365 Views of Mt. Fuji: Algorithms of the Floating World

by Todd Shimoda, L.J.C. Shimoda (Illustrator)

Curator Keizo Yukawa flees a dead-end job in Tokyo to head a new museum devoted to 365 paintings of Mt. Fuji - one for each day of the year - by the eccentric genius Takenoko. Takenoko died a hundred years ago, but his legacy of madness infects each member of the Ono family, who own the Views but disagree about almost everything. Yukawa's manipulation by the Onos and his fascination with an algorithmically controlled daughter lead to many strange happenings and his ultimate disintegration. Threadlike character "bytes" and hundreds of Hokusai-inspired illustrations suggest the nonlinear world below the high-tech veneer of a modern Japan that is increasingly, dangerously fragmented.

Genres: Japan, Fiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Karol K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. I did find the artist story interesting. The rest was confusing for me. Not into fiction anyway, sorry.

[Sy Kadella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that deserves more attention. This is a story of a person's descent into madness, but with a different take than any other I have seen.