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(Note: if the author is not Japanese, the book is not Japanese. Edit: This has generally been interpreted to exclude also authors of Japanese descent who have grown up elsewhere, so please vote for them on other lists instead.)
| 1 | Norwegian Wood by 4.03 avg rating — 286,990 ratings | Rate this book |
| 2 | Kafka on the Shore by 4.13 avg rating — 257,227 ratings | Rate this book |
| 3 | The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by 4.17 avg rating — 193,268 ratings | Rate this book |
| 4 | Battle Royale by 4.24 avg rating — 48,805 ratings | Rate this book |
| 5 | Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by 4.15 avg rating — 94,897 ratings | Rate this book |
| 6 | 1Q84 by 3.91 avg rating — 174,612 ratings | Rate this book |
| 7 | Out by 3.92 avg rating — 20,758 ratings | Rate this book |
| 8 | Kitchen by 3.85 avg rating — 40,872 ratings | Rate this book |
| 9 | After Dark by 3.70 avg rating — 94,857 ratings | Rate this book |
| 10 | Sputnik Sweetheart by 3.82 avg rating — 94,245 ratings | Rate this book |
| 11 | A Wild Sheep Chase (The Rat, #3) by 3.95 avg rating — 78,896 ratings | Rate this book |
| 12 | South of the Border, West of the Sun by 3.87 avg rating — 75,774 ratings | Rate this book |
| 13 | The Woman in the Dunes by 3.91 avg rating — 18,603 ratings | Rate this book |
| 14 | Snow Country by 3.68 avg rating — 16,621 ratings | Rate this book |
| 15 | Dance Dance Dance (The Rat, #4) by 4.04 avg rating — 58,626 ratings | Rate this book |
| 16 | Kokoro by 4.01 avg rating — 14,941 ratings | Rate this book |
| 17 | The Tale of Genji by 3.72 avg rating — 9,432 ratings | Rate this book |
| 18 | No Longer Human by 4.09 avg rating — 14,242 ratings | Rate this book |
| 19 | Rashōmon and Seventeen Other Stories by 4.13 avg rating — 5,498 ratings | Rate this book |
| 20 | Grotesque by 3.68 avg rating — 8,544 ratings | Rate this book |
| 21 | The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by 3.89 avg rating — 15,238 ratings | Rate this book |
| 22 | I Am a Cat by 3.71 avg rating — 7,040 ratings | Rate this book |
| 23 | The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by 3.98 avg rating — 10,067 ratings | Rate this book |
| 24 | In the Miso Soup by 3.58 avg rating — 16,135 ratings | Rate this book |
| 25 | Confessions of a Mask by 3.92 avg rating — 12,335 ratings | Rate this book |
| 26 | The Housekeeper and the Professor by 3.94 avg rating — 25,344 ratings | Rate this book |
| 27 | Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by 3.84 avg rating — 28,162 ratings | Rate this book |
| 28 | Spring Snow by 4.15 avg rating — 10,316 ratings | Rate this book |
| 29 | After the Quake by 3.78 avg rating — 34,055 ratings | Rate this book |
| 30 | Thousand Cranes by 3.76 avg rating — 8,001 ratings | Rate this book |
| 31 | Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by 3.84 avg rating — 115,032 ratings | Rate this book |
| 32 | The Makioka Sisters by 4.03 avg rating — 5,344 ratings | Rate this book |
| 33 | A Personal Matter by 3.88 avg rating — 8,587 ratings | Rate this book |
| 34 | Silence by 4.08 avg rating — 21,074 ratings | Rate this book |
| 35 | Musashi by 4.46 avg rating — 13,396 ratings | Rate this book |
| 36 | The Pillow Book by 4.02 avg rating — 5,325 ratings | Rate this book |
| 37 | Beauty and Sadness by 3.85 avg rating — 7,029 ratings | Rate this book |
| 38 | Goodbye Tsugumi by 3.70 avg rating — 7,568 ratings | Rate this book |
| 39 | Ring (Ring, #1) by 3.82 avg rating — 13,259 ratings | Rate this book |
| 40 | The Devotion of Suspect X (Detective Galileo, #1) by 4.11 avg rating — 24,642 ratings | Rate this book |
| 41 | The Elephant Vanishes by 3.87 avg rating — 34,872 ratings | Rate this book |
| 42 | Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by 3.90 avg rating — 13,163 ratings | Rate this book |
| 43 | Coin Locker Babies by 3.68 avg rating — 7,002 ratings | Rate this book |
| 44 | The Sound of Waves by 3.76 avg rating — 9,582 ratings | Rate this book |
| 45 | Naomi by 3.69 avg rating — 4,281 ratings | Rate this book |
| 46 | Botchan by 3.59 avg rating — 7,526 ratings | Rate this book |
| 47 | Real World by 3.40 avg rating — 5,907 ratings | Rate this book |
| 48 | Asleep by 3.75 avg rating — 7,692 ratings | Rate this book |
| 49 | The Sound of the Mountain by 3.92 avg rating — 4,942 ratings | Rate this book |
| 50 | In Praise of Shadows by 4.10 avg rating — 9,057 ratings | Rate this book |
| 51 | Runaway Horses by 4.17 avg rating — 4,207 ratings | Rate this book |
| 52 | Geisha, a Life by 3.93 avg rating — 17,631 ratings | Rate this book |
| 53 | Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window by 4.32 avg rating — 21,001 ratings | Rate this book |
| 54 | Amrita by 3.62 avg rating — 4,694 ratings | Rate this book |
| 55 | N.P by 3.56 avg rating — 7,289 ratings | Rate this book |
| 56 | The Master of Go by 3.85 avg rating — 3,413 ratings | Rate this book |
| 57 | The Setting Sun by 3.83 avg rating — 4,969 ratings | Rate this book |
| 58 | The Silent Cry by 3.85 avg rating — 2,533 ratings | Rate this book |
| 59 | Audition by 3.46 avg rating — 7,037 ratings | Rate this book |
| 60 | The Old Capital by 3.78 avg rating — 3,511 ratings | Rate this book |
| 61 | The Box Man by 3.65 avg rating — 3,766 ratings | Rate this book |
| 62 | Goth by 4.13 avg rating — 1,838 ratings | Rate this book |
| 63 | Some Prefer Nettles by 3.64 avg rating — 2,925 ratings | Rate this book |
| 64 | Snakes and Earrings by 3.17 avg rating — 3,702 ratings | Rate this book |
| 65 | The Book of Tea by 3.84 avg rating — 8,487 ratings | Rate this book |
| 66 | Almost Transparent Blue by 3.25 avg rating — 7,944 ratings | Rate this book |
| 66 | Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by 3.81 avg rating — 3,188 ratings | Rate this book |
| 68 | Hear the Wind Sing (The Rat, #1) by 3.58 avg rating — 13,821 ratings | Rate this book |
| 69 | Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror, Vol. 1 by 4.31 avg rating — 12,510 ratings | Rate this book |
| 70 | Forbidden Colors by 3.93 avg rating — 2,490 ratings | Rate this book |
| 71 | The Samurai's Garden by 4.13 avg rating — 20,586 ratings | Rate this book |
| 72 | Dark Water by 3.60 avg rating — 2,888 ratings | Rate this book |
| 73 | The Confessions of Lady Nijō by 3.93 avg rating — 458 ratings | Rate this book |
| 74 | Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by 3.91 avg rating — 2,932 ratings | Rate this book |
| 74 | House of the Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories by 3.67 avg rating — 5,576 ratings | Rate this book |
| 76 | The Three-Cornered World by 3.88 avg rating — 1,966 ratings | Rate this book |
| 77 | Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination by 4.06 avg rating — 2,780 ratings | Rate this book |
| 78 | The Diary of Lady Murasaki by 3.84 avg rating — 1,276 ratings | Rate this book |
| 79 | Shipwrecks by 3.97 avg rating — 1,761 ratings | Rate this book |
| 80 | The Decay of the Angel by 4.14 avg rating — 2,730 ratings | Rate this book |
| 81 | Tales of Moonlight and Rain by 3.87 avg rating — 1,450 ratings | Rate this book |
| 82 | The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by 3.71 avg rating — 3,990 ratings | Rate this book |
| 83 | Black Rain by 3.99 avg rating — 2,910 ratings | Rate this book |
| 84 | The Waiting Years by 3.91 avg rating — 1,442 ratings | Rate this book |
| 85 | Death in Midsummer and Other Stories by 4.08 avg rating — 2,859 ratings | Rate this book |
| 86 | The Temple of Dawn by 3.88 avg rating — 2,927 ratings | Rate this book |
| 87 | Kamikaze Girls by 4.20 avg rating — 1,368 ratings | Rate this book |
| 88 | Sanshirō by 3.81 avg rating — 2,756 ratings | Rate this book |
| 89 | Palm-of-the-Hand Stories by 3.99 avg rating — 2,280 ratings | Rate this book |
| 90 | Masks by 3.68 avg rating — 1,959 ratings | Rate this book |
| 91 | All You Need Is Kill by 4.06 avg rating — 15,656 ratings | Rate this book |
| 92 | All She Was Worth by 3.69 avg rating — 2,739 ratings | Rate this book |
| 93 | Lizard by 3.67 avg rating — 5,137 ratings | Rate this book |
| 94 | Fires on the Plain by 3.97 avg rating — 1,038 ratings | Rate this book |
| 95 | Diary of a Mad Old Man by 3.52 avg rating — 2,040 ratings | Rate this book |
| 96 | Revenge by 3.88 avg rating — 5,929 ratings | Rate this book |
| 97 | Strangers by 3.64 avg rating — 2,168 ratings | Rate this book |
| 98 | Be With You by 3.93 avg rating — 2,535 ratings | Rate this book |
| 99 | Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness: 4 Short Novels by 3.87 avg rating — 1,867 ratings | Rate this book |
| 100 | The Wild Geese by 3.61 avg rating — 1,312 ratings | Rate this book |
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697 books · 2,768 voters · list created June 21st, 2008 by Mitu(votes) .
Tags: asian, author-by-country, best-books, ethnic, ethnicity, japan, japanese, nihongo, nippon, 日本, 日本語
1651 likes · Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.
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Comments Showing 1-50 of 93(93 new)
If The Unconsoled is on this list, then Never Let Me Goshould be on it.
Russell wrote: 'kazuo ishiguro writes in english.'
Correct, but The Unconsoled is on this list, and it is written by Ishiguro. :)
Correct, but The Unconsoled is on this list, and it is written by Ishiguro. :)
Mofo wrote: 'Why isn't Battle Royale on this list? '
It is. 5th one down.
It is. 5th one down.
Nozomi wrote: 'The Tale of Genji needs to be on this list.'
Agreed!
Agreed!
Kazuo Ishiguro not only writes in English, he IS English. 'The Unconsoled' shouldn't be on this list. It's not even set in Japan.
The Mishima novel I've re-read the most (Runaway Horses) isn't on this list, either.
'Shogun' isn't a Japanese book, but I voted for it anyway---great historical novel!
I voted on Birthday :)
Lemon Heart was heart shattering...
Lemon Heart was heart shattering...
message 14: by Alex (last edited Jul 19, 2010 04:36AM) (new)
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro deleted. (not a Japanese book)
see Paul's comments above.
*Also have deleted Memoirs of a Geisha and another Kazuo Ishiguro book 'Nocturnals etc..'
Same reason - Not Japanese. Geisha might be about Japan but it wasn't first written in Japanese or by a Japanese person.
see Paul's comments above.
*Also have deleted Memoirs of a Geisha and another Kazuo Ishiguro book 'Nocturnals etc..'
Same reason - Not Japanese. Geisha might be about Japan but it wasn't first written in Japanese or by a Japanese person.
Actually Ishiguro was born in Japan so I think that makes him Japanese regardless of which language he writes in.
(RESURRECTS THREAD)
Yas, you are entirely correct that he was born in Japan, and I believe he still holds Japanese citizenship. But he moved from Nagasaki when he was 5, and he has talked extensively in interviews about his irritation at lazy lit-critics trying to peg his style as Japanese. When he does write about Japan, such as in his first two novels, it is always in a very self-consciously imaginary fashion. So even though you may lay some fair claim to his Japanese ethnicity, the books themselves don't really belong on this list in my humble opinion.
Yas, you are entirely correct that he was born in Japan, and I believe he still holds Japanese citizenship. But he moved from Nagasaki when he was 5, and he has talked extensively in interviews about his irritation at lazy lit-critics trying to peg his style as Japanese. When he does write about Japan, such as in his first two novels, it is always in a very self-consciously imaginary fashion. So even though you may lay some fair claim to his Japanese ethnicity, the books themselves don't really belong on this list in my humble opinion.
I agree Paul and while Ishiguro has Japanese heritage his books are written in English which don't make them 'Japanese' books even if they are about Japan. (still haven't read any of them yet)
Hmmm Geisha, a life by Mineko Iwasaki isn't here either.
House of the Sleeping Beauties And Other Stories by Kawabata
Ishiguro was born in Japan but move to england while he was 6 or 7 and he already have British citizenship. I think his works should not on be the lists
He became a British citizen when he was 22 years old. Since he is both British and Japanese, he should be included.
Kirei wrote: 'He became a British citizen when he was 22 years old. Since he is both British and Japanese, he should be included.'
How can his books be included when he was English bred, identifies more with Britain and his books are not concerned about Japan?
How can his books be included when he was English bred, identifies more with Britain and his books are not concerned about Japan?
just out of curiosity, what is Catcher in the Rye doing on this list?
And what is I was Told There'd be Cake doing on here?
message 25: by Michael (last edited Nov 08, 2011 03:00PM) (new)
Deleted 'Never Let Me Go,' 'I Was Told There'd Be Cake,' and 'Catcher in the Rye.' In each case, the author is not Japanese, the book was written in English, and the subject matter is not related to Japan. Nothing about these books are Japanese, so they are inappropriate to this list.
Incredible list! I have read several of these and saved even more to my 'to read' list! I added several more that I thought might belong on this list including:
So Sad to Fall in Battle
Something Like an Autobiography
20th Century Boys
Battle Angel Alita
Japan Atlas
Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams
Mishima's Sword
The Rising Sun
A Modern History of Japan
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film
Dreaming Pachinko
The last five on the list are on Japan but not by Japanese authors so not sure which of those would fit best on this list (please delete if you feel necessary, it will not offend me). I own all those books and they are all really good. Great list!
So Sad to Fall in Battle
Something Like an Autobiography
20th Century Boys
Battle Angel Alita
Japan Atlas
Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams
Mishima's Sword
The Rising Sun
A Modern History of Japan
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film
Dreaming Pachinko
The last five on the list are on Japan but not by Japanese authors so not sure which of those would fit best on this list (please delete if you feel necessary, it will not offend me). I own all those books and they are all really good. Great list!
Mofo wrote: 'Why isn't Battle Royale on this list? '
Because it is a list of 'the best' Japanese books. Battle Royale is a classic and a great alternative to Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies. I was going to write how it should not be considered 'the best' but as I am writing my thoughts I have started to see your point. I wouldn't put it on this list for its amateur craftsmanship and pulpy violence. But I wouldn't object if you put Battle Royale on the list.
Because it is a list of 'the best' Japanese books. Battle Royale is a classic and a great alternative to Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies. I was going to write how it should not be considered 'the best' but as I am writing my thoughts I have started to see your point. I wouldn't put it on this list for its amateur craftsmanship and pulpy violence. But I wouldn't object if you put Battle Royale on the list.
Battle Royale is on the list, it's in 4th place and I would hardly call it an alternative to Hunger Games. Hunger Games pretty much ripped off Battle Royale, made it more YA and gave it a female lead to get more readers and it worked.
Libros Best Seller Pdf
Thank you for the wonderful list! I would like you to include these next time: 'Lonely Hearts Killer' by Tomoyuki Hoshino; 'The Apprenticeship of Big Toe P' by Rieko Matsuura; 'The Doctor's Wife' by Sawako Ariyoshi
Masanaka,
Click 'add books to this list' at the top of the page and then type in those three books. The list is made by everyone.
Click 'add books to this list' at the top of the page and then type in those three books. The list is made by everyone.
Hi Michael, thank you for letting me know how this space grow. I have just added the books above and more. Cheers.
Didn't see The Tattoo Murder Case on the list. Excellent locked-room mystery set in post-WWII Tokyo.
Livy wrote: 'just out of curiosity, what is Catcher in the Rye doing on this list?'
I wonder about it, too. And so many votes... What does that mean?
I wonder about it, too. And so many votes... What does that mean?
Matīss wrote: 'Livy wrote: 'just out of curiosity, what is Catcher in the Rye doing on this list?'
I wonder about it, too. And so many votes... What does that mean?'
I wonder what that means too. I deleted it... again.
I wonder about it, too. And so many votes... What does that mean?'
I wonder what that means too. I deleted it... again.
message 38: by Mark (last edited Feb 01, 2013 11:49PM) (new)
It is interesting that 'Across The Nightingale Floor' is on the list. Although the 'Tales of the Otori' books are set in a place fairly closely resembling feudal Japan, they are actually set in a fictional island nation, not any real place in Japan.
message 39: by Michael (last edited Feb 03, 2013 08:31PM) (new)
Mark wrote: 'It is interesting that 'Across The Nightingale Floor' is on the list. Although the 'Tales of the Otori' books are set in a place fairly closely resembling feudal Japan, they are actually set in a f...'
Where the books take place is irrelevant. The author is not Japanese though, so I'll remove the book.
Where the books take place is irrelevant. The author is not Japanese though, so I'll remove the book.
Yep, just clarifying how the list works! Someone managed to remove the book before I got to it. Yay!
Deleted: A Clash of Kings
Eleven Minutes
A Game of Thrones
Eleven Minutes
A Game of Thrones
This seems a great list, and just what im looking for. Il be honest, ive only really read Haruki Murakami, but want to delve further into Japanese literature. Do any of you guys have any recommendations for the next books to read?
The strange otherworldiness of Kpbo Abe's The Box Man might be a fitting follow-up to Murakami.
Not sure if I saw Revenge by Yoko Ogawa. Absolutely love that quiet little book of short stories that roll up on you in the most hauntingly beautiful way!
message 48: by Booklovinglady (last edited Apr 11, 2013 06:55AM) (new)
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (no. 104) is not a Japanese book. The story may be set in Japan (for the most part, anyway) but the author, David Mitchell, is British (Merseyside) and lives in Europe. Therefore, the book has been deleted.
Booklovinglady wrote: 'The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (no. 104) is not a Japanese book. The story may be set in Japan (for the most part, anyway) but the author, David Mitchell, is British (Merseyside) and lives i...'
Agreed. Good book though.
Agreed. Good book though.
Evan wrote: 'Not sure if I saw Revenge by Yoko Ogawa. Absolutely love that quiet little book of short stories that roll up on you in the most hauntingly beautiful way!'
I particularly liked the story about the girl who was in love with her diver stepbrother (the main story, unsurprisingly). And the Professor and Housekeeper novel she wrote was a gem too.
Didn't like Hotel Iris though.
I particularly liked the story about the girl who was in love with her diver stepbrother (the main story, unsurprisingly). And the Professor and Housekeeper novel she wrote was a gem too.
Didn't like Hotel Iris though.
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