Books set in Japan (291)


Find more books set in Japan by genre:
81.

Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa EN

0 Ratings
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
A tale of twisted love from Yoko Ogawa—author of The Diving Pool and The Housekeeper and the Professor. In a crumbling seaside hotel on the coast of Japan, quiet seventeen-year-old Mari works the front desk as her mother tends to the off-season customers. When one night they are forced to expel a middle-aged man and a prostitute from their room, Mari finds herself drawn to the man's voice, in what will become the first gesture of a single long seduction. In spite of her provincial surroundings, and her cool but controlling mother, Mari is a sophisticated observer of human desire, and she sees ... continue

82.

Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa EN

Rating: 3 (7 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
A bombshell bestseller in Japan, a defiant, darkly funny debut novel about a young woman in a care home seeking autonomy and the full possibilities of her life—“not only a major achievement in disability literature but great literature period” (Johanna Hedva) “Uproariously funny, unflinching, and merciless.”—Mariana Enriquez, author of Our Share of Night “Unforgettable.”—Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman “A sly whirlwind of madness and brilliance.”—Weike Wang, author of Chemistry A Most Anticipated Book of 2025: Vulture, Publishers Weekly, BBC, Ms. Magazine, AnOther Magazine, Ra... continue

83.

I Am a Cat by Sōseki Natsume EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
Though the total book is held together by the continuing theme of a nameless cat's observations on upper middle-class Japanese society of the Meiji era, its essence is in the humor and the sardonic truth of these various observations.

84.

Idol, Burning by Rin Usami EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
"Akari is a high school junior obsessed with "oshi" Masaki Ueno, a member of the popular J-Pop group Maza Maza. She writes a blog devoted to him, and spends hours addictively scrolling for information about him and his life. Desperate to analyze and understand him, Akari hopes to eventually see the world through his eyes. It is a devotion that borders on the religious: Masaki is her savior, her backbone, someone she believes she cannot survive without-even though she's never actually met him. When rumors surface that her idol assaulted a female fan, social media explodes. Akari immediately beg... continue

85.

If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura EN

Rating: 4 (8 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
A moving tale of loss and reaching out to the ones we love. Our narrator’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage for company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer: in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week . . . Because how do you decide what makes life worth living? In dealing with the Devil our narrator will take himself – and his ... continue

86.

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles EN

Rating: 3 (3 votes)
Country: Europe / Spain flag Spain
Description:
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 2 MILLION+ COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb According to the J... continue

87.

Inheritance from Mother by Minae Mizumura EN

0 Ratings
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
Award-winning novelist Minae Mizumura demystifies the notion of the selfless Japanese mother and the adult daughter honor-bound to care for her. Mitsuki Katsura, a Japanese woman in her mid-fifties, is a French-language instructor at a private university in Tokyo. Her husband, whom she met in Paris, is a professor at another private university. He is having an affair with a much younger woman. In addition to her husband’s infidelity, Mitsuki must deal with her ailing eighty-something mother, a demanding, self-absorbed woman who is far from the image of the patient, self-sacrificing Japanese ma... continue

88.

Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination by Edogawa Rampo, James B. Harris EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
For contents, see Author Catalog.

89.

Journey Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
When a man is found murdered in an abandoned building in Osaka in 1973, unflappable detective Sasagaki is assigned to the case. He begins to piece together the connection of two young people who are inextricably linked to the crime; the dark, taciturn son of the victim and the unexpectedly captivating daughter of the main suspect. Over the next 20 years we follow their lives as Sasagaki pursues the case - which remains unsolved - to the point of obsession.

90.

Kafka am Strand by Haruki Murakami DE

Rating: 3 (3 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
Der Held in diesem Entwicklungs- und Liebesroman heisst Kafka Tamura und ist fünfzehn Jahre alt. Er läuft von zu Hause fort, um der stärkste 15-Jährige der Welt zu werden. Eine kafkaeske Reise voller Mythen und Mysterien beginnt.