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Read Japanese Literature

33 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 16 ratings

A podcast about Japanese literature and some of its best works

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Episodes

Misogyny and Yukio Mishima, Part 2

February 23, 2024 01:00 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MB

In part two of this two-part episode on misogyny in Japanese literature, we're talking about the life and work of Yukio Mishima, especially by way of his I-Novel, Confessions of a Mask. Check out part one for 400 years of attitudes about women in Japan Woman in modern Japanese literature, especially in the work of some of its most important writers Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available. This episode is rated mature.  CW: misogyny, fictional rape, internalized homo...

Misogyny and Yukio Mishima

February 23, 2024 01:00 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MB

In part two of this two-part episode on misogyny in Japanese literature, we're talking about the life and work of Yukio Mishima, especially by way of his I-Novel, Confessions of a Mask. Check out part one for 400 years of attitudes about women in Japan Woman in modern Japanese literature, especially in the work of some of its most important writers Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available. This episode is rated mature.  CW: misogyny, fictional rape, internalized homo...

Misogyny and Yukio Mishima, Part 1

February 16, 2024 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MB

In part one of this two-part episode, we're talking about misogyny in Japanese literature.  400 years of attitudes about women in Japan Woman in modern Japanese literature, especially in the work of some of its most important writers Check out part two (coming soon) for the life and work of Yukio Mishima, especially by way of his I-Novel, Confessions of a Mask. Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available. This episode is rated mature.  CW: misogyny, fictional rape, inte...

Kenji Miyazawa

January 17, 2024 17:00 - 44 minutes - 30.8 MB

There is no one quite like Kenji Miyazawa. Born into wealth, he longed to be “a real peasant”. One of Japan’s most influential children’s writers, he sold only one story during his lifetime. Read Japanese Literature takes a look at Miyazawa's colorful biography through three of his beloved stories. Miyazawa produced the artwork for this episode. It's a painted titled Power Pole in the Moonlight. Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available. Get in touch at www.readjapanese...

The Stories of Studio Ghibli

November 21, 2023 20:00 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MB

To celebrate the overseas release of The Boy and the Heron (aka How Do You Live?) RJL delves into the stories that inspire animator Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, especially Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Howl’s Moving Castle My Neighbor Totoro We’ll end with a deep dive into Kiki’s Delivery Service—the Ghibli film and the novel by Eiko Kadano (as translated by Emily Balistrieri). Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available. *25,000 total episode downloads! Thank...

Haruki Murakami

October 16, 2023 20:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MB

In this episode, we're talking about one of the most important voices in modern Japanese literature, Haruki Murakami. His biography Why so many people have such strong feelings about his writing And his short story "TV People" We'll end with what I like best about this much loved (and much hated) author. Notes and sources on the episode page. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Li...

Japanese Children's Literature

September 05, 2023 11:00 - 45 minutes - 31 MB

In this episode, we're talking about Japanese children's literature. The history of children’s literature in general The history of children’s literature in Japan And Sachiko Kashiwaba and Temple Alley Summer—a story that is about Japanese children’s literature (at least a little bit!) Notes and sources on the episode page. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

Translating Japanese to English, Part 2

August 08, 2023 19:00 - 54 minutes - 37.2 MB

How does a book make it from the mind of a Japanese author into the hands of an English-language reader? In part 2 of this 2-part episode, we'll tackle the question, “How do Japanese books get translated into English?" What kinds of choices do translators make when they present a Japanese-language text to English-language readers? We're still looking at at Minae Mizumura's An I-Novel, translated into English by Juliet Winters Carpenter, and we'll end with some philosophical and ethical que...

Translating Japanese to English, Part 1

June 29, 2023 17:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MB

How does a book make it from the mind of a Japanese author into the hands of an English-language reader? In part 1 of this 2-part episode, we'll tackle the question, “Why do some Japanese books get translated into English?" How do publishers decide what gets translated? How do they decide what doesn’t get translated. And we'll take a look at Minae Mizumura's An I-Novel, translated into English by Juliet Winters Carpenter. Please note that this episode mistakenly claims author Astrid Lindgr...

SF! Japanese Science Fiction

April 25, 2023 16:00 - 45 minutes - 31.3 MB

In this episode, we’re talking about Japanese science fiction. The history of the genre. SF in Japan. Breakthrough feminist sci-fi writer Izumi Suzuki. Plus loads of SF stories, including Suzuki’s “Night Picnic”. CW: suicide Transcript, notes and sources at the podcast episode page.  Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

Writing from Okinawa

April 14, 2023 20:00 - 45 minutes - 31 MB

In this episode, we're talking about writing from Okinawa. The history of the Ryukyu Islands, especially the Battle of Okinawa. The evolution of writing from Okinawa. And the life life and work of author and activist Shun Medoruma, especially his Akutagawa-winning story "Droplets". CW: forced suicide (historical), violence (historical and fictional), historical rape Correction: This episode claims Hokkaido is Japan's largest island.  I know better and misspoke. My apologies.Honshu is Japan...

Fukushima Fiction

March 06, 2023 17:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MB

On March 11, 2011, at 2:46pm, one tectonic plate forced its way on top of another 45 miles (or 72 km) off the Eastern coast of Japan. It caused a 9.0 magnitude megathrust earthquake that lasted about six minutes. The Great East Japan Earthquake triggered a tsunami—a great wave—that may have reached heights up to 133 feet (more than 40 meters).  The earthquake and tsunami also disabled the reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, causing several reactors to melt...

Sexlessness in Japanese Fiction

February 13, 2023 01:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MB

This episode is marked mature. Today we'll explore two trends in contemporary Japanese fiction: Protagonists who don’t want to have sex And women who want to have babies anyway. To take a closer look at these trends, we’re going to ask a couple of questions about contemporary Japan: What is “celibacy syndrome”? Does it even exist? What role does motherhood play in a shrinking society? And how do sexlessness and motherhood play out in 21st-century Japanese fiction? We’ll end with a cl...

The Akutagawa Prize and Kobo Abe

January 27, 2023 15:00 - 43 minutes - 29.8 MB

The Akutagawa Prize is probably Japan’s most celebrated literary award. To better understand the Akutagawa Prize and its place in modern Japanese literature, we’ll start with an introduction to the history of “literary” fiction in Japan. Then we’ll move on to the history of the Akutagawa Prize itself, from its creation in 1935 through its most recent winners. And then we’ll finish with a look at the life and career of Kobo Abe including his most famous book, The Woman in the Dunes. (CW: ...

Japanese Magical Realism

January 06, 2023 14:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MB

Magical realism is a literary genre famous for unexplained fantastical encounters that pop-up in the otherwise everyday world. Today, we’re going to take a look at magical realism in Japanese fiction. We’ll start with defining magical realism, including a look at why that term is difficult and why some people think of it as controversial. Then we’ll turn to the history of magical realism in Japan and take a closer look at the work of Tomihiko Morimi, especially The Night Is Short, Walk on...

Cats in Japanese Literature

November 28, 2022 19:00 - 42 minutes - 29 MB

Today, we’re going to look at cats in Japanese literature. We’ll start with the history of cats in Japan. We’ll move on to cats in Japanese folklore and fiction, including the work of Haruki Murakami. And finally we’ll end with a discussion of our readers' choice, “The Town of Cats” by Sakutaro Hagiwara. Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Become an RJL supporter for seven minutes of bonus content. Support this podcast by buying from Bookshop.org Get in touch at www.read...

The Smile of the Mountain Witch

October 25, 2022 18:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MB

In this episode… Is she a man-eating crone? Is she a lonely wanderer? Or is she a sensual matriarch? However you define her, she’s the yama-uba—Japan’s legendary mountain witch. Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Donate to RJL's Patreon. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

Writing about Japan's "Have-Nots"

September 22, 2022 17:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MB

In this episode… Post-bubble Japan. The history of socially-conscious Japanese literature. And Yu Miri’s Tokyo Ueno Station, a powerful examination of Tokyo by one of the most invisible people imaginable—the ghost of a homeless day laborer. Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Donate to RJL's Patreon. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

Translating Japanese Women

September 01, 2022 18:00 - 42 minutes - 29.4 MB

In all our episodes so far, we’ve talked almost exclusively about what Japanese literature looks like in Japan. But we’re English-speakers and English-readers on an English-language podcast about Japanese literature in English. In honor of Women in Translation Month, we’re talking about why there is such a wealth of contemporary books by Japanese women available in English. Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Donate to RJL's Patreon. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterat...

Banana and the Bubble

August 23, 2022 18:00 - 45 minutes - 31 MB

In this episode, we’re talking about Japan’s bubble economy of the 1980s and the work of Banana Yoshimoto. Runaway consumer spending. Everything kawaii. A Nobel laureate’s contempt. And a young author whose career challenged the publishings powers that be. Content warning: This episode addresses transphobia as well as hate crimes against Asian Americans and trans women. Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Pat...

Literature of Change in the 1960s—Mishima and Oe

August 14, 2022 23:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MB

Today, we’re talking about the literature of change in the 1960s—how writers took on questions about what it meant to be Japanese in the post-war era and what was the continuing role of Japanese tradition. We’re looking especially at Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe. *This episode incorrectly states that Kenzaburo Oe was born in 1925. He was born in 1935. Content warning: This episode addresses fascism and suicide. Notes and sources at the podcast episode page. Get in touch at www.readjap...

Japanese Literature in WWII

July 12, 2022 15:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MB

Today we’re talking about the 1930s and 40s in Japan—fascism, World War Two, and the American Occupation. In particular, how did 20 years of censorship shape Japanese literature? We're also taking a look at the life and work of Akiyuki Nosaka, whose novella, "Grave of the Fireflies" inspired the classic anime film. We'll discuss his short story, "The Cake Tree in the Ruins". Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on P...

The I-Novel, Osamu Dazai, and No Longer Human

June 23, 2022 14:00 - 41 minutes - 28.8 MB

Today, we’re talking about the I-Novel—the highest form of literature in Japan in the 1910s and 20s. It’s a genre one American scholar describes as “perhaps the most striking feature of modern Japanese literature.” And it’s a genre Haruki Murakami claims to have an allergy to. We’ll also be looking at the life and work of Osamu Dazai and asking, “What does it take to get disqualified as a human being?” Content warning: This episode addresses addiction, rape, suicide, and misogyny. Notes...

Taisho Magazines and Akutagawa’s Vision of Hell

May 31, 2022 18:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MB

The father of the Japanese short story shares his dark vision about what it means to be an artist. We’re taking a look at Japan in the 1910s and 1920s, the era of the Taishō Democracy and the heyday of Japan’s literary magazines and serial novels. Content warning: This episode addresses addiction, suicide, and sexual assault. Notes and sources at the podcast episode website. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All ...

The Women Writers of Meiji Japan

May 06, 2022 19:00 - 37 minutes - 26.2 MB

Last episode, we talked about the coming of the West and the way it impacted Japanese literature. This time we’re talking about women as they take up a prominent position in the story of Japanese literature for the first time in almost 1000 years. Special focus on Ichiyō Higuchi and her best-beloved story "Takekurabe". Please note that this episode mistakenly attributes quotes from Higuchi’s diary to translator Melek Ortabasi. The translations are by Kyoko Omori. Notes and sources are av...

Meiji Literature and Japan’s Most Famous Literary Cat

April 13, 2022 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MB

In this episode, we’re looking at the Meiji Era of Japanese history and its literature. The shogunate is replaced. Japan looks outward to the West and inward toward itself. And a man named Natsume Sōseki chronicles it all from the perspective of a stray cat. Notes and sources are available on the podcast episode webpage. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

Kaidan—Japan’s Ghost Stories

February 26, 2022 00:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MB

In this episode, we’ll be talking about Ueda Akinari and his Tales of Moonlight and Rain, some of the most influential Japanese ghost stories ever written. - A raging intellectual debate - A supernatural party game - And a friend just dying to keep his promises For notes, links to the suggested reading, and an illustration of Okiku, please visit the episode's webpage. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content ©...

High and Low Literature in Edo Japan

February 08, 2022 17:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MB

How does “this fleeting world” transform from a Buddhist precept to a name for the red-light district? What did reading look like in early Modern Japan? And how many dildos does a man need to pack for a trip to the Island of Women? For notes, links to the suggested reading, and an illustration of sailing to the Island of Women, please visit the episode's webpage. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 20...

Setsuwa and Medieval Japanese Buddhism

January 13, 2022 21:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MB

Enjoy the story of a vengeful would-be lover who turns into a 40-foot snake, a sharp-witted woman with criticisms of her husband’s equipment, and a curmudgeonly Buddhist priest who learns to love poetry. In this episode, we’re talking about setsuwa—medieval Japanese anecdotes. Many of them originate as Buddhist preaching, so we’ll also take a look at “Kamakura Buddhisms”: Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren.  For notes, links to the suggested reading, and a great picture of Kiyohime as a fire-brea...

Yoshitsune Ballads and Tomoe Drama

December 21, 2021 16:00 - 32 minutes - 22.1 MB

We're talking about two central genres of Medieval Japanese literature—the warrior ballad and Noh drama. We’ll see two characters from The Tale of the Heike again, including the valiant female warrior Tomoe. This time, she's a mournful ghost. https://readjapaneseliterature.com/2021/12/22/episode-4-yoshitsune-ballads-and-tomoe-drama/ Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

The Tale of the Heike

December 04, 2021 18:00 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MB

The great samurai epic and the rise of the samurai class. Visit this episode's webpage for information on buying the book and resources for further reading. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

The Tale of Genji

October 06, 2021 11:00 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MB

The world's oldest novel. A hero who is a paragon of beauty with an extreme Oedipus complex. (CW: sex, rape, incest, pedophilia.) Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

The Kojiki

September 29, 2021 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MB

Gods having sex, founding of the imperial dynasty, and some of the origins of WWII. Plus thoughts on the role of women in early Japanese history. Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com. Support RJL on Patreon.com. Buy your books from Bookshop.org. All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.