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Reading lists

The best books to hunker down with this autumn

japanese fiction

The best Japanese fiction in translation

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon

A beautifully written novel about hope and kindness, unfashionable perhaps in its simple positive message and all the better for it

Displaying a matter-of-fact approach to the fantastical that recalls early Haruki Murakami, Tsujimura’s novel is an enchanting read

Mizuki Tsujimura (Author) MIZUKI TSUJIMURA is the much-loved author of million-copy-bestselling mystery and puzzlebox novels. Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon explores our relationship with the memories of deceased loved ones and what gives our lives meaning. It was made into a high-budget Japanese-language film and won a newcomer award. Its sequel, How to Hold Someone in Your Heart, was also a huge bestseller, cementing the appeal of Tsujimura’s unique combination of emotion, mystery and magic. She is the author of the groundbreaking novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror, which was also adapted for anime and manga and which combines real-world fantasy with important themes of mental health and friendship. Tsujimura has won many awards, including the Japan Booksellers' Award and the Naoki Prize, and is published worldwide. English-language editions of many of her works, including True Mothers and Arrogance and Virtue (now a major Japanese-language) are due to be published soon. Yuki Tejima (Translator) Yuki Tejima is the translator of Mizuki Tsujimura’s Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon and How to Hold Someone in Your Heart, Kumi Kimura’s Someone to Watch Over You, and the follow-up to Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s bestselling memoir, Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel.

Adored by readers, the million-copy Japanese magical realist mystery for fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD 
 
If you could meet any dead person of your choosing for one night, who would it be? 
 
When Hirase, a young woman from Tokyo arranges an appointment with The Go-Between, she doesn't expect a teenager to show up. Dressed preppy-style in a duffel coat and carrying a notebook, he communicates with the dead - at least, this is what Hirase has pieced together from the Internet - offering them a chance to travel back into the real world. 
 
He quickly lays down some ground-rules: you are allowed only one meeting with the dead, for a single night; the dead person must not have been called back by anyone else before, plus they have the right to refuse. Lastly, the service is entirely free. 
 
Four more characters will enlist the Go-Between for an emotional encounter with the dead. 
 
What is the mystery behind this smart young man with the notebook and why does he insist on meeting in, of all places, a freezing cold hospital carpark? 
 
Utterly unique and soul-stirring, THE GO-BETWEEN explores the wonder of life, the magic of the ordinary and the importance of friendship and always making amends, from Japan's best-loved magical realist mystery author.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

A surge of Japanese women are redefining their nation's literature

Strange and beautiful. Imagine the offspring of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle with The Virgin Suicides

A moving, reflective and surprising novel... anyone who has ever struggled with feeling isolated, had difficulties at school, or had mental health struggles, will find this novel to be a cleansing balm.

Neat twists and a genuinely affecting denouement. A story of empathy, collaboration and sharing truths,  this is 'a modern, all-ages fairy tale' that should appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman and Studio Ghibli animations

There's a warmth to her writing, and Tsujimura has a mature ability to allow the story to speak for itself without narrative

An original and tender blend of social commentary and magical realism

Mizuki Tsujimura (Author) MIZUKI TSUJIMURA is the much-loved author of million-copy-bestselling mystery and puzzlebox novels. Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon explores our relationship with the memories of deceased loved ones and what gives our lives meaning. It was made into a high-budget Japanese-language film and won a newcomer award. Its sequel, How to Hold Someone in Your Heart, was also a huge bestseller, cementing the appeal of Tsujimura’s unique combination of emotion, mystery and magic. She is the author of the groundbreaking novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror, which was also adapted for anime and manga and which combines real-world fantasy with important themes of mental health and friendship. Tsujimura has won many awards, including the Japan Booksellers' Award and the Naoki Prize, and is published worldwide. English-language editions of many of her works, including True Mothers and Arrogance and Virtue (now a major Japanese-language) are due to be published soon. Philip Gabriel (Translator) Philip Gabriel is the author of Mad Wives and Island Dreams: Shimao Toshio and the Margins of Japanese Literature and Spirit Matters: The Transcendent in Modern Japanese Literature and has translated many novels and short stories by Haruki Murakami and other modern writers. He is recipient of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature (2001) for his translation of Senji Kuroi’s Life in the Cul-de-Sac, and the 2006 PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize for his translation of Murakami's Kafka on the Shore.

For fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD, fairy tale and magic are weaved together in sparse language that belies a flooring emotional punch. 
 
'Strange and beautiful. Imagine the offspring of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle with The Virgin Suicides' GUARDIAN 
'Genuinely affecting. A story of empathy, collaboration and sharing truths' FINANCIAL TIMES 
 
Translated by Philip Gabriel, a translator of Murakami 
_______________________________ 
 
Would you share your deepest secrets to save a friend? 
 
In a tranquil neighbourhood of Tokyo, seven teenagers wake to find their bedroom mirrors are shining. 
 
At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives to a wondrous castle filled with winding stairways, watchful portraits and twinkling chandeliers. In this new sanctuary, they are confronted with a set of clues leading to a hidden room where one of them will be granted a wish. But there's a catch: if they don't leave the castle by five o'clock, they will be punished. 
 
As time passes, a devastating truth emerges: only those brave enough to share their stories will be saved. 
 
Tender, playful, gripping, LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR is a mesmerizing tale about the importance of reaching out, confronting anxiety and embracing human connection. 
 
 
Readers love LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR: 
 
***** 'This book has become one of my favourite Japanese reads of all time . . . A magical heartfelt read that will stay with you' 
***** 'Unexpected, beautiful and heart-breaking . . . this is a work of fiction which reaches into the heart of a modern problem and has valuable insight' 
***** 'Rich and vivid.This book is a symbol that 'there is always hope'

Arrogance and Virtue

THE MULTI-AWARDWINNING MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER by the author of Lonely Castle in the Mirror and Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon 
 
A Japanese re-imagined PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - the eye-opening tale of what it's like to find your perfect spouse in a judgemental, pressurised world 
 
________ 
 
Mami and Kakeru, an engaged couple in their late thirties, are looking forward to their wedding. Then Mami goes missing. 
 
She had warned him about her stalker months ago. Now Kakeru worries he didn’t pay enough attention. 
 
Wracked with worry, he visits Ms Onazato, a business-minded matchmaker with an uncanny knack for knowing who suits who. Together, they resolve to uncover where Mimi has gone. 
 
But there is always another side to the story… 
 
What pushed Mami to take such desperate measures? And who – or rather what – was she trying to escape? 
 
A fascinating character-led mystery set in the goldfish bowl of the dating world, told from dual points of view, exploring why high expectations and self-doubt can drive one couple apart, and how courage and honesty can help them find a solution. 
 
Japanese readers love ARROGANCE AND VIRTUE: 
‘I read it on one sitting. Such an unexpected ending for me’ ***** 
‘The more I read, the more I couldn’t put it down’ ***** 
‘More than just a book about relationships, it went so deep’ ***** 
‘A highly immersive work and you can’t help empathising’ ***** 
 
 
Made into a blockbuster Japanese-language movie in September 2024

Mizuki Tsujimura (Author) 
MIZUKI TSUJIMURA is the much-loved author of million-copy-bestselling mystery and puzzlebox novels. Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon explores our relationship with the memories of deceased loved ones and what gives our lives meaning. It was made into a high-budget Japanese-language film and won a newcomer award. Its sequel, How to Hold Someone in Your Heart, was also a huge bestseller, cementing the appeal of Tsujimura’s unique combination of emotion, mystery and magic. She is the author of the groundbreaking novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror, which was also adapted for anime and manga and which combines real-world fantasy with important themes of mental health and friendship. Tsujimura has won many awards, including the Japan Booksellers' Award and the Naoki Prize, and is published worldwide. English-language editions of many of her works, including True Mothers and Arrogance and Virtue (now a major Japanese-language) are due to be published soon. 
 
Yumi Tanaka (Translator) 
Yumi Tanaka has been a professional manga translator since 2017. She was shortlisted for the 6th JLPP International Translation Competition in 2021. After growing up abroad, she returned to Japan to attend Chiba University two years after Mizuki Tsujimura entered the same school, so maybe - just maybe - the two might have literally crossed paths decades ago, before one became an author and the other, one of her translators.

THE MULTI-AWARDWINNING MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER from the author of Lonely Castle in the Mirror and Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon 
 
A Japanese re-imagined PRIDE AND PREJUDICE of a soon-to-be-wed couple, whose reality is turned upside down when one of them goes missing. 
_________ 
 
Mami and Kakeru, an engaged couple in their late thirties, are looking forward to their wedding. Then Mami goes missing. 
 
She had warned him about her stalker months ago. Now Kakeru worries he didn’t pay enough attention. 
 
Wracked with worry, he visits Ms Onazato, a business-minded matchmaker with an uncanny knack for knowing who suits who. Together, they resolve to uncover where Mimi has gone. 
 
But there is always another side to the story… 
 
What pushed Mami to take such desperate measures? And who – or rather what – was she trying to escape? 
 
A fascinating character-led mystery set in the goldfish bowl of the dating world, told from dual points of view, exploring why high expectations and self-doubt can drive one couple apart, and how courage and honesty can help them find a solution. 
 
_____________ 
 
Japanese readers love ARROGANCE AND VIRTUE: 
‘I read it on one sitting. Such an unexpected ending for me’ ***** 
‘The more I read, the more I couldn’t put it down’ ***** 
‘More than just a book about relationships, it went so deep’ ***** 
‘A highly immersive work and you can’t help empathising’ ***** 
 
 
Made into a blockbuster Japanese-language movie in September 2024

Mizuki Tsujimura

Yuki Tejima

Delving into themes of grief, closure and acceptance, this poignant and heartfelt meditation from the bestselling Japanese author is simply magical

Book Two in the LOST SOULS series of a young man with special powers to connect the living with the afterlife. For fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD and LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR 
____ 
 
The much-anticipated follow-up novel to Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon picks up seven years later with go-between Ayumi, a young man caught between the demands of everyday life and his extraordinary gift: reuniting the living with the dead. 
 
Ayumi has a rare and mysterious ability, inherited from his grandmother. During a full moon and guided by strict rules, he arranges meetings between souls who have passed and those they left behind. However, after years in this role, Ayumi begins to question its meaning and the impact it has had on his life. As he juggles his supernatural calling with his full-time job as a toy designer in Tokyo, Ayumi quietly wonders if he will ever find the peace he so often helps others attain. Meanwhile, he assists five individuals, including: a rising film star who seeks closure with the father who abandoned him; a passionate amateur historian longing to meet a forgotten 16th-century warlord; and a former cook whose repeated requests to visit an upper-class woman in the afterlife have been denied—but who refuses to give up on love. 
 
Luminous, magical, and deeply heartwarming, How to Hold Someone in Your Heart is an unforgettable novel from bestselling storyteller Mizuki Tsujimura and a profound meditation on living without regret, embracing the unexpected, and cherishing the fleeting moments we’re given. 
 
Readers adore it: 
‘Warms your heart’ ***** 
‘I can’t express how good this is. Made me feel the weight of human life’ ***** 
‘The relationship with the dead, the messengers, the clients, and the existence of fate – it all felt so intimate to me’ ***** 
'As good as the first book' *****

Mizuki Tsujimura

Books by Mizuki Tsujimura

Series by Mizuki Tsujimura

Lost Soul Series

Articles featuring Mizuki Tsujimura

The best books to hunker down with this autumn

The best Japanese fiction in translation

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