Can anyone suggest a good novel set in contemporary Japan?

Question

I like Alan Brown's "Audrey Hepburn's Neck" & Peter Tasker's "Samurai Boogie," etc.

Answer 1

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami
When tour guide Kenji is hired by Frank, an American with bizarre habits, to show him the seamier side of Tokyo's nightlife, the man's strange behavior leads Kenji to suspect that he is the serial killer that has been terrorizing the area.
******
Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara

Running away from home into an unfettered new existence within Japan's underground youth culture, eighteen-year-old Liu befriends the seductive, body-pierced Ama and mysterious tattoo artist Shiba.

Answer 2

Anything by Haruki Murakami - all worth a read, but not necessarily giving a sense of modern Japan. His stuff is timeless, otherworldly.
But all worth a read, even the books about his books are worth reading. For a reality check, see his non fiction "after the earthquake, or the stories about the poison gas attacks on the subways...If you're a Noir fan, try Akimitsu Takagi, books like "honeymoon to nowhere" Sort of a Japanese version of Raymond Chandler stories...

Search by author on amazon.com

Answer 3

I recommend Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (Banana Yoshimoto Megan Backus). This is a great novel, but it is sometimes disturbing because it addresses how quickly a culture can be lost by the influence of other cultures. You can find good prices on this novel and others by Yoshimoto at www.abebooks.com .

Answer 4

Kafka on the Shore. by by Haruki Murakami ...a dreamy intellectual novel. He's a featured New Yorker writer. Enjoy !

Answer 5

It depends what you mean by contemporary. Kasua Ishiguru has written two wonderful books that I've read that take place in post WWII Japan. One is ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD and the other is A PALE VIEW OF HILLS.

Answer 6

I agree with the others-The ususal suspects are all good-Banana Yoshimoto, Haruki Murakami, Ryu Murakami.

Answer 7

starting to be Up Ethnic In united states of america: present day Fiction approximately getting to grasp to Be American edited by making use of Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Jennifer Gillan you will chortle, you will cry, you will understand what it potential to be American. i'm 15 years previous, and that i do no longer comprehend if i'm truly qualified to respond to this question, yet i'm obdurate, and that i comprehend a sturdy e book when I examine one. So please, a minimum of evaluate this.