after radiation had leaked into the environment from the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. The story takes on a whole new dimension because of it.

Perhaps it's because I have a friend with a box obsession, but I loved Box Story. When there is a shortage of boxes, someone comes up with the idea of breeding them and citizens are given breeding boxes to care for. In The Charm a woman returns to her home town feeling helpless but with a desire to do something to help. Lulu introduces a dog made of air, created in the minds of children in an evacuation centre, something to make things easier. Ride on Time is told from the perspective of a surfer, anticipating the legendary wave.

It seems telling that the one writer who chooses to detail the actual horror of the day is not Japanese. David Peace's After the Disaster, Before the Disaster comes at the end of the collection and really drives home what happened. I don't think the book would have been as enjoyable if this had been the tones throughout but it's important to acknowledge. It's all too easy for the rest of the world to forget and this book is a thought-provoking reminder.

Whilst the book is primarily made up of short stories, there is also poetry, manga and a journalistic piece.

[Sally Ito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd been given this book awhile back from my brother-in-law but hadn't had a chance to read it. Since I was going to Japan again for the Japan Writers Conference, I decided to take this book for reading on the plane and to prepare myself for once more immersing myself into that culture. The book is an anthology and I liked most of the stories. Since I had just recently finished reading one of my short stories from my short story collection, Floating Shore (published 1998 by Mercury Press) to a creative writing class and the collection was predominantly about Japan and Japanese Canadian identity, I quickly warmed to the stories -- their milieu and the way they were told and the kinds of things the writers said or observed. In fact, I felt inspired to write stories again -- stories about Japanese people and Japanese culture -- something I hadn't felt stirred to do in a long time. Reading this was such a good way to enter into Japan again as in the mindset of a writer, returning to a country with which I have had a long and deep relationship. There was something about the sensibility of the stories that I just found familiar and as I said previously, inspiring.

[Signe Mehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lucky enough to be served gourmet meals on a daily basis, we grumble about the cooks above the sky."

"Novelle"samling der tager udgangspunkt i jordskælvet og tsunamien i Japan i marts 2011, og hvordan disse naturkatastrofer kan ende op som et grundvilkår for den Japanske kultur. Og det er måske netop fordi at omdrejningspunktet er noget helt centralt i den Japanske kollektive bevidsthed, at der i gennemlæsningen tegner sig et meget oprigtigt og medrivende billede af moderne japansk litteratur.

Virkelig fin samling, der genremæssigt spænder over alt fra scifi og manga, til poesi og dokumentarisme.

[Natalie (CuriousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first short-story collection ever read. While some stories are rather cultural-specific, most of it really was just interesting and different perspectives on life and on humanity in general. Many of them could be interpreted in different ways, of course, but most leaving something behind. I particularly liked "The Charm", "Lulu", and "God Bless You, 2011", all of which I was tearing up while reading. I also have to say the introduction was very well-written, and the finale thing to make me read this book. It's really quite beautiful, and I will be sure to return to my favorite stories.

[Ainy Rainwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was initially disappointed that Haruki Murakami wasn't included in this collection, however the stories (and a few poems) were so excellent and reminded me of his work so strongly that my disappointment changed to delight. Not that these are "delightful" stories: they are not. But if you like Murakami (as I do) you will probably like this collection. The book benefits ( via various charities) the ongoing relief efforts for those who were impacted by this catastrophe. Excellent and highly recommended. (BTW, this is a very short book: the Nookbook was 158 pages.)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

After it was mentioned in a seminar about disaster processing in various kinds of media, I wanted to read this collection for quite some time now. One thing I noticed is how all of the authors focus mainly on one element of the disaster (earthquake, tsunami OR nuclear disaster) to construct the story around it. Although some stories are rather abstract, they all transmit an underlying feeling of unease, sometimes strongly sometimes faintly. Therefore I would not recommend reading it if you are in an uncertain point in your life.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only six or seven of the seventeen pieces in this anthology of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry appealed to me, but it is a nice introduction to some of Japan's most celebrated modern writers. "The Island of Eternal Life" by Yoko Tawada, an expatriate who has lived in Germany since the early 1980s, paints a chilling picture of a possible future, while "The Charm" by Kiyoshi Shigematsu left me feeling homesick. Alas, most of the stories were outside my Western comprehension.

[tamarack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I didn't get to finish the entire collection, this book of short stories from Japan was amazing. Nice to branch out beyond Haruki Murakami (whom I quite like) into some equally quirky and talented writings. Highly recommended.