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Strange Weather in Tokyo

By Hiromi Kawakami
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Brief Description
Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when, one night, she happens to meet her former high school teacher, "Sensei," in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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An award-winning novel from one of Japan's most exciting literary voices: a short, simple and touching story of an unlikely love that blossoms across generations, and between seasons

An award-winning novel from one of Japan's most exciting literary voices: a short, simple and touching story of an unlikely love that blossoms across generations, and between seasons

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when, one night, she happens to meet her former high school teacher, "Sensei," in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower.

After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake. As the seasons pass—from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms—Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love.

Strange Weather in Tokyo is perfectly constructed, warmly funny, and deeply moving.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781803513140

Publisher: Granta Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 June 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Granta Books

Contributors:

  • Translated by Allison Markin Powell

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 192

Collections

Education & Reference Fiction General Fiction Hiromi Kawakami Literary Fiction

About the Author

HIROMI KAWAKAMI is one of Japan's most popular contemporary novelists. She is the recipient of the Pascal Short Story Prize for New Writers, the Akutagawa Prize, the Ito Sei Literature Award, the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize and the Joryu Bungaku Sho (Women Writers' Prize). Strange Weather in Tokyo won the Tanizaki prize, was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize, and has been translated into thirteen languages.

ALLISON MARKIN POWELL is a literary translator and editor in New York City. She has translated works by Osamu Dazai, Kaho Nakayama, and Motoyuki Shibata, and was the guest editor for the first Japan issue of Words Without Borders.

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