The Japan Society Review

By Haruki Murakami The book reads more like a fleshed-out short story than a true novel. This is giving the work a refreshing simplicity and leanness that Murakami hasn’t adopted since his early works such as [...] Review by Chris Corker

By Inoue Hisashi The structure of the book involves a tale within a tale, a jigsaw compilation of the mysterious story-teller’s persona, an old man living in the mountain cave of the title, and that of his avid listener the narrator. Review by Jack Cooke

Mike Sullivan interviews actress Yuriri Naka, one of the stars in the movie 'All That Remains'. Interview by Mike Sullivan

Directed by Ryohei Watanabe The movie has a narrative by the main character Misa Kumada. From the beginning it is clear that the main story follows her past experiences at high school while infrequently we see her as an adult in [...] Review by Mike Sullivan

Edited by Yuka Igarashi Granta Literary Magazine has released an edition focusing exclusively on Japan and its culture. Combining fiction and photo exhibitions, this volume offers something exciting and unfamiliar for those [...] Review by Chris Corker

Mike sullivan interviews violinist Midori Komachi following the release of her debut album. Interview by Mike Sullivan

This is the fifth year of the Terracotta Far East Film Festival and it gets bigger and better each time. This year’s press event allowed us to get a preview of the line up of movies as well as see their trailers. Review by Mike Sullivan

By Edogawa Rampo The detective, Akechi Kogorō is very much moulded in the image of Sherlock Holmes, on the one hand quick and ingenious, on the other eccentric and haughty. When taken to an extreme, Kogorō’s lack of humility [...] Review by Chris Corker

Four centuries ago King James I gave Japan its very first telescope. Sadly, the original telescope has been lost to the mists of time, but as part of the Japan400 celebrations in 2013 to mark four centuries since the first official encounter, a new telescope was constructed using traditional methods. Article by Sean Curtin

By Sharon Kinsella This sociological study contains interesting material about aspects of the life of young women in modern Japan. The reader needs to bear in mind that Japan remains a male chauvinist society and Japanese women [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi