Anime fans, too, are becoming new readers of Dazai Osamu in part due to shows like Bungo Stray Dogs. The show’s writer, Kafka Asagiri, was deeply inspired by No Longer Human and based much of the anime’s themes on those found in Dazai’s work. buff.ly/7UzmvkK

Learn more about Mizuki Tsujimura and her novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror in RJL’s latest episode.

Folks keep trying to claim the Japanese don’t really read/write stories about cats—it’s just a phenomenon in translation. 1.) We get a misrepresentative number of cat stories in translation. 2.) There are still a hell of a lot of cat stories written in Japanese! “Yes and…”, my friends.

RJL Season Five is here! In this episode, we look at bullying in Japanese literature. -Bullying in Japanese schools + the Japanese workplace -Examples in Japanese novels. -Mizuki Tsujimura and her novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror, trans Philip Gabriel Transcript on the episode page.

My third #WorldKidLitMonth post at #SCBWI: The Blog. About translating a children's novel that has been translated before. (And being influenced despite myself!) scbwi.blogspot.com/2025/09/worl...

Mostly finished editing Bullying in Japanese Literature—about damn time. 🫠 Meanwhile... I was grateful for @kathrynthehuman.bsky.social's review of Mizuki Tsujimura's Yami-Hara and the explanation of Shadow Bullying. I've read the novel and it was fun to talk about it in the episode.

Aprospros of nothing... Learn more about the effects of rising fascism on Japanese literature with the RJL podcast. The episode ends with a close read of Genzaburo Yoshino's brave 1937 anti-fascist children's novel about why beauty is important and why standing up to bullies matters.

I saw a post by someone asking, how you can tell if a translation is good if you don't know the other language? How do you know it's the officially writer and not the translator you like/don't like?

Translators! Let me know if I've missed your work!

Check out RJL's refreshed list of Free-to-Read Japanese Fiction. Click on "Hiromi Kawakami" and you'll see what RJL 2.0 is working toward. All her books. Important podcast episodes. At the bottom, every time she's mentioned on the site—including where she appears in anthologies!

Happy release day to Leo Elizabeth Takada's new Osamu Dazai collection, Retrograde.

I reviewed Miss Ruki for @asianreviewofbooks.bsky.social: “Those who are willing to live outside of what society dictates make for memorable characters, as do characters who can fall down and keep getting up again. Time… has no effect on Miss Ruki.”

RJL recommends Aoko Matsuda’s The Woman Dies (trans Polly Barton). It’s Matsuda’s first fresh translation into English since Where the Wild Ladies Are.

Hello everyone, I'm Helen McCarthy. I've been researching anime, manga and Japan since 1981 and my first book was published in 1992. A dozen books since, two more in 2026, cosplay history and talks. Follow me for anime/manga titbits, snippets about Japan, recommendations, daily poems and fun stuff!

Today in the ARB: Mahika Dhar reviews “Retrograde” by Osamu Dazai @1peacebooks asianreviewofbooks.com/retrograde-b...

The season 5 premiere, Bullying in Japanese Literature, has been recorded!

Honestly, I am having fun with the little posts for the TeaTime book club channel for Dilemmas. Join up, it's fun if you've already read it or not! Or even if you just want to know a little about late 1990s Japan! www.instagram.com/p/DOERxI3icX...

Join the Japan-America Society of TN on Sept 24 from 6-7pm CDT on Zoom for Reading Between the Lines hosted by Yurina Yoshikawa. Yurina will explore People from My Neighborhood by Hiromi Kawakami, trans Ted Goossen. Hiromi Kawakami is one of Japan's most popular contemporary novelists. Register 👇

In a frankly wild turn of events, Dilemmas of Working Women has been selected as the September title for Dakota Johnson(!)'s TeaTime Book Club! I was asked to write a few messages that will be posted in the Book Club's Insta channel throughout the month. Join up! www.instagram.com/p/DOERxI3icX...

“A single white egg rattled around the bottom of a small pot. At the local Miyoshi Mart, a carton of ten cost 198 yen—the cheapest option around here.” Read from Natsuo Kirino’s novel Swallows, translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda.

Bestselling Japanese author Mizuki Tsujimura on a UK book tour 9-12 October: London, Sheffield, Cheltenham! Info and ticket links at #JapanFoundationLondon jpf.org.uk/whatson.php?...

My second #WorldKidLitMonth post at #SCBWI: The Blog. A look at taking translated #kidlit on a book tour! 🙏 @pageonem.bsky.social, @japansociety.org, @kalyanisaxena.bsky.social, @katemilford.bsky.social, @authorgracelin.bsky.social, @vromansbookstore.bsky.social scbwi.blogspot.com/2025/09/worl...

"A hot topic this #WorldKidLitMonth is AI... concerns are rising that AI may be perceived as an acceptable alternative to human translators. As one such translator, I say nay! But you don’t have to take my word for it..." @averyudagawa.bsky.social 😊 scbwi.blogspot.com/2025/09/ai-w... #kidlit #scbwi

Thank you for this wonderful, sensitive review 🥰

A booklist of Japanese Stories about Bullying The booklist goes with RJL's upcoming episode on the same topic.

A booklist of Japanese Stories about Bullying The booklist goes with RJL's upcoming episode on the same topic.

Publication day! This was one of the hardest stories I’ve ever translated, both for the language and content. It’s also one of the most important stories I’ve translated. I hope as many people as possible will read it and reflect on the reality of war. #booksky #translation #literarytranslation

On the blog today is my book review of Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka. It has been translated from Japanese by @ginnytkmr.bsky.social This is a new edition publishing by @penguinclassicsusa.bsky.social today and is well worth reading.

Both evoke the archetype of the yamamba, too. They're feisty old ladies with *power* and drawing any kind of parallel between Sophie and Yubaba places Sophie squarely within the complicated Japanese tradition of (starting in the 20th C) morally-ambiguous mountain witches. Sophie even *opts* in.

Happy N American publication day (yesterday) to Aoko Matsuda's The Woman Dies (trans Polly Barton). These are short stories on "often-thorny subjects" with "an inventiveness and quirky humor that keep these stories on the thrilling cusp between seriousness and levity". UK+ release next month.

Rie Qudan's controversial Akutagawa winner Sympathy Tower Tokyo debuted in North America yesterday (trans Jesse Kirkwood). It's controversial for the author's unapologetic use of AI in her writing, her to create a voice for an AI character. It debuted in the UK+ earlier than 1st announced, Aug 21.

Happy publication day yesterday (N America) and tomorrow (UK+) for Syou Ishida's We'll Prescribe You Another Cat (trans E. Madison Shimoda). The Kokoro Clinic for the Soul reopens in this delightful follow-up...

September is World Kids' Lit Month. Read Japanese Literature has an episode all about Japanese children's literature, author Sachiko Kashiwaba, and her novel Temple Alley Summer.

Folks, I’m checking in with my webmaster about why the direct links are broken. 🫠 I’ll repost when fixed. For now, you can go to the podcasts page and scroll down to episode 27 if you’re eager to check out Japanese Kids’ Lit right away.

September is World Kids' Lit Month. Read Japanese Literature has an episode all about Japanese children's literature, author Sachiko Kashiwaba, and her novel Temple Alley Summer.

Ahh! I'm elated to share that The Dilemmas of Working Women has received a really thoughtful, overwhelmingly positive review at the Washington Post! I'm pretty over the moon about it ✨ The reviewer really seems to get what Yamamoto's going for, which is so gratifying

Happy birthday to Mieko Kawakami! Learn more about Kawakami with the RJL podcast.

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Happy birthday to Mieko Kawakami! Learn more about Kawakami with the RJL podcast.

My review of Fumio Takano’s Miss Ruki (trans Alexa Frank): “Those who are willing to live outside of what society dictates make for memorable characters, as do characters who can fall down and keep getting up again. Time, as Ecchan notes, has no effect on Miss Ruki.”

Japan's greatest superhero was created by a one-armed cartoonist Mizuki Shigeru lost his arm in WWII His wartime experiences inspired some of the greatest works in manga history. His museum is a poignant rejection of war, xenophobia and celebrates diversity. open.substack.com/pub/tokyopal...

Like Fumio Takano’s Miss Ruki (trans Alexa Frank).

My review of Fumio Takano’s Miss Ruki (trans Alexa Frank): “Those who are willing to live outside of what society dictates make for memorable characters, as do characters who can fall down and keep getting up again. Time, as Ecchan notes, has no effect on Miss Ruki.”

Happy birthday to Kenji Miyazawa! Celebrate with the RJL podcast.

"Have you tried translating a children’s book into English? Can YOU help bring more of the world into English-language children’s literature?" A rousing call to #translation action from @hatbooks.bsky.social at #SCBWI: The Blog: scbwi.blogspot.com/2025/08/tran...

RJL 2.0 is now available!

RJL's website is down for an EXCITING reason! Version 2.0 is coming very, very soon. ☺️

Happy N American release day to Mizuki Tsujimura's Lost Souls Meet under a Full Moon (trans Yuki Tejima), part I of the Go-Between series. Mizuki Tsujimura is also the focus author of RJL's next episode—coming soon.

For fans of RJL’s episode about the history of the yamamba in Japanese literature!

😬