Miya Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 Hi,Does anyone have any Japanese novels that they can recommend to me? I've studied Japanese for 2 years and I have a pretty good understanding of the language. I think reading Japanese novels will help me improve my Japanese. Any genre is okay, but I'm looking for something I can purchase on Amazon or some other online retailer. Thanks for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akya Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 I loved 阪急電車 "Hankyu Densha" which is a love story about two people riding the same train every day and then falling in love. It's based on a true story and it also became a movie two or three years ago! Definitely check it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguaholic Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 I can recommend about any book from Haruki Murakami. As my Japanese is very basic, I couldn't read any of his novels in Japanese yet, however, those books are even great in English or German. I guess in Japanese they are even better. So my recommendations would be (my favorite novel by Haruki Murakami) is 1Q84 (いちきゅうはちよん). Another great one is Kafka on the shore (海辺のカフカ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czarownica Posted September 20, 2013 Report Share Posted September 20, 2013 My favorite Japanese writer is Natsuo Kirino. She writes psychological thrillers, very good ones, in my humble opinion. I especially recommend "Grotesque" (グロテスク).I also like Murakami, but the other Murakami Ryuu Murakami also writes thrillers. He's well known in Japan, less so outside of it. He wrote "Audition", which was later adapted into a quite famous movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miya Posted September 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I'll definitely look into it and hopefully find something that interests me My professor recommended Murakami Haruki too, but back then my Japanese was not good enough to read his work. Hopefully now I'll be able to understand ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akya Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 I can recommend about any book from Haruki Murakami. As my Japanese is very basic, I couldn't read any of his novels in Japanese yet, however, those books are even great in English or German. I guess in Japanese they are even better. So my recommendations would be (my favorite novel by Haruki Murakami) is 1Q84 (いちきゅうはちよん). Another great one is Kafka on the shore (海辺のカフカ).Slightly off topic I guess, but is "1Q84" a spin off of George Orwell's 1984? Something similar perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miya Posted September 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 ^I'm not entirely sure, but I think Orwell influenced Murakami to write 1Q84. I couldn't find most of the books mentioned here on Amazon (Amazon only sells the English versions) so I might have to stop by my local Kinokuniya to look for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zZJoennZz Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 If you'd like, try light novels like "Haruhi Suzumiya no Yuutsu" or Haruhi Suzumiya series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miya Posted September 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 I'm not really into graphic novels, but thanks anyway for the recommendation . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWL Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 1Q84 is definitely one of my favorites. And yes, the novel is very much inspired by George Orwell. Even when read aloud in Japanese, 1Q84 sounds like 1984! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ang.diwata Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors too. You should try checking Norwegian Wood and Kafka on the Shore. Those two are my favorites among his works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miya Posted June 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Do you know where I can purchase those online? I'm looking for the original Japanese text, not a translation of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddVisions Posted November 12, 2014 Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 I loved 阪急電車 "Hankyu Densha" which is a love story about two people riding the same train every day and then falling in love. It's based on a true story and it also became a movie two or three years ago! Definitely check it out Isn't this also known as Densha_Otoko? It's one of my favorite stories. The guy on the train was a complete otaku. To be fair, he wasn't a creepy one like you see portrayed in the media. I know that the movie is based on a novel but I didn't know it was entitled something other than Densha_Otoko. I'm definitely going to check it out once my kanjii is a little bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AureliaeLacrimae Posted November 26, 2014 Report Share Posted November 26, 2014 I've read Taichi Yamada's In Search of a Distant Voice, in English, but I sure can recommend it. The novel is some 200 pages long (which is not that long, really), has some mystery and elements of the Gothic (a ghostly surreal voice of a woman). It was very inspiring when you try to see in which way these two cultures (the Western and the Eastern) perceive the same. Once the mystery is resolved... we still aren't sure what it is. In his mind only or what? I am curious whether you'll find this interesting. I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddVisions Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 Oh! I believe the Durarara series (which is coming out with a second season for it's anime) originally started off as a series of interesting light novels before it became a manga. I tried to read these light novels but it didn't go so well for me since I don't know enough of the language yet to read comfortably. However, it seems like something you might enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mim Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Isn't this also known as Densha_Otoko?Densha Otoko is a "true story" based on the posts from an internet forum. I have not read the book, but watched the movie :vampire: I do not know much about Hankyu Densha , but I think it is a fictional story written by a novelist. Both of them are love stories and in both stories two people first meet on a train or so :love: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loli Posted September 21, 2023 Report Share Posted September 21, 2023 I don’t know if you need this yet or not, but I can recommend books by my favorite Japanese author, Osamu Dazai. I can also recommend reading any comics or manga to practice Japanese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.