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Tokyo Tales - A Collection of Japanese Short Stories
Renae Lucas-Hall leads the reader into an enchanting, life-affirming and inspiring world of Japanese short stories in Tokyo Tales. You’ll love the way each story embraces the charm and allure of Japan and you’ll enjoy these stories even if you have a limited knowledge of this fascinating country. These fifteen magical tales include a hellish homestay, ghosts, school bullying, a marriage arrangement and the kawaii culture. Renae Lucas-Hall’s captivating way of storytelling will deepen your appreciation of the Japanese culture and provide you with a glimpse into the Japanese mind-set which will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page. Prepare to be enthralled by the illuminating images throughout Tokyo Tales by the renowned Japanese Illustrator Yoshimi OHTANI. These wonderful illustrations and the delightful narrative will harness your imagination and leave you spellbound.
About the Author
Renae Lucas-Hall is the author of Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories as well as Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story. Renae is an Australian-born British novelist and writer. She spent years studying French, Italian and Japanese because she loves languages and she always wanted to be an interpreter, a teacher or a writer. Renae later graduated from university with a degree in Japanese language and culture. She went on to live in Tokyo for two years, where she taught English. Renae has continued to work with the Japanese for many years. Ten years ago, Renae also completed an Advanced Diploma of Business. Over the past twenty years, Renae has enjoyed visiting Japan many times for work or as a tourist. She continues to love reading and writing anything and everything about Japan. Renae lives in Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom with her husband. You can read more about Renae Lucas-Hall, her books and her writing at www.renaelucashall.com.
Yoshimi OHTANI’s illustrations feature on the book cover and throughout Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories by Renae Lucas-Hall. Yoshimi OHTANI is a renowned Japanese illustrator from Tokyo. OHTANI's creations combine a traditional mindset (iki) with a sense of modern Japanesque "passive demeanor" (wabi), an "elegant simplicity" (sabi), and a "classic taste" (kare). The results give fascinating characters that are a hybrid of Japanimation/manga-comics and design/artistic expression. Find out more about Yoshimi OHTANI at http://ARTas1.com/yoshimi_ohtani.
About the Author
Renae Lucas-Hall is the author of Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories as well as Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story. Renae is an Australian-born British novelist and writer. She spent years studying French, Italian and Japanese because she loves languages and she always wanted to be an interpreter, a teacher or a writer. Renae later graduated from university with a degree in Japanese language and culture. She went on to live in Tokyo for two years, where she taught English. Renae has continued to work with the Japanese for many years. Ten years ago, Renae also completed an Advanced Diploma of Business. Over the past twenty years, Renae has enjoyed visiting Japan many times for work or as a tourist. She continues to love reading and writing anything and everything about Japan. Renae lives in Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom with her husband. You can read more about Renae Lucas-Hall, her books and her writing at www.renaelucashall.com.
Yoshimi OHTANI’s illustrations feature on the book cover and throughout Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories by Renae Lucas-Hall. Yoshimi OHTANI is a renowned Japanese illustrator from Tokyo. OHTANI's creations combine a traditional mindset (iki) with a sense of modern Japanesque "passive demeanor" (wabi), an "elegant simplicity" (sabi), and a "classic taste" (kare). The results give fascinating characters that are a hybrid of Japanimation/manga-comics and design/artistic expression. Find out more about Yoshimi OHTANI at http://ARTas1.com/yoshimi_ohtani.
- GenresJapanShort Stories
210 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2014
About the author
Renae Lucas-Hall
3 books62 followersRenae Lucas-Hall is an Australian-born British novelist and writer. Renae spent many years studying French, Italian and Japanese because she loves languages and she always wanted to be an interpreter, a teacher or a writer. Renae graduated from Monash University in Australia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese language and culture before living and working in Tokyo for two years. Renae has continued to work with the Japanese for many years in Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom. Renae has also completed an Advanced Diploma of Business Marketing at RMIT in Melbourne and at the University of Gloucestershire in the UK. Over the past twenty years, Renae has enjoyed visiting Japan many times for work or as a tourist and these days she continues to love reading and writing about anything and everything related to Japan, whether it be fiction or non-fiction. Renae lives in the Cotswolds in the United Kingdom with her husband and their Siberian husky.
Renae Lucas-Hall's first novel Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story was published with Grosvenor House Publishing in 2012. Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories was published in June 2014 and a futuristic schi-fi novelette Tokyo 2060: Welcome to the Future was released in 2015. Renae is currently working on her fourth book called Tokyo Dreams - this is the sequel to Tokyo Hearts. You can find out more about Renae, her books and her writing at http://www.cherryblossomstories.com/.
Renae Lucas-Hall's first novel Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story was published with Grosvenor House Publishing in 2012. Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories was published in June 2014 and a futuristic schi-fi novelette Tokyo 2060: Welcome to the Future was released in 2015. Renae is currently working on her fourth book called Tokyo Dreams - this is the sequel to Tokyo Hearts. You can find out more about Renae, her books and her writing at http://www.cherryblossomstories.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 8, 2016
I received this book from the author in a giveaway and I'm so happy I got a chance to read it because it is an awesome book!
This is a very easy to read book, with stories for everyone. My favorite one was Homestay Hell.
The illustrations throughout the book are very beautiful as well!
I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes Japan and Japanese culture.
Thank you very much miss Renae!!!!!
This is a very easy to read book, with stories for everyone. My favorite one was Homestay Hell.
The illustrations throughout the book are very beautiful as well!
I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes Japan and Japanese culture.
Thank you very much miss Renae!!!!!
July 28, 2016
I hope you enjoy Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories with illustrations by Yoshimi Ohtani.
November 28, 2018
A truly beautiful book with 15 simple stories about Tokyo life. An easy to pick up and read book that not only has some great short stories, but some nice artwork scattered throughout as well.
June 6, 2019
A charming collection of short stories: perfect for those days when you want something light.
July 16, 2019
What an enjoyable experience to read this collection of Japanese short stories and to gaze at the beautiful illustrations by Yoshimi Ohtani. Varied and imaginative, gentle and relaxing, these stories are especially for those times when you don't want anything too challenging, but still need something well-written.
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February 18, 2024DNF
August 2, 2014
I came across Renae Lucas-Halls “Tokyo Tales…” upon looking for books on Japan / Japanese literature, which I’m really into. It’s been hard to find new books that really speak of contemporary Japan, and since I’ve travelled there a lot – Tokyo in particular – and lived there a few times, I wanted to get something that felt both authentic, in terms of feeling like it captured the world that I encountered when I was there, but also provided me stories that brought to life characters who could show me much more than I’d already experienced.
Lucas-Hall has managed to do all of this and more, brining together fifteen excellent short stories on a range of subjects and with a range of characters – my favourite being the exploration of “kawaii” culture – which means cute for those of you who haven’t been to Japan or heard of that word before” – since it’s such a popular, yet unknown area. And so Lucas-Hall weaves these kind of mysterious tales, not so much as in they are mystery genre, but that she has managed to capture what other authors who write about Japan or base their stories in Japan could only hope to do, which is capturing the essence of what it means to be Japanese. And how do I know this? Well, I’m not Japanese, but the world and the characters that Lucas-Hall writes about in her collection of short stories marries directly to what I experienced, but which I could never hope to put into words myself.
And then to top it all off, to have illustrations throughout the book by an awesome artist by the name of Yoshimi Ohtani, that really added a whole new dimension for me. In short, I feel that anyone who has an interest in Japan needs to get a hold of this book and read these stories now! Recommended!
Lucas-Hall has managed to do all of this and more, brining together fifteen excellent short stories on a range of subjects and with a range of characters – my favourite being the exploration of “kawaii” culture – which means cute for those of you who haven’t been to Japan or heard of that word before” – since it’s such a popular, yet unknown area. And so Lucas-Hall weaves these kind of mysterious tales, not so much as in they are mystery genre, but that she has managed to capture what other authors who write about Japan or base their stories in Japan could only hope to do, which is capturing the essence of what it means to be Japanese. And how do I know this? Well, I’m not Japanese, but the world and the characters that Lucas-Hall writes about in her collection of short stories marries directly to what I experienced, but which I could never hope to put into words myself.
And then to top it all off, to have illustrations throughout the book by an awesome artist by the name of Yoshimi Ohtani, that really added a whole new dimension for me. In short, I feel that anyone who has an interest in Japan needs to get a hold of this book and read these stories now! Recommended!
September 5, 2016
Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories by Renae Lucas-Hall is a collection of 15 short stories centring around an array of unique and interesting characters. This compilation tells stories and events from everyday life to the life changing and magical. Each one possesses its own moral and message. With a wide range of settings, scenes, and characters there is certainly something for everyone.
I enjoyed how Renae Lucas-Hall produced an empathic feeling to her tales, it was easy to understand how the characters were feeling, the choices they faced, and the impact on their lives events had on them. I thought the added bonus of later stories continuing the tale of some earlier introduced characters was a lovely touch. The book itself is written in an array of styles clearly reflecting the author's diversity.
I enjoyed most of the stories found within but the ones which really stuck in my mind were Homestay Hell and A Wife for Kurou, I thought they were both well-written and the characters emotions and reactions very believable given the circumstances they faced.
Being short stories I don't want to spoil the plots but these are perfect read for putting your feet up with a cup of tea, especially if, like myself, you have an interest in the Japanese culture. It will certainly bring new considerations to mind.
I enjoyed how Renae Lucas-Hall produced an empathic feeling to her tales, it was easy to understand how the characters were feeling, the choices they faced, and the impact on their lives events had on them. I thought the added bonus of later stories continuing the tale of some earlier introduced characters was a lovely touch. The book itself is written in an array of styles clearly reflecting the author's diversity.
I enjoyed most of the stories found within but the ones which really stuck in my mind were Homestay Hell and A Wife for Kurou, I thought they were both well-written and the characters emotions and reactions very believable given the circumstances they faced.
Being short stories I don't want to spoil the plots but these are perfect read for putting your feet up with a cup of tea, especially if, like myself, you have an interest in the Japanese culture. It will certainly bring new considerations to mind.
April 19, 2015
Until recently I had never been to Japan. I have now courtesy of Renae Lucas-Hall's Tokyo Tales. The book of fifteen short stories is written with some such love, such joie de vivre, such wit and warmth that you feel that you are walking the streets of the Japanese capital and visiting the bar in Nihonhashi or attending English language classes with Sachiko.
I also know Japanese societal customs thanks to the book. Renae writes with an easy flowing style, which is both beneficial and detrimental – beneficial because the stories are easy to read, detrimental because the stories, being easy to read, slip by quickly and you find yourself a little saddened because you have come to the end.
The illustrations by Yoshimi Ohtani are delightful and you can spend ages just getting lost in them as you imagine their relationship to the characters – is that how you imagined them too?
Still, there are fifteen of them and with Renae Lucas-Hall's obvious talent, more will no doubt be on the way and I, for one, cannot wait. Arigatoo gozaimasu, Renae.
I also know Japanese societal customs thanks to the book. Renae writes with an easy flowing style, which is both beneficial and detrimental – beneficial because the stories are easy to read, detrimental because the stories, being easy to read, slip by quickly and you find yourself a little saddened because you have come to the end.
The illustrations by Yoshimi Ohtani are delightful and you can spend ages just getting lost in them as you imagine their relationship to the characters – is that how you imagined them too?
Still, there are fifteen of them and with Renae Lucas-Hall's obvious talent, more will no doubt be on the way and I, for one, cannot wait. Arigatoo gozaimasu, Renae.
August 28, 2014
I admit, I'm totally obsessed with all things Japan and Japanese culture. Tokyo Tales indulges that obsession for me in written fiction form, and reminded me at times of reading manga and at times of reading an adventure fiction book or old Japanese myth.
Being well acquainted with the cultural ins and outs of Japan, I immediately recognized and delighted in the details Lucas-Hall adds in like referencing the famous ganguro girls and how Japanese girls are the ones who present the gifts on Valentine's Day, not the other way around. Aside from that, these stories are at times cute, at times compelling, and always exciting to read - but my true indulgence here was getting to inhabit Japan and all of its cultural wonders for awhile.
My favorite story in the whole book is probably Ginza Girl, but I truly enjoyed them all. Fellow Nihonophiles, take note - you'll love this original short story collection.
Being well acquainted with the cultural ins and outs of Japan, I immediately recognized and delighted in the details Lucas-Hall adds in like referencing the famous ganguro girls and how Japanese girls are the ones who present the gifts on Valentine's Day, not the other way around. Aside from that, these stories are at times cute, at times compelling, and always exciting to read - but my true indulgence here was getting to inhabit Japan and all of its cultural wonders for awhile.
My favorite story in the whole book is probably Ginza Girl, but I truly enjoyed them all. Fellow Nihonophiles, take note - you'll love this original short story collection.
February 17, 2015
*Received from Goodreads Giveaways
I've always liked all things Japan so the book Tokyo Tales sounded awesome for me. I don't really see many books in my area that talk about Japan, much less in a contemporary way. I like how Tokyo Tales did that: it told modern Japanese tales.
The book itself was easy to read. It consists of 15 stories that each focus on a different part of Japanese culture. I think my favorite story was The Lucky Bar in Nihonbashi which was a ghost story with a hopeful note at the end. There's a story for everyone though because of the range of topics that are talked about.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes Japanese culture and wants a new perspective on it through a series of short stories. I'll probably end up letting my boyfriend borrow it since he likes this stuff too :).
I've always liked all things Japan so the book Tokyo Tales sounded awesome for me. I don't really see many books in my area that talk about Japan, much less in a contemporary way. I like how Tokyo Tales did that: it told modern Japanese tales.
The book itself was easy to read. It consists of 15 stories that each focus on a different part of Japanese culture. I think my favorite story was The Lucky Bar in Nihonbashi which was a ghost story with a hopeful note at the end. There's a story for everyone though because of the range of topics that are talked about.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes Japanese culture and wants a new perspective on it through a series of short stories. I'll probably end up letting my boyfriend borrow it since he likes this stuff too :).
July 27, 2016
Revisited:: I’ve been a fan of Ohtani’s artwork for a few years, so seeing it included with this set was a nice treat. The words and images coupled together complemented each other nicely. Passages and sentences were on the longer side, which didn’t really appeal to me while reading this particular set, but the extra details and descriptions were nice in some areas.
My favorite of the stories was “A Wife for Kurou” (a second being “Homestay Hell”), but otherwise I unfortunately couldn’t bring myself to be interested in the characters; it was hard for me to relate to them. Overall the stories were a neat and interesting look into Japanese culture. They sadly just didn't grip me as much as I would have liked.
My favorite of the stories was “A Wife for Kurou” (a second being “Homestay Hell”), but otherwise I unfortunately couldn’t bring myself to be interested in the characters; it was hard for me to relate to them. Overall the stories were a neat and interesting look into Japanese culture. They sadly just didn't grip me as much as I would have liked.
July 28, 2016
I really enjoyed Tokyo Tales
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews