Fox Tales

by Tomihiko Morimi, 森見登美彥, Winifred Bird (Translator)

A collection of four spooky tales for the modern era, all tied to a certain Kyoto curio shop. A basket wriggles, a masked man lingers in the dark, and things are offered, lost, and forgotten. What mysteries lie hidden in the city's winding streets? Tomihiko Morimi offers a stylish glimpse into the beguiling and mysterious darkness of the old capital. 

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Japan, Asian Literature, Japanese Literature

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2006

About the author

Born in Nara Prefecture, Tomihiko Morimi graduated from Kyoto University, and his works often has Kyoto as setting.

Associated Names:
* Tomihiko Morimi (English)
* 森見 登美彦 (Japanese)
* 모리미 토미히코 (Korean)
* โมริมิ โทมิฮิโกะ (Thai)
* 森見登美彥 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"On short summer nights, in between the rice paddies, the foxes scatter."

full post is here:
http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2023...

I don't remember where I first came across this title, but I do remember looking at the description and thinking that this book is so me:

"A collection of four spooky tales for the modern era, all tied to a certain Kyoto curio shop."

These stories play out in the streets and old buildings of the city, and as the dustjacket blurb goes on to say, over the course of the book the author "offers an eerie glimpse into the beguiling and mysterious darkness of the old capital." Eerie, most definitely. Mysterious, an understatement.

The title story, "Fox Tales" lays the foundation for the three stories that follow. It also introduces the reader to the curio shop called Hourendou (and I do wish I could see the Kanji for this word to try to glean some sort of meaning), which is just one of the many elements that tie all of these stories together. My favorite is "The Water God" which actually rounds out the collection, with a family which has gathered on the death of an elderly relative telling stories and sharing memories and family history that go back in time as they wait for a "family heirloom" to be delivered from Hourendou. All I can say is 神聖なたわごと ... this was my favorite story, as well the absolute weirdest tale in the entire book and one of the creepiest I've ever encountered.

Fox Tales just sucked me right in, with the combination of the author's skill in creating a dark, almost suffocating at times atmosphere as well as his awesome storytelling abilities. This is the type of book I look forward to reading, where the mystery of it all pulls me in further and further until there is no outside world for the duration. I love folklore of any kind, and I actually got a bit more from this book than I bargained for in a good way, with Japanese mythology and folklore interwoven into each and every story. Along with the strange connections to the curio shop advertised on the dustjacket, it is this element, I believe, that ties everything together and gives this collection its heft. This book may not be for everyone, especially those readers who need explanations to make their reading complete, which leads my to my only criticism: it might have been helpful to have added some sort of introduction for non-Japanese readers who may not have much familiarity with Japanese folklore.

This book was a great way to end the 2022 reading year, and it's one I can recommend very highly.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings about this author. He creates a mood so well, but his female characters are cardboard and the stories in this book appear to confuse "open ended" with "mysterious."

[Mohammed Kittani · Rating 3 out of 5]

“When the sun sets and the lamps come on in the streets, I often think about all the people living in the city. Most of them are strangers, but I know they’re connected by mysterious threads I can’t even imagine… I think that if I could trace them all to their source, they would lead me to a mysterious, shadowy place at the very core of the city.”

Tomihiko Morimi has chosen Japan’s old capital, Kyoto, to be the setting of this book as he spins four clockwork spooky stories revolving around a curio shop called Hourendou and the legend of kitsune as its central theme. There are magical lanterns, wild parties, rain, a beast wearing people’s faces, rain, a water-craving monster, and lots and lots of rain. It’s a circus of a novel—exotic, bizarre, and thrilling. It reminded me of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities where a certain, insignificant item connected to the curio shop can have a domino effect on the lives of the stories’ characters.

The four short stories are quite independent of each other, but they share the universe of Kyoto. They are as follows:

1. Fox Tales (4.5/5)
Mutou, a sophomore student decides to work part-time at a curio shop called Hourendou. His job is basically about making deliveries to clients. One of them is called Amagi, a recluse living in a large mansion at the top of a hill. Amagi keeps asking Mutou for favors, exchanges of items of little importance. One item after another until Amagi gets his hands on something unexchangeable.

It’s my absolute favorite. Morimi has invested tons of time to build up a kind of ambience that is eerie, suffocating, and extremely tense. However, the structure of the story doesn’t allow for a pronounced ‘shock value’ since readers knew from the very first pages that the temperamental Amagi was up to no good.

2. The Dragon in the Fruit (2/5)
An unnamed character, also a student in a university, is infatuated by a senior student. The narrator retells the fascinating stories his older friend used to tell him before he vanished.

3. The Phantom (3/5)
Again, an unnamed narrator works as a tutor to the younger kid of a liquor store’s owner. As the narrator goes to the Nishida Spirits where the house is, he develops a habit of walking down the intricate maze-like alleys of the neighborhood. Meanwhile, a rumor has spread that a ‘phantom’ has been attacking passersby at night.

4. The Water God (4/5)
An unnamed narrator, the son of one of three siblings, waits patiently along with his uncles during the wake of his grandfather for the arrival of the family’s heirloom preserved by Hourendou.

The collection of Fox Tales isn’t about invoking a negative reaction through fear or horror or shock. All what Morimi was trying to do was churning the humdrum texture of everyday life to make it more layered, meaningful, and mystical.

To do so, Morimi has made ‘a departure from the departure from the departure’ when it comes to the source material. Many Japanese writers tend to take a traditional folktale, or an element of it, and turn it into something new, something cute (like Vulpix in Pokémon) or powerful (like the Nine-Tailed Beast in Naruto). However, Morimi wants to return to the original, awe-inspiring, bizarre, and even sinister nature of Japan’s traditional folktales, kind of like the Grimm Brothers’ original tales. (Hence, the second departure).

Even so, Morimi feels that by duplicating the source material would betray what the text intended which is to brush the monotonous reality with a stroke of charm and magic. So, he created his own monsters keeping the spirits of the old in them. (the third departure).

Fox Tales is very rich in Japanese culture and its symbolism. How couldn’t it be when the setting is in Kyoto with all its shrines and temples and festivals and rituals and vending machines and the neon-lighted stores upon stores fighting for space in its alleyways?

One of the issues I’ve encountered was the subtlety of the theme buried within the folds of the four stories.

“What is the reading of a text except the recording of certain thematic recurrences, certain insistences of forms and meanings? An electronic reading supplies me with a list of the frequencies, which I have only to glance at to form an idea of the problems the book suggests…”

—Italo Calvino (If on a winter’s night a traveler)

In light of the previous quote, I had so much trouble trying to thematically glue the four stories together. Indeed, there are some bridges between them, but they’re so shaky and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. All I could come up with are sub-themes concerning the minor characters like maturity, compulsive lying, imagination, the monotony of everyday life, the influence of history and its tales on the present.
Perhaps, the missing piece that could bind the tales is the necessity of the spiritual/magical in our daily lives.
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Summary:

Due to the relatively long span of its tales and their open-ended nature, Fox Tales might not receive the reaction it’s asking for. In other words, it might not be to the majority of the readers’ liking.
That doesn’t mean Fox Tales is not a book unworthy of reading. There are so many tricks and hidden meaning and even some cunning and clouded plot twists up its sleeve for serious readers up for second reads.

Fox Tales is all about that dark corner in everyone’s mind about the uncanny and the unsolved that wish for no explanation lest they lose their magic. It’s like Spirited Away meets Junji Ito meets One Thousand and One Nights in the sense of stories within stories.
________________________

my blogger

[Bryan Cebulski]

Diminishing returns with each story, but pretty good!

[ポピ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boringggggg, only the last story was vaguely interesting but even then

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

First 2 stories felt really solid and well structured. But the last two really lost me and were less interesting and engaging as a reader.

[Genma496 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story Ranking: The Dragon in the Fruit >>> Phantom > Fox Tales > The Water God

[James Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This four-tale short story collection seemed to me like one split in half, the first two stories were very decent and could’ve reached 5 ⭐️ potential whereas the latter two proved to be a bit disappointing. Each tale has its own distinct storyline, characters and can definitely be read as a stand-alone. In some sense they follow one another in that a Kyoto (the setting for all) curio shop holds importance. This is certainly the case in the first which was my favourite on the whole, we’re following a college student as he begins working at the shop and making deliveries to a strange old man and then things get freaky. The second follows a different student who recollects his friendship with another and how this other man owned something from the shop, this too was an intriguing read. The third I can’t recollect had any link to the shop from my memory but follows a young man who starts tutoring a high schooler and in their part of town a phantom that has the body of a snake but head of a fox and (I think) smile of a human - here’s the link as a fox mask is prevalent in the first tale - starts to attack people at night. And finally, here the family of a recently deceased man wait up after the funeral to host the shopkeeper as she brings back an item the old man left in the shop’s hands.

I found the writing to be rather decent and overall, I did enjoy reading these stories. They’re all quite page-turney with horror-ish elements, I enjoyed piecing things together but also many things didn’t really make all that much sense at times too. I would recommend giving this a read and I liked it but there was room for improvement and I would say each story did get a little worse then the one previous. I’m still intrigued to check out more of Morimi’s works in the future so bring it on.

Fox Tails - 4.5 ⭐️
The Dragon in the Fruit - 4.5 ⭐️
Phantom - 3.5 ⭐️
The Water God - 3.5 ⭐️

Average - 4 ⭐️

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came out the same year I was last in Kyoto.

Within a night of arriving there I knew it was my favorite city. (A few years later it would be demoted to second place, but it has held no. 2 spot ever since with no further changes).

I did not learn of this book until few months ago, but it really brought me back to that week in Kyoto. Its use of the historic atmosphere and public architecture of the place is if anything the main character of these four interconnected yet separate stories. The second tale in particular really captures the feeling of rambling about the old city and seeing what happens. It helped that it was set in the area not far from the ryokan in which I stayed. While I encountered no oddly elongated fox demons, those back alleys certainly are the kind of place where you could see it happening.

This is a subtle and slow moving type of horror. Something perhaps comparable in tone to TED Klein meeting Edogawa Ranpo.

[Magpie6493 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Largely this was a fairly fun atmospheric read for me however I have no idea why brand new it would be close to thirty dollars. Luckily I was able to find it used so my enjoyment wasn't nessesarilly effected by how much I paid for it.

What I will say is unless you have a bit of familiarity with Japanese writing and in particular things like ghost and yokai stories specifically a lot of the vibes (of which this book is mostly dependent on vibes) are going to go right over your head.

There is a bit of an issue of women in this book only having the depth and personality of a sheet of paper. I was kind of able to get past it but it was still a bit uncomfortable for and perfectly understandable if you're not able to work through it. There are also off putting comments like saying someone who is stocky and has a square face looks like a "nomadic" which I can only assume is the author attempting to refer to the people's of northern and Central Asia. This line wasn't the only example like it so again fair warning on this book having a few issues with how the author describes things.

The book has a 13 and up rating on the back which was really confusing for me due to the fact the first story has some relatively sexual undertones woven I to the creepy that kind of really unsettling so.... I would definitely say it's not at all appropriate for a younger age range and I'd say 16 or 17 and up is closer to the mark.

Overall I did enjoy the unsettling vibes and as I just read something else talking about Yokai and theor stories recently this is going to continue to entertain my brain as I think about that subject. If you come across it and you don't have to buy it for the full price this is a quick spooky read that was pretty fun. Otherwise as much as I did like it I dont think it's really worth the full buying price at least If youre like me and in Canada.

[Raikeehime · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I wouldn’t call these stories spooky, they certainly exude an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. If you’ve watched the anime XXXholic, the vibe feels quite similar—blending modern settings with Japanese folklore. Set in Kyoto, each tale blends together elements of the supernatural and the ordinary, creating a unique and immersive storytelling experience.

That said, this book may not be for everyone. If you’re unfamiliar with Japanese folklore, some of the nuances might be challenging to fully appreciate. However, for those who love folklore and enjoy Morimi’s distinct narrative style, it’s a treat.

My favorite story in the collection is The Water God, which concludes the book on an unforgettable note. It revolves around a family gathering to remember an elderly relative, sharing stories and family history as they await the delivery of a mysterious “family heirloom” from Hourendou. The layers of surrealism and bizarre twists made it stand out. It’s weird, eerie, and fascinating.

[Alex Sarll]

Not necessarily a great book, but a great book to happen across a free copy of shortly before visiting Kyoto. Four linked novellas detail rum doings in the at once nostalgic and uncanny streets of the old capital; at its best, the strangeness at each story's core can recall Aickman or James in the way the words on the page don't fully explain the shudder of wrongness the reader feels, seem to have brought something invisible of their own along for company. But there's generally too much clarity about what's happening, why, and maybe even how, and the stories feel like the amount of chill they pack doesn't quite justify their length. Still, when that's bolstered by something like a narrator going to the same station you did hours earlier, then taking the same route from there, well, that definitely shifts the equation.

[atlantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a mixed bag. This book contains 4 stories that all have something to do with an antiques shop, and I thought that was a cool idea. I wish it was executed well though.

The first story, “Fox Tales” was alright. The pacing was decent, and I didn’t dislike it, but it wasn’t amazing. It was ‘fine’. There wasn’t anything that substantial or memorable, but it was an okay introduction into the world.

The second story, “The Dragon in the Fruit” was awful. Easily the worst story here. It was excruciatingly boring, and it took everything in my power to not drop this book then. Nothing happens, and the main character does nothing except retell the stories of his senior. It doesn’t help that the conversations between him, his senior, and Mizuho are so lackluster. This was all backstory, and no substance. There was nothing for me to latch on to, and there was no reason for me to care about anything that was being said. I didn’t feel any progression or anything, it just felt like a waste of time. At least the other stories had something to say, this had nothing to say.

Even though I say this, the third story, “Phantom” was amazing! Everything was executed perfectly. It had the right amount of dialogue, eeriness, and backstory. I actually cared about what was going on. Easily the best story out of the four.

The final story, “The Water God” was fine. Wasn’t bad but I did start to get bored because of how extensive the backstory is in this. I get why there’s so much ‘lore’ required to know but it was too much and too uninteresting. I liked the ending though.

The only reason why I read the whole book was because I bought this at retail price. I wouldn’t recommend this.

[Ghostea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Japanese folklore will, undeniably, love “Fox Tales” and the way it brilliantly conveys the importance and effect that stories have on a culture. Furthermore, the release touches on elements of mystery and horror in an accessible way, never presenting itself as overly morbid and grounded in realistic characters and emotions. In many ways, the work feels like a love letter to authors like Lafcadio Hearn or Edogawa Ranpo, with Tomihiko Morimi finding a comfortable place between the two. Consequently, “Fox Tales” will appeal to a wide readership both by interest and age, making it a rather ideal introduction to the younger generation and a comfort read for adults.

Read my full review here: https://asianmoviepulse.com/2023/01/b...

[Saya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandono a la mitad. No me gusta no terminar libros, pero es que este se me estaba haciendo pesadísimo, y eso no ayuda con la sequía lectora que estoy teniendo últimamente. El primer relato no está mal, tiene buena ambientación y la historia me ha parecido interesante; como anime sería resultona. El segundo relato, en cambio, ha sido el tedio máximo, con un personaje principal que solo cuenta las historias que le contaba su amigo. No me ha interesado lo más mínimo lo que les pudiese pasar a ninguno de los dos ni a la novia del segundo, si es que les llegaba a pasar algo, que pintaba que no. Yo creo que es algo de la traducción al inglés, porque se me ha hecho muy confusa la narración, pese a que utiliza un lenguaje soberanamente aburrido. Mejor salto a otra cosa… Una pena.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

the book is a great book to read if you enjoy the themes of horror and adventure. though I didn't enjoy the adventure themes book I feel like this book helped open a new perspective on adventure theme books. The book takes place in the modern Japan Town side with a college student taking a new part time job. however there is this one mansion that he has to deliver to and the mansion gives this creepy aura and inside is a man in his mid 40s. he tells the boys stories that have happened around the town with an unknown creature in the ally ways attacking the towns people. the book is very interesting and enjoyable for everyone reading.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Fox Tales' is by far the best story in this group of four. The other are good but Fox Tales just had the best level of creepy and seemed a bit more fox yokai, whereas I found the other ones felt more dragony. I do also little the little hat tip in the second story to The Tatami Time Machine Blues with mention of his senior living in a room that is only the size of 4 and a half tatami mats.

[Laura (crofteereader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only the first story was particularly compelling, but even then it’s told at such a remove (though this is rather typical of a plot of Japanese fiction, where the main character is so passive as to disappear) that I couldn’t even bring myself to care. The atmosphere, particularly in the third story, was so eerie and distinct, but each of our narrators (except the first one) were so negligible as to be almost interchangeable, which ended up being rather confusing

[BaiLing · Rating 2 out of 5]

有點詭異的故事，說是靈異故事卻沒那麼恐怖。四個故事都跟狐狸面具的鬼魅有關。

《狐的故事》。在骨董店芳蓮堂打工的大學男生，被繼承衣缽的老闆女兒棗姊當成交易的籌碼，變成怪客戶天城先生收藏的禮物之一。

《果實中的龍》。大學生的學長，曾在骨董店芳蓮堂打工，漸漸分不清楚真實和虛幻，彷彿被狐附身。慢慢脫離現實生活，最後和女朋友分手，也從學弟的生命中消失。

《魔》。當中學生家教的大學生，不自覺地被狐附身，成為在夜晚出來突襲路人的魔。

《水神》。祖父過世，父親和同父異母的伯父們一起守靈。年輕人聽大人講以前小時候的事情。芳蓮堂的年輕女老闆半夜送回祖父寄放的東西，解開祖父奇特死因—原來龐大的宅邸底下，其實禁錮著一個想要回到琵琶湖的水妖。

應該跟我本來就不喜歡看鬼怪故事有關，讀起來並不是很舒服的故事。但作者寫作的手法─前面出現過的角色，會在下一篇看似毫無關聯的故事中再度出現，這寫法在後來《宵山萬花筒》中，做了更純熟的示範。

嗯！還有一本書在書架上，我再看看吧！

[Geraldo Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I generally avoid horror genre (fittingly), like a plague.
I didn't that this was one, but I stuck to it. I'm glad I did because the 4 tales told by the author in this book is riveting, unsettling, but also beautiful at the same time.

It made me glanced suspiciously at every dark corners of my house.

[Alex Serbetzian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imaginative, descriptive writing full of passion, but the stories were somewhat hard for me to follow. There seemed to be too much imagery or context to keep track of at times which took away from the author's creativity. Would absolutely read more from this author, but this was not my favorite collections of work.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the first three of these stories made a nice set and played off of each other in intriguing ways; the fourth did not seem to fit quite as well to me, but I enjoyed the volume overall. While this does not seem to be the same Tatami Galaxy version of Kyoto, they seem at least kindred, and the specificity of the locations adds to the impact of the stories.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Oh dear. This was such a disappointing collection. I only really liked the first one - Fox Tales. The second one I could barely finish and the last 2 were just fine.
I found these stories to be overly long and lacking a great delivery.
Sadly none of these will be remembered by me.

[bre · Rating 4 out of 5]

an easy read! four stories that are all connected with a chain of events that revolve around a small shop in Kyoto. I loved the spooky vibes in this book and enjoyed each of the short stories both as individuals and a collective piece, the writing was descriptive and really pulled you in.

[Shushi · Rating 5 out of 5]

给炎炎夏日带来阵阵清凉的志怪小说。

[Adrian Peinado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro misterioso, pero tal vez demasiado.
El suspense queda bien establecido, pero poco o nada puede saber el lector más allá de intuir cosas o tener ideas generales poco concretas.

[Momori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ngl this is pretty hard to give a rating on cause it’s a collection but in my opinion Phantom gotta be my fav one even tho I already expect that ending

[heartcolored · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the atmosphere—it was eerie and mysterious. The stories were interesting at first, but they became boring after a while.

[Lola McQueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly loved this book it was hard to put down! Some moments were maybe a little confusing but such a cool way to loop four stories together *clap clap*

[Kirsty Keddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extraordinarily crafted set of interlinked tales. Beautiful and haunting.