Seven books, seven very different Japans - with translators doing as much quiet work as the authors. A gentle way in past the one Murakami novel everyone's already read.
Kafka on the Shore
Haruki Murakami
Strange Weather in Tokyo
Hiromi Kawakami
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
Hiro Arikawa
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
Satoshi Yagisawa
Sweet Bean Paste
Durian Sukegawa
Kokoro
Natsume Soseki