258 books
—
86 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Strange Weather in Tokyo” as Want to Read:
Strange Weather in Tokyo
by
Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to aut
...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
May 1st 2014
by Portobello Books
(first published 2001)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Strange Weather in Tokyo,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Jamie
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Strange Weather in Tokyo
A May-December love story. She’s 37, he’s in his 70’s.
Her life is her career as an office worker. She has no friends; seldom sees her family; she seems tired of failed relationships with men. She drinks too much sake and beer. The story is written from her point of view.
She calls him Sensei. He’s her former high school Japanese teacher. They see each other on and off in a bar, occasionally eat out together, take walks or visit a museum. They go mushroom hunting with the bartender. They are bot ...more
Her life is her career as an office worker. She has no friends; seldom sees her family; she seems tired of failed relationships with men. She drinks too much sake and beer. The story is written from her point of view.
She calls him Sensei. He’s her former high school Japanese teacher. They see each other on and off in a bar, occasionally eat out together, take walks or visit a museum. They go mushroom hunting with the bartender. They are bot ...more
This book reads like Japanese art. Clean lines, spare and uncluttered. Or sparse, haiku as opposed to Shakespeare. The story is slight and the book is short. I found it somewhat cinematic - chapters as scenes - in Santuro's bar, at Sansei's, on the island, mushroom hunting, etc. Each an experimental and incremental step in a casual relationship full of stops and starts.
There's not a lot of explanation to why they are the people they are. They are loners who do not seek out friendships, though th ...more
There's not a lot of explanation to why they are the people they are. They are loners who do not seek out friendships, though th ...more
‘Up until now, I thought I had enjoyed my life alone, somehow.’
In the modern world with all its forms of communication and bustle, it is surprisingly easy to find oneself feeling lonely. Much praised and awarded author Hiromi Kawakami brilliantly examines modern loneliness and the quiet bliss that can be found through a shared loneliness with a friend in her book Strange Weather in Tokyo. When Tsukiko runs into her former teacher, whom she still only refers to as ‘Sensei’ in a local bar, the two ...more
In the modern world with all its forms of communication and bustle, it is surprisingly easy to find oneself feeling lonely. Much praised and awarded author Hiromi Kawakami brilliantly examines modern loneliness and the quiet bliss that can be found through a shared loneliness with a friend in her book Strange Weather in Tokyo. When Tsukiko runs into her former teacher, whom she still only refers to as ‘Sensei’ in a local bar, the two ...more
“I find something quite carefree about the days around the winter solstice, when the daylight is so brief it seems like it’s chasing you. Knowing that it will soon be dark anyway, I’m able to steel myself against that inevitable sense of regret brought on by the evening twilight… The moment after I realized it was dark, I would feel a surge of loneliness.”
I don’t know that anyone would ever have called me particularly sensitive in the past, but lately I’ve been easily tearing up by phrases like ...more
I don’t know that anyone would ever have called me particularly sensitive in the past, but lately I’ve been easily tearing up by phrases like ...more
the classic story: boy meets girl, boy is actually elderly man who was once girl's teacher but girl doesn't remember his name, boy and girl embark on mutual alcoholism
this book does capture what it means to be lonely, and how it feels, but also it just didn't hit me at the right time? i'm much closer to being in school in age than i am to this former student or her elderly teacher, and the dynamic between them kept taking me out.
overall it felt more like a traditional romance than i wanted it to ...more
this book does capture what it means to be lonely, and how it feels, but also it just didn't hit me at the right time? i'm much closer to being in school in age than i am to this former student or her elderly teacher, and the dynamic between them kept taking me out.
overall it felt more like a traditional romance than i wanted it to ...more
Apr 12, 2019
Richard (on hiatus)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
current-lit-wd
Strange Weather In Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami concerns the relationship between Omachi Tsukiko, a solitary and somewhat lonely woman in her thirties and her old school teacher, Mr Matsumoto or ‘Sensei’ as she knows him.
After a chance meeting, a fragile bond slowly develops. Both are singular, unconventional figures and there is quiet humour to be found in their social awkwardness and the large age gap.
The writing is simple, precise and a little remote - this seems to add to the emotional weight o ...more
After a chance meeting, a fragile bond slowly develops. Both are singular, unconventional figures and there is quiet humour to be found in their social awkwardness and the large age gap.
The writing is simple, precise and a little remote - this seems to add to the emotional weight o ...more
The sweet elegant prose drew me into a dreamlike experience in “Strange Weather in Tokyo”.
Tsukiko Omachi is in her late thirties. Her former Japanese High School teacher, Mr. Harutsuns, *Sensei*, is in his seventies.
They bump into each other one night at a bar. They drink, (five flasks of sake), eat, and talk to one another ....then leave ....returning to their respective homes.
They bump into each other another night at the same bar. Eat, drink, talk some more. Return home again.
Before they ...more
Tsukiko Omachi is in her late thirties. Her former Japanese High School teacher, Mr. Harutsuns, *Sensei*, is in his seventies.
They bump into each other one night at a bar. They drink, (five flasks of sake), eat, and talk to one another ....then leave ....returning to their respective homes.
They bump into each other another night at the same bar. Eat, drink, talk some more. Return home again.
Before they ...more
oh. really sweet, tender and gentle book. There isn't much of a plot (I like no plot) just all about a relationship between two mismatched people and lots of lovely passages about japanese food and drink - tofu, miso, salted shallots, edame, beer and sake.
really beautiful. ...more
really beautiful. ...more
Jul 09, 2013
Tonymess
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
women-in-translation
Here’s a challenge for you, write a novel about loneliness without becoming boring. Write one about emptiness without being melancholy, how about deep love without sentimentality? “the briefcase” is a moving sparse and deeply emotional tale of loneliness, emptiness and love but in a style that that is removed and scant enough to elicit a sadness that lingers long after the final page has been read.
This is the story of Tsukiko, in her late 30’s, a loner and a food aficionado who crosses paths wit ...more
This is the story of Tsukiko, in her late 30’s, a loner and a food aficionado who crosses paths wit ...more
#JapaneseJune Book #1.
I purchased Strange Weather in Tokyo on my Kindle for a mere 99p, and for that reason I am glad that I read this book. However, if I'd had to pay a normal Kindle price, I would have been a little bit miffed. Although this was a quick and easy read, I didn't feel very satisfied upon finishing it. I just feel ambivalence.
The story is told from the perspective of a woman in her late 30s named Tsukiko, who encounters an old teacher of hers at her local bar one night. From that ...more
I purchased Strange Weather in Tokyo on my Kindle for a mere 99p, and for that reason I am glad that I read this book. However, if I'd had to pay a normal Kindle price, I would have been a little bit miffed. Although this was a quick and easy read, I didn't feel very satisfied upon finishing it. I just feel ambivalence.
The story is told from the perspective of a woman in her late 30s named Tsukiko, who encounters an old teacher of hers at her local bar one night. From that ...more
I'll be honest, I was shallow enough to be drawn to this book solely on the basis of its cover - a young woman floating mid-air in what seems to be a departmental store screamed of magical realism and I thought it would provide me with some much needed escapism. I was stupid enough to look at the book and think "surprise me" ( I rarely, if ever, do this,) and didn't even bother to read the blurb on Goodreads. Do I regret that? Yep.
Maybe I'm just too immature to appreciate the story. Maybe I'm st ...more
Maybe I'm just too immature to appreciate the story. Maybe I'm st ...more
This was my second book by Hiromi Kawakami, but I must say that I enjoyed it a lot more than "Record of a Night Too Brief" (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) - I'm quite glad I gave her another shot!
"Strange Weather in Tokyo" is a strange, quiet story about two lonely people and their unusual courtship. Tsukiko is in her late thirties, she lives alone, works a nondescript job and when she is not working, she drinks and eats at a small eatery in her neighbourhood. One day, she recognizes ...more
"Strange Weather in Tokyo" is a strange, quiet story about two lonely people and their unusual courtship. Tsukiko is in her late thirties, she lives alone, works a nondescript job and when she is not working, she drinks and eats at a small eatery in her neighbourhood. One day, she recognizes ...more
Published in English as Strange Weather in Tokyo.
38-year-old Tsukiko is content enough to split her days between the office, her regular bistro and her lonely appartment. She used to have a boyfriend... or two, but they weren't really significant, so the relationship fizzled out soon enough. Her high school Japanese teacher wasn't particularly memorable either, which is why she can only refer to him as sensei. Nevertheless, as the two keep (more or less) casually bumping into each other, the her ...more
38-year-old Tsukiko is content enough to split her days between the office, her regular bistro and her lonely appartment. She used to have a boyfriend... or two, but they weren't really significant, so the relationship fizzled out soon enough. Her high school Japanese teacher wasn't particularly memorable either, which is why she can only refer to him as sensei. Nevertheless, as the two keep (more or less) casually bumping into each other, the her ...more
Apr 08, 2014
Antonomasia
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Antonomasia by:
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize longlist 2014
Book 2200.
Not as twee as it looks. The heroine is about 15 years older than the flying manic pixie dreamgirl on the cover, she gets drunk a lot, works stupidly long hours, has arguments about sports and forgets to clean a pair of muddy shoes for weeks. Out of the characters in the limited number of Japanese novels I've read, Tsukiko is furthest from the traditional idea of a Japanese woman, though she doesn't seem to have set out to reject it; she isn't intellectual, she simply sees herself as n ...more
Not as twee as it looks. The heroine is about 15 years older than the flying manic pixie dreamgirl on the cover, she gets drunk a lot, works stupidly long hours, has arguments about sports and forgets to clean a pair of muddy shoes for weeks. Out of the characters in the limited number of Japanese novels I've read, Tsukiko is furthest from the traditional idea of a Japanese woman, though she doesn't seem to have set out to reject it; she isn't intellectual, she simply sees herself as n ...more
Wishlist | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
Being born in Macedonia, I grew up reading books that were mostly translated. Because of that, I always appreciate the amazing job that translators do and have always cherished translated copies of my books. Strange Weather in Tokyo is no different, and Allison Markin Powell did an amazing job translating this book.
I read this book in August as part of the Tandem and Granta Books Instagram readalong - to celebrate #Kawakamimonth as wel ...more
Being born in Macedonia, I grew up reading books that were mostly translated. Because of that, I always appreciate the amazing job that translators do and have always cherished translated copies of my books. Strange Weather in Tokyo is no different, and Allison Markin Powell did an amazing job translating this book.
I read this book in August as part of the Tandem and Granta Books Instagram readalong - to celebrate #Kawakamimonth as wel ...more
| | blog | tumblr | ko-fi | |
Hiromi Kawakami injects a series of ordinary episodes between two people with a dreamy atmosphere, one that makes the events she describes anything but boring. In Strange Weather in Tokyo, also translated as a The Briefcase, Tsukiko, a 38-year-old woman who works in an office (it is never specified what her job truly entails), runs into Sensei, her former teacher. The two are both gourmands, and find themselves conversing over food and becoming 'drinking companions ...more
Hiromi Kawakami injects a series of ordinary episodes between two people with a dreamy atmosphere, one that makes the events she describes anything but boring. In Strange Weather in Tokyo, also translated as a The Briefcase, Tsukiko, a 38-year-old woman who works in an office (it is never specified what her job truly entails), runs into Sensei, her former teacher. The two are both gourmands, and find themselves conversing over food and becoming 'drinking companions ...more
Strange Weather in my room, after reading this
Poignant atmospheric love story involving a thirty something lonely Woman and her former teacher 30 years her senior.Lots of cultural and culinary insights about Tokyo.The fragmented storyline charts this unusual relationship to its inevitable conclusion.Very enjoyable.
Poignantly delightful, yet very troubling at the same time.
The first time I ever heard the song "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles, it felt like a revelation—of loneliness as a fact, a named thing. If nothing else, I no longer felt lonesome in my loneliness.
Reading Strange Weather in Tokyo was a bit like that: it is a spare, delicate story of the chance coming together of two deeply lonely people—38-year-old Tsukiko and her former high school teacher, whom she simply regards as "Sensei"—and although I did not much care for the coming together itself (more o ...more
Reading Strange Weather in Tokyo was a bit like that: it is a spare, delicate story of the chance coming together of two deeply lonely people—38-year-old Tsukiko and her former high school teacher, whom she simply regards as "Sensei"—and although I did not much care for the coming together itself (more o ...more
4.25/5stars
I REALLY enjoyed this!! I'm happy to say my initial thought that it reminded me of Hotel Iris mixed with Murakami was pretty spot on!
This book follows a woman Tsukiko who accidentally runs into one of her teachers she had in secondary school, and the two of them become fast friends. This story is about them getting to know each other, and slowly falling in love. This book was ADORABLE. Tsukiko was so blunt and didn't take no bullshit, and Sensei was so cute (legit, he did the thing th ...more
I REALLY enjoyed this!! I'm happy to say my initial thought that it reminded me of Hotel Iris mixed with Murakami was pretty spot on!
This book follows a woman Tsukiko who accidentally runs into one of her teachers she had in secondary school, and the two of them become fast friends. This story is about them getting to know each other, and slowly falling in love. This book was ADORABLE. Tsukiko was so blunt and didn't take no bullshit, and Sensei was so cute (legit, he did the thing th ...more
‘Strange Weather in Tokyo’ is the story of the slightly aloof and repressed Tsukiko and her budding romance with her former school-teacher, ‘Sensei’ a jocular, if melancholic man who Tsukiko happens to run into in a bar.
The book is more a series of pretty vignettes-some touching, some amusing and some suffused with a kind of sadness which reminds me of the films of Ozu-Kawakami lacks, perhaps, Ozu’s innate sense of genius, yet her almost detached way of telling the story, whilst imbuing the nove ...more
The book is more a series of pretty vignettes-some touching, some amusing and some suffused with a kind of sadness which reminds me of the films of Ozu-Kawakami lacks, perhaps, Ozu’s innate sense of genius, yet her almost detached way of telling the story, whilst imbuing the nove ...more
Gorgeous + delicate novel with quiet, minimal writing that also manages to be full of warmth (and delicious food). Like that beautiful cover picture it has a dreamlike floatiness. In the end I found it all very touching, sweet and sad.
If your book is going to be a bit rightwing, can it at least be a bit sexy (I'm thinking of Yukio Mishima)? Kawakami's young woman is unsatisfied with modern (*cough* Western) life and so falls for the wise old "wax on, wax off" Japanese and his spadeful of mono no aware, his haikus, his cherry-blossom viewing, his pachinko, his "let's look at the moon and no we can't have sex oh go on then".
...more
I spent the better part of my day with STRANGE WEATHER IN TOKYO by Hiromi Kawakami. I finished it in less than a day and I’m quite pleased that my first book of the year is a five star read.
This novel is gentle, tender and written in uncluttered prose that I found appealing and satisfying. It’s the story of Tsukiko and Sensei, a 37 year old woman and her high school teacher who cross paths at a local bar and fall into a companionable routine with ease. The novel follows this seemingly odd pair a ...more
This novel is gentle, tender and written in uncluttered prose that I found appealing and satisfying. It’s the story of Tsukiko and Sensei, a 37 year old woman and her high school teacher who cross paths at a local bar and fall into a companionable routine with ease. The novel follows this seemingly odd pair a ...more
a short, quirky, and light-hearted book about two lonely adults reconnecting years later and slowly developing a relationship. i love reading japanese lit because it’s always so interesting to learn more about japanese culture, and i enjoyed the writing style so i’ll definitely be checking out more of this author’s work.
(also not sure why the title was changed for the uk translation?? the title ‘the briefcase’ fits the story a lot better)
(also not sure why the title was changed for the uk translation?? the title ‘the briefcase’ fits the story a lot better)
Oct 12, 2018
Resh (The Book Satchel)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
asia,
translated-japanese
I LOVED this book. It is a strange and wonderful read. A middle aged woman happens to meet her high school English tutor and later develops feelings for him.
When she meets her teacher, she cannot recall his name, so she calls him Sensei (Sir) and continues to do so till the end of the book. We see a strange love story that surpasses age, thinking (the teacher is older and there are clash of ideas). The book is fragmental in nature; we read about an event in the lives of the characters and then m ...more
When she meets her teacher, she cannot recall his name, so she calls him Sensei (Sir) and continues to do so till the end of the book. We see a strange love story that surpasses age, thinking (the teacher is older and there are clash of ideas). The book is fragmental in nature; we read about an event in the lives of the characters and then m ...more
Strange and beautiful.
Loneliness is an international feeling. But if you're lonely in Japan, at least you're exposed to a lot of good food and sometimes an occasional friendly drinking buddy. Sometimes you can also find a friend and a meaning, before the loneliness hits back.
Gentle book about gentle feelings. Won't shake the ground but will warm your heart. Before the loneliness hits back. ...more
Gentle book about gentle feelings. Won't shake the ground but will warm your heart. Before the loneliness hits back. ...more
I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why so many Goodread members found this book to be a four/five star read. For me it was barely a two star read. Initially the book started out well but further in I was completely bored. While I did enjoy the character known as Sensei, the others not so much. The story, for me, was slow and forgettable.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play Book Tag: Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami rounded up to 2 stars | 1 | 18 | Aug 13, 2021 12:51PM | |
| Knjigom u glavu: Knjiga dvomesečja: Profesorova tašna | 18 | 106 | Jan 02, 2021 07:39AM | |
| Más libros para Latinoamérica!! | 1 | 6 | Apr 21, 2017 11:39AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Kawakami Hiromi (川上弘美 Kawakami Hiromi) born April 1, 1958, is a Japanese writer known for her off-beat fiction.
Born in Tokyo, Kawakami graduated from Ochanomizu Women's College in 1980. She made her debut as "Yamada Hiromi" in NW-SF No. 16, edited by Yamano Koichi and Yamada Kazuko, in 1980 with the story So-shimoku ("Diptera"), and also helped edit some early issues of NW-SF in the 1970s. She rei ...more
Born in Tokyo, Kawakami graduated from Ochanomizu Women's College in 1980. She made her debut as "Yamada Hiromi" in NW-SF No. 16, edited by Yamano Koichi and Yamada Kazuko, in 1980 with the story So-shimoku ("Diptera"), and also helped edit some early issues of NW-SF in the 1970s. She rei ...more
News & Interviews
Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day.
To create our...
20 likes · 2 comments
4 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“I, on the other hand, still might not be considered a proper adult. I had been very grown-up in primary school. But as I continued through secondary school, I in fact became less grown-up. And then as the years passed, I turned into quite a childlike person. I suppose I just wasn't able to ally myself with time.”
—
66 likes
“If the love is true, then treat it the same way you would plant - feed it, protect it from the elements - you must do absolutely everything you can. But if it isn't true, then it's best to just let it wither on the vine.”
—
51 likes
More quotes…
