Japanese name: 吉田篤弘 A literary mainstay in Japan, Atsuhiro Yoshida is the author of over 40 books. He is also an innovative book designer and part of a creative design duo with his wife, Hiromi, under their company, Craft-Ebbing & Co. In 1994, the pair launched into the Japanese literary scene with an art exhibition featuring handcrafted covers for fictional books, gaining attention for their unconventional designs and thought-provoking titles. (Japan Times)
Tokyo Apartment brings together 21 stories about people living in and around Tokyo. Most of the characters live on their own, almost always in older buildings removed from the city center. There’s very little wealth or glamor in these stories, but their protagonists nevertheless manage to become swept up in the magic of a densely populated megacity.
It’s entertaining to encounter such a wide range of variations on the theme of apartments in Tokyo, and the narrative voices of these stories are delightfully distinct. The author has spent more than a decade carefully cultivating a light and precise style, and Tokyo Apartment is a relaxed and chill reading experience with a nice touch of retro nostalgia.