Comments on Chirashi: A Japan Culture Blog: Popular Hits of the Showa Era by Ryu Murakami Give...

Thank you Wendy, and thank you random ^^ So intere...

2010-11-08T22:48:06.799-08:00

Thank you Wendy, and thank you random ^^ So interesting!

Thanks to everyone for posting comments on the blo...

2010-11-08T06:44:27.775-08:00

Thanks to everyone for posting comments on the blog and entering the contest. The two randomly drawn winners are: myunoyume and Benedict! Please contact me at INFO AT WENDYTOKUNAGA DOT COM with your postal mail address so I can send you your book!

Thanks, Roland!

2010-11-07T08:22:15.291-08:00

Thanks, Roland!

Hey, Wendy. I interviewed Ryu a couple of times, ...

2010-11-06T23:41:09.282-07:00

Hey, Wendy. I interviewed Ryu a couple of times, including once for a segment on Japanese youth for NPR: http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2009/02/06/segments/122465
Does that help?
best,
RK

I recently saw the movie 69 which is based on a Mu...

2010-11-06T12:06:04.900-07:00

I recently saw the movie 69 which is based on a Murakami Ryu novel! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/69_(film)

Very entertaining stuff! I've never actually read any of this books though... I think I'm missing out.

Got into Ryu during a Modern Japanese lit course i...

2010-11-06T08:26:59.228-07:00

Got into Ryu during a Modern Japanese lit course in college where we read In the Miso Soup and Almost Transparent Blue (need to reread both of these). Read Piercing a few weeks ago, that's a hard book to put down. Found this site while looking for a book to read with my lady friend (settled on Ubik by PHilip K. Dick), Coin Locker Babies is one I've always been meaning to read, so that will be at the top of my list in the next month or so (after I finish The Road and Ubik). Ryu definitely has a style all his own.

"Almost Transparent Blue" was the first ...

2010-11-06T07:35:56.833-07:00

"Almost Transparent Blue" was the first post-war modern Japanese novel I picked off the library shelves for myself in college. It definitely left an impression. I still need to read "Coin Locker Babies"
I like Murakami Takashi, too. From what I have read so far, I don't really get all the hype about Murakami Haruki.

Loved Almost transparent blue & in the miso so...

2010-11-06T03:13:04.742-07:00

Loved Almost transparent blue & in the miso soup, enjoyed piercing & audition & have. Coin locker babies in my TBR, so this will have to go on the list also.
Thanks, Parrish.

When I started becoming interested in Japan and Ja...

2010-11-04T23:16:03.299-07:00

When I started becoming interested in Japan and Japanese culture, the first author I red was actually Murakami Ryu. And what an introduction to modern Japan... I was 17 and "Almost Transparent Blue" was a shock to me, in a good way. Far away from what we hear about Japanese traditions and reserve, but so right when we start to learn more about Japan. Then, over the years, I red Coin Locker Babies and Kyoko, and it was always so surprising readings. I saw the movie Tokyo Decadence but not ready yet to see Audition, this author is constantly renewing ideas in transgression. So I am really curious to read his new novel, and may be thanks to you Wendy ^^

I've only read Almost Transparent Blue which s...

2010-11-04T05:16:53.225-07:00

I've only read Almost Transparent Blue which shocked me with it's graphic violence and subject matter. Considering I read it over ten years ago, I still remember it clearly which shows what a powerful writer Murakami Ryu is. I've also watch the film version of 69 which I enjoyed very much. Currently I'm reading Volcano by Shusaku Endo. I first read The Samurai earlier this year which I thought was beautifully written.

I haven't read his book yet even though I have...

2010-11-04T02:06:08.497-07:00

I haven't read his book yet even though I have heard how well known he is :) My favorite author is Lian Hearn, whose novels "Trilogy Otori Clan" are about samurai :)

I haven't read Ryu Murakami yet, but he's ...

2010-11-03T15:59:47.101-07:00

I haven't read Ryu Murakami yet, but he's on my to-read list. Haruki Murakami is my favorite Japanese author. Right now, I'm currently reading Takami's Battle Royale.

Coin Locker Babies has to have one of the most biz...

2010-11-03T10:07:28.042-07:00

Coin Locker Babies has to have one of the most bizarre (and some might say, sickening) opening lines of any Japanese book I've read. But don't let that put you off as this is an absorbing read. The first book I read by Murakami Ryu was his debut novel 'Almost Transparent Blue', a brilliant portrayal of dissolute youth and utterly believable.

I've read and loved Coin Locker Babies, Almost...

2010-11-02T17:16:18.268-07:00

I've read and loved Coin Locker Babies, Almost Transparent Blue and Audition. Ryu has a dark humor I really appreciate. I'd been meaning to get to In the Miso Soup but kind of forgot about it until reading about his new book on this blog. Thanks for the memory jog!

My husband and I actually just watched the film ve...

2010-11-01T22:14:46.106-07:00

My husband and I actually just watched the film version, "Karaoke Terror" tonight and we enjoyed it. I think if you are relying mainly or only on the English translation and have not spent much time in Japan you might not get all the references. It's very cultural-specific, very black humor and very tongue-in-cheek. :-)

I've been a big Murakami fan since "Almos...

2010-11-01T22:09:22.190-07:00

I've been a big Murakami fan since "Almost Transparent Blue" too and, speaking of which there's also a film adaptation of that book too. I've been trying to get the chance to watch it for a duo film-book review on my own blog (vcinemashow.com), but I already have a massive backlog of projects. Of his books, I've actually been most influenced by "69". It's really not much of a story, but taught me to loosen up my writing style when I was younger.

There seems to be something about this name Muraka...

2010-11-01T17:09:30.301-07:00

There seems to be something about this name Murakami in the creativity factor. :-)

The Murakami who interests me these days is Muraka...

2010-11-01T17:07:22.772-07:00

The Murakami who interests me these days is Murakami Takashi: the manga-based painter/sculptor whose work is now in the Versailles Palace. http://bit.ly/bl0E9c

One of the books by Ryu Murakami which deeply move...

2010-11-01T16:29:23.204-07:00

One of the books by Ryu Murakami which deeply moved me was Coin Locker Babies. I read it for one of my Japanese Literature Challenges, can't remember which right now, but I'll never forget the book. The whole idea of the babies being abandoned, and what it did to their psyche, was fascinating. As a person who was adopted myself, although not in such dire circumstances, I found myself able to relate to a lot of their emotional pain and unresolved issues. I plan on reading In The Miso Soup one day, as I hear so much of that novel.

One has to love Japanese literature and authors; they are able to express themselves, and tell a story, in a way unlike any other genre.

Errol, I hear ya! I do not like all of Haruki Mura...

2010-11-01T12:41:13.087-07:00

Errol, I hear ya! I do not like all of Haruki Murakami's books by far. I'm more partial to the love stories (e.g. "Norwegian Wood," "South of the Border, West of the Sun," etc.) as opposed to the more fantastical and off-the-wall. :-)

I am the rare reader who is not ga-ga over Murakam...

2010-11-01T09:44:37.908-07:00

I am the rare reader who is not ga-ga over Murakami Haruki- I think there is a reason he is not that popular with his Japanese audience! But I have heard great things about Murakami Ryu- a shame I have not gotten around to reading him. Perhaps I should start with Popular Hits of the Showa Era!

I've never gotten around to reading any Muraka...

2010-10-31T13:04:25.544-07:00

I've never gotten around to reading any Murakami Ryu, but I love Murakami Haruki and Kawabata Yasunari. The style and themes of the two balance each other out beautifully, to my mind, Murakami Haruki describing modern Japan, and the magic one can find in everyday modern life, while Kawabata provides a glimpse into the elegance of a more traditional Japan, and the magical or spiritual ambiance that comes with that. Each of them provides a wonderful break, or change of pace, from the other.

But I've been eager to read more Japanese literature, and especially to try out new authors such as Murakami Ryu.

I've read "Soup" and also "Audi...

2010-10-31T10:03:37.575-07:00

I've read "Soup" and also "Audition", the latter from which Takashi Miike's infamous movie was created. The movie they made from this book was pretty terrible ("Karaoke Terror"), but I'm curious to see what the original novel was like.

Almost Transparent Blue was the first book that fi...

2010-10-31T09:42:18.354-07:00

Almost Transparent Blue was the first book that fiction that I read by any Japanese author. It got me started on reading Japanese fiction,modern and classics

Looks like I've got to read Coin Locker Babies...

2010-10-31T09:14:44.517-07:00

Looks like I've got to read Coin Locker Babies!