Japanese Light Novel Book Club discussion
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AllisonWonder
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Jun 05, 2015 06:14AM
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It's great that you can use three (if include English, four) language and also try to read in Japanese. To be honest, I hardly knew the names you said above. XD (For Yasunari Kawabata, Yukio Mishima, and Murakamis, I know only their names, for others, I didn't know even their names. Two Murakamis are Haruki and Ryu, aren't they?)
Yes, I meant these two Murakami :pIf you dont know Yoko Ogawa yet I can only recommand her writings to you. I like her writing style a lot. Like Murakami she always creates a mysterious atmosphere for her stories.
I didn't know her, but I watched the movie of The Professor and His Beloved Equation actually. I'll try other story someday too.
@SallyWho wow, you read Mineko Iwasaki... I loved her book Geisha A life. Unfortunately, I can't really speak multiple languages. but, I feel like it was still a great read. I mean I like how in the book (english translated), it describes her character change from a child hiding in the closet to an adult who's really involved in the outside world...IDK, I like seeing growth.
umm, I'm still new to the japanese lit genre/culture. but SallyWho, or anyone for that matter have , you read Danjuro's Girls, by Loren Edelson? for some reason it makes me think of Mineko...oh, and I loved reading Beautiful Boys Outlaw Bodies, by Katherine Menzur.
I mean one of the things that I like reading in japanese culture is the subtleties in the art. like in Mineko's book there are pictures of her hair ornaments and a brief little blurb on how the coral hair pin was used to detect poison in drinks. but, with Beatiful Bodies.. there's this whole thing on the meaning of slowly unraveling the Obi and how the gold tint in a grandmothers character's hair, shows her own subtle power...considering the borrowing of confucian beliefs from China. women in early japanese history didn't have a strong role like men. but, in theater it shows the respect for elders...yet, goes beyond that because that fine gold dust in the wig brings the viewer's attention to the grandmother. it's not for the sake of just acknowledging her. but, really to..at least I think remind us that grandmothers have words that impact us. that she-a female in the plot-can pull the strings from behind the scenes...
sort of like how in- I think-Tsuruya Nanboku IV's Yotsuya Kaidan. we don't see the female Oiwa's power, until her husband betrays her by seeking another woman's attention, and killing her off. yet, she finds sort of a power in death... a vengeful ghost if you will. and it's funny because in Confucian belief we have this idea of harmony and women-at least in the sung dynasty, china-being in the domestic sphere. Yet, they were respected because women were viewed as equal parts to man in giving and holding life...so, like when Oiwa's is taken, it goes against that philosophy yet reinforces death, because once that harmonies gone her husband's life falls...
well sorry for talking so much. I just got excited when I heard mineko's name.
@Elysia No unfortunatly I have not read any of the books you talked about. Though, after hearing your opinion about them I would love to give them a try!
I read and adored 'Geisha a Life'. Just like you said it is impressive how the little girl grew up and 'evolved' over the time. Generally, I am interested in the life and education of meikos and Geishas. In this context, I also read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.
As it seems, you like philosophy :p Then I can only recommand you
'Je suis un Chat' de Natsume Soseki (I don't know the english title but you can easily find it on internet)
'Je suis un Chat' de Natsume Soseki (I don't know the english title but you can easily find it on internet)
SallWho wrote: "'Je suis un Chat' de Natsume Soseki (I don't know the english title but you can easily find it on internet)"OH my gosh, ironically, I'm just starting that book now.
wish I could talk about it now, but I literally picked it up today...hmmm. hopefully when I get some time next week I can start it.
And yes, I do like philosophy, but I wouldn't say I'm a know it all...quite frankly, Sallywho I'm impressed with your knowledge of Japanese Lit and would love to hear more from you.
Maybe I think "Je suis un Chat" is "I Am a Cat", and it's being nominated for the poll for our next group read.I never thought I'd hear Yotsuya Kaidan here. :)
By the way, we have hot days recently, don't we? In Japanese summer, sometimes we tell horror stories to make our blood run cold and feel cool (Yotsuya Kaidan is like one of them). Is there such a culture in other country? If there is, I want to hear stories you guys know. :)
(If we could do Hyakumonogatari (a hundred horror stories), it would be interesting.)
wait, @Fanta, I'm a tad confused. Are you making a Japanese culture reference, or are you talking about an event that occurs here...so, sorry to ask.
but, I just find the idea of telling scary stories to cool off the blood neat.On another note, @Fanta, I'm glad you know of Yotsuya Kaiden. I found out about it through the anime Samurai Horror tales. But, other than that I'm having trouble finding I guess a good place to read more in depth about it. I mean I can find origin info, but I'd love to learn more about the actual tale itself.
Would you have any ideas for where I could read it, Fanta?
@Elysia and Fanta : Oh yes, it would be really interesting to know something more about the subject. I love horror stories even if I get frightened really fast :p
in my country we don't really have such a 'tradition' but we often tell some freaky or horror tales around bonfires, made in the woods, during hot sommernights while grilling some marshmallows haha :p that is kinda funny too
Elysia wrote: "wait, @Fanta, I'm a tad confused. Are you making a Japanese culture reference, or are you talking about an event that occurs here...so, sorry to ask.but, I just find the idea of telling scary stori..."Regarding Hyakumonogatari, I refer to a Japanese culture and then talk about an event everyone here would bring stories to like Hyakumonogatari (if we could).
Yotsuya Kaidan seems to have some versions. I suppose Tsuruya Nanboku's one is famous but it's Kabuki, so even Japanese has difficulty learning it without seeing the play. I found some websites that have Yotsuya Kaidan, but they're Japanese sites. Though I haven't watched Samurai Horror tales, the anime covers almost the whole story because outlines are same in any versions, I think. :)
SallWho wrote: "@Elysia and Fanta :
Oh yes, it would be really interesting to know something more about the subject. I love horror stories even if I get frightened really fast :p
in my country we don't really ha..."
Bonfire look very interesting. I know Walpurgis night a little, it seems to be wonderful.
Can anyone help me understand how Book reading functions in this group? Is there a separate thread for it?I think most of the Japanese books need discussion. I found most of them multi-layered.
Fanta wrote: "Maybe I think "Je suis un Chat" is "I Am a Cat", and it's being nominated for the poll for our next group read.I never thought I'd hear Yotsuya Kaidan here. :)
By the way, we have hot days recent..."
At the beginning-of-winter holiday of "All Hallows Eve" -Halloween -(October 31st in the northern hemisphere) out come the ghostly stories. In this tradition it is when the veil between our world and the world of spirits is at its thinnest, so it's the best time to speak to your ancestors and have a meal with them. Scary ghosts cross over too, to terrorise people. Better to dress up as a monster and hide yourself amongst them and keep safe. That's why there are so many spooky, scary Halloween special programs and movies on TV at that time. TV has replaced the tradition of us actually telling each other the stories.
There are lots of popular ghost stories. The Vanishing Hitchhiker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanishin...
I also know Bloody Mary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_M...
I remember as a little girl with my friends, standing in front of the bathroom mirror on Halloween with a candle saying "Bloody Mary" three times. Do girls still do that these days, I wonder? I'm not THAT old!
Oh yes, the famous Bloody Mary legend. I guess it is famous nearly everywhere. I know about it and my friends tried it when we were younger. Honestly, I never dared to try it out myself. I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to such things xD haha.
SallWho wrote: "Oh yes, the famous Bloody Mary legend. I guess it is famous nearly everywhere. I know about it and my friends tried it when we were younger. Honestly, I never dared to try it out myself. I'm a bit ..."I only did it while being egged on by friends. Peer pressure LOL.
Hahaha, my friends and I got screamed at in third grade for sneaking into the classroom bathroom during indoor recess and trying it, because one of the other girls turned her eyelids inside out before we came out and it freaked the teacher out. She flipped them while we were all going, "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary...." so that when the lights went on, she could scream and we'd all see the eyelids. XDI think her prank was better than the legend itself.
Allison wrote: "Hahaha, my friends and I got screamed at in third grade for sneaking into the classroom bathroom during indoor recess and trying it, because one of the other girls turned her eyelids inside out bef..."That is awesome! Cool friend.
Megha wrote: "Can anyone help me understand how Book reading functions in this group? Is there a separate thread for it?I think most of the Japanese books need discussion. I found most of them multi-layered."
Maybe if you want to discuss a book, you should do here or make a new thread for it, I think. I could be misunderstanding and saying strange things. :)
H. wrote: "Allison wrote: "Hahaha, my friends and I got screamed at in third grade for sneaking into the classroom bathroom during indoor recess and trying it, because one of the other girls turned her eyelid..."
Though I've heard stories like it, I didn't know the name Bloody Mary itself. Speaking of a talking to the mirror, at first we Japanese may imagine Snow White. I've heard the story that a demon shows in the deepest part of the coupled mirror too.
H. wrote: "Halloween"
In Japan, Halloween isn't familiar. If someone did "trick or treat", they'd be ignored or given the police. XD
Mod
Fanta wrote: "Though I've heard stories like it, I didn't know the name Bloody Mary itself. Speaking of a talking to the mirror, at first we Japanese may imagine Snow White. I've heard the story that a demon shows in the deepest part of the coupled mirror too."Ah yes, Snow White. I think mirrors have that meaning of "telling the truth" in many stories. That's why you can't see vampires in mirrors. The mirror shows the truth of the monster. It has no soul so can't be seen.
Fanta wrote: "In Japan, Halloween isn't familiar. If someone did "trick or treat", they'd be ignored or given the police. XD "
Ha ha ha yes, I think if I had knocked on all my Japanese neighbours doors saying "Trick or treat," dressed in a scary costume they would have called the police for sure! ^_~
Although, it was interesting to find Halloween goods appearing in the shops in Japan when it's not really celebrated over there. Like Christmas in Japan, I guess it was more just a commercial, shopping thing.
Hi everyone. I had a very frightening experience the other day. It was a Web Manga written in English on a Korean site and short enough to finish within three minutes. Would you like some cool feeling in these hot days? (Maybe famous, you may have already seen it.)
here
Very frightening, please be careful.
Fanta wrote: "Hi everyone. I had a very frightening experience the other day. It was a Web Manga written in English on a Korean site and short enough to finish within three minutes. Would you like some cool fee..."
Haaaa, I jumped reading that, and hadn't expected to at all! Maybe the scare technique was cheap, but it was effective.
Fanta wrote: "Hi everyone. I had a very frightening experience the other day. It was a Web Manga written in English on a Korean site and short enough to finish within three minutes. Would you like some cool fee..."
That was a good one. Thanks for sharing it.
I was expecting everything but not that! :p
I was expecting everything but not that! :p
Mod
Would you like some cool fee..."
I've heard of that one! I'm actually kind of scared to read it. ^^;;; It's supposed to be super scary.
Selena wrote: "Fanta wrote: "Hi everyone. I had a very frightening experience the other day. It was a Web Manga written in English on a Korean site and short enough to finish within three minutes. Would you like..."
(view spoiler)
How long is the loan period of a library? In Japan usually it's 2 weeks, while I heard in other countries 4 weeks, envy.
Mod
The library I used to go to was 3 weeks until late last year, when it switched to 2. The one I go to now has always been 2 weeks on books, but 1 week on DVDs and such.
At my local library it's 4 weeks and we can borrow 20 items on one card. In rural W.A. demand isn't as high as it might be in say, a library in Tokyo, so our rules are a bit more easygoing. The problem is our choice is limited.
We can borrow 20 items on one card too!Also in the U.S. there are 2 weeks libraries, I see.
I have the impression overseas libraries are likely to appear in fantasy novel, which look like a cathedral. I want to visit. :)
Fanta wrote: "We can borrow 20 items on one card too!Also in the U.S. there are 2 weeks libraries, I see.
I have the impression overseas libraries are likely to appear in fantasy novel, which look like a cathe..."
Cool! Maybe in the US/Europe the libraries look pretty but in Australia they are more like office buildings. Not that nice to look at. I never visited a library in Japan. I imagine they have all the latest technology :-)
Though it depends on the library, speaking of technology, I can remember just that people can search books by PC. XD Buildings are normal too! Recently there is a topic of e-books in the library. If books are changed to e-books, we don't have to wait to borrow them, and maybe loan period becomes longer too. (Or rather, we don't have to return?)
Fanta wrote: "Though it depends on the library, speaking of technology, I can remember just that people can search books by PC. XD Buildings are normal too! Recently there is a topic of e-books in the library. I..."Actually, at the university where I go and their library, eBooks are way less convenient than real books. I got 1Q84 for the group read from them and can keep it until December, but e-books are 2 weeks with a waiting list for popular ones. (Plus, the formatting is bad.) >_<
I do get manga from interlibrary loans, and in that case, it's a normal loan time- two weeks to a month.
Allison wrote: "I got 1Q84 for the group read from them and can keep it until December, but e-books are 2 weeks with a waiting list for popular ones. "A waiting list? Does it mean you have to wait to get it for 2 weeks? I thought the library can lend ebooks to any number of people because they're easily copied.
Fanta wrote: "Allison wrote: "I got 1Q84 for the group read from them and can keep it until December, but e-books are 2 weeks with a waiting list for popular ones. "A waiting list? Does it mean you have to wai..."
The system that the school went with protects publishers by only lending the ebook to one person at a time. It's a popular service, so it's hard to get popular books from them- asking other libraries for a hard copy is quicker.
Even for ebooks, people can't borrow the same book at a time. A little pity.EDIT: I had only a user's viewpoint. It's difficult. :)
So FYI if anyone is reading SAO Progressive 2, THE EDITORS NOTE AT THE END HAS MAJOR BOOK 14 SPOILERS ON IT, DO NOT READ THEM(unless of course you have already read that book).
Mod
Who all in this group is a Goodreads librarian?
In the first place, I don't know what a Goodreads librarian is... (and also if I am one...)
Mod
To be one, you need to apply to be one. So if you haven't applied, you probably aren't one lol.
I'm a librarian, I tend not to like to add new books but I do fix small things when I run across them. Or like adding the book to the series because whoever set them up didn't or whatever.
I heard school in western countries usually starts from September, right? While in Japan it starts from April. I wonder.
Mod
Well, part of it is Japan has school all year round with several shorter breaks throughout. The US pretty much has a large break over the summer with a shorter break around the Christmas holidays, so end of summer (late August or early September) makes more sense.
Doesn't US have Spring break? About 1 to 2 weeks.
Mod
Selena wrote: "Summer Break is 3 months"Very astonished. It's about two times ours.
Japanese Light Novel Book Club
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