Japanese Literature discussion

When you become aware of an ARC of translated fiction or nonfiction pertaining to Japan, whether on NetGalley or Edelweiss+, please share the news here.

Thanks Carol, I've been a bit disappointed by the low number of translated books on Netgalley so far, does it have many? Is Edelweiss better?

The Village of Eight Graves by Seishi Yokomizo is on NetGalley currently:
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

I noticed that one but wasn't sure about it partly because it's part of a series and also I wasn't sure how 'technical' the plot would be. Would you recommend these ones Henk?

I haven't read any of them so can't say much about it. Was the only Japanese book recently I stumbled across on NetGalley

Alwynne wrote: "Thanks Carol, I've been a bit disappointed by the low number of translated books on Netgalley so far, does it have many? Is Edelweiss better?"

In my experience, Edelweiss is MUCH better for translated fiction. The only translated fiction NG gets is if Penguin republishes an older work.

p.s. I love being wrong, e.g., Henk's comment 3. : )

Alwynne wrote: "I noticed that one but wasn't sure about it partly because it's part of a series and also I wasn't sure how 'technical' the plot would be. Would you recommend these ones Henk?"

Alwynne, it doesn't matter that it's part of a series. They're all locked-room-mysteries and stand-alones, and the detective isn't someone whose character develops along the way. I thought The Honjin Murders was interesting for its social commentary, and the explanation was highly mechanical but not annoying. The Inugami Clan made me furious. Even for a mechanical explanation, it's absurd. I'm in the minority, though, based on friends' statements. Nonetheless, I will definitely buy and read this one, so my fury must not be all that.

If you're interested, this Guardian article gives an accurate flavor of the first two books, so no spoilers on this one.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

Thanks Carol I'll check it out.

I don't know if it's mentioned in another thread but I've recently read The Easy Life in Kamusari on Netgalley and it's still on: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

Ecem wrote: "I don't know if it's mentioned in another thread but I've recently read The Easy Life in Kamusari on Netgalley and it's still on: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo..."

Thanks what did you think of it?

Ecem wrote: "I don't know if it's mentioned in another thread but I've recently read The Easy Life in Kamusari on Netgalley and it's still on: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo..."

Wow! given it's release date is November 2, they're taking it up to the 11th hour, which is good for us. Thanks for posting this, Ecem.

Carol wrote: "Ecem wrote: "I don't know if it's mentioned in another thread but I've recently read The Easy Life in Kamusari on Netgalley and it's still on: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book..."

My pleasure, really. :) I also requested People from My Neighborhood by Hiromi Kawakami and Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino both on Netgalley and Edelweiss + , and just received Silent Parade on Netgalley. Tanizaki's Longing and Other Stories is also on Netgalley.

Alwynne wrote: "Ecem wrote: "I don't know if it's mentioned in another thread but I've recently read The Easy Life in Kamusari on Netgalley and it's still on: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book..."

I really liked it. It's a slow-paced one, though, with a substantial amount of info on forestry woven into the story as well as some Japanese myths and supernatural beliefs. I found it peaceful and original.

That sounds great, I'll see if I can get hold of the arc, thanks : )

Alwynne wrote: "That sounds great, I'll see if I can get hold of the arc, thanks : )"

My pleasure. :)

I find it's becoming easier to find J-lit titles on NetGalley (recent ones, most mentioned above, being Heaven, Lonely Castle in the Mirror,The Cat Who Saved Books, The Easy life in Kamusari and The Village of Eight Graves) but tend to agree with Carol that Edelweiss is still often the best place to find them.

Looking at what I have noted recently that hasn't been mentioned above and is available to d/l or request:

NetGalley:
MONKEY New Writing from Japan: Volume 2: TRAVEL - which was mentioned on another thread

Edelweiss:
My Annihilation
Woman Running in the Mountains
At the Edge of the Wood
'Zen Master Tales' trans by Peter Haskel (which doesn't seem to have a GR listing yet)

Are there different Edelweiss sites Alan? I've only recently started using it, I've looked and I can't find these on the UK Edelweiss plus site.

Alwynne wrote: "Are there different Edelweiss sites Alan? I've only recently started using it, I've looked and I can't find these on the UK Edelweiss plus site."

Alwynne, it's a trick I learnt a while ago - if you look under the logo on the homepage you will be probably see a sign-on as UK Trade. If you click on it then choose the option US Trade/USD and save it, then you will see you have changed your status to US Trade (United Kingdom).

That way you get access to way more titles :-)

Similarly, I check both NetGalley.co.uk and NetGalley.com. Just very, very occasionally I have found a title (non-Japanese but which interested me) on the .com site that didn't appear on the UK site

Thanks Alan, finding the Edelweiss interface a bit fiddly, so that helps.

Do you have to set up a new profile for US Netgalley? Or can you just use the same log-in etc?

I totally agree, Alwynne. I struggled with Edelweiss for a while, too, and still prefer NetGalley as a platform for reviews etc. But Edelweiss has more choice, so that's the pay off I guess.

No, once you change your status to US Trade (UK) then it should stay the same every time you log in.

Alan thanks so much for that tip, I followed your instructions and requested a couple of the titles you listed, plus a new edition of an Arendt book from NYRB Classics and the new Sheila Heti. Had to log out before I requested anything else!

Thanks to the tips in this thread, I'm now a member of NetGalley and have downloaded three books:

The Village of Eight Graves by Seishi Yokomizo, trans. Bryan Karetnyk



Longing and Other Stories by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, trans. Anthony Chambers and Paul McCarthy



Monkey: New Writing from Japan, vol. 2: Travel, ed. Ted Goossen



I can't tell you how much this excites me. I've already read the first story from the Monkey issue (by Hiromi Kawakami) and absolutely loved it; Haruki Murakami's travel journal on running was also excellent. Thank you all for bringing these sites for advanced review copies to attention! Next I'm going to try Edelweiss+.

That's great, I loved "Monkey" too, loads of brilliant content.

This one also is available on Netgalley:
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

At the Edge of the Wood by Masatsugu Ono

Henk wrote: "This one also is available on Netgalley:
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

At the Edge of the Wood by Masatsugu Ono"

Thanks for that one, Henk. It's also a good example of what I mentioned earlier - this one is on NetGalley.com but not currently on NetGalley.co,uk.

Sometimes it can appear on one and then the other at a later date, but sometimes it will only appear on one or the other, so it's always worth checking both.

And oh dear, my never-ending tbr pile (physically or e-bookily) just gets bigger and bigger...

Thanks to you Alan I got a copy of the Ono via Edelweiss planning to read it soon.

Alwynne wrote: "Thanks to you Alan I got a copy of the Ono via Edelweiss planning to read it soon."

Great! It's on my list to request when I clear some of my backlog. I hope you enjoy it, Alwynne.

Quick question about Edelweiss do I list myself as a blogger or as a reviewer? I wasn't sure how they distinguish between categories.

Alwynne wrote: "Quick question about Edelweiss do I list myself as a blogger or as a reviewer? I wasn't sure how they distinguish between categories."

If you have a blog, I’d claim “blogger.” It’s higher status. Many are reviewers. Only a subset are bloggers.

Thanks Carol, I don't have a blog so I'll stick to reviewer, I didn't know if they meant someone reviewing for mainstream publications. Now can't open a file I've downloaded but sent them an email.

Alwynne wrote: "Thanks Carol, I don't have a blog so I'll stick to reviewer, I didn't know if they meant someone reviewing for mainstream publications. Now can't open a file I've downloaded but sent them an email."

and here I was going to ask you for the address of your blog lol

I've not ever had a problem opening a book file from EW. (Many, many bad experiences on NG with graphic novel files bc their instructions suck ....) Good luck!

They sorted it out, their user services seem very efficient! I'm just trying to work out how to get my rating from 'good' to 'excellent'!

Alwynne wrote: "They sorted it out, their user services seem very efficient! I'm just trying to work out how to get my rating from 'good' to 'excellent'!"

I don't see a rating anywhere on my account, but I probably don't want to see it. Good luck!

When you request a book it appears in the box in the top-right corner.

NYRB's Woman Running in the Mountains is ready to download on Edelweiss+ if anyone's interested:

https://www.edelweiss.plus/?sku=16813...

Ecem wrote: "NYRB's Woman Running in the Mountains is ready to download on Edelweiss+ if anyone's interested:

https://www.edelweiss.plus/?sku=16813..."

Thanks, Ecem - great catch!

Carol wrote: "Ecem wrote: "NYRB's Woman Running in the Mountains is ready to download on Edelweiss+ if anyone's interested:

https://www.edelweiss.plus/?sku=16813..."

Thanks, Ecem - gr..."

My pleasure :)

Ecem wrote: "NYRB's Woman Running in the Mountains is ready to download on Edelweiss+ if anyone's interested:

https://www.edelweiss.plus/?sku=16813..."

Thanks, I linked to my review of this edition earlier today on the "Currently Reading" thread, and recommend it highly.

A follow up to The Easy Life in Kamusari is now on Netgalley:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Refer to:
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

Henk wrote: "A follow up to The Easy Life in Kamusari is now on Netgalley:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Refer to:
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/..."

I've been waiting for this book to come to Netgalley, Henk, thanks so much for letting us know!

On Netgalley:

How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

and Go by Kazuki Kaneshiro:
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

Unfortunately, Kamusari Tales Told at Night was not downloadable at first, and then was completely deleted from Netgalley today. I'm hoping it'll come back some time soon, I was looking forward to the sequel. :/

Now you can find a different version of Kamusari Tales Told at Night downloadable on Netgalley: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

I don't think it's been mentioned here (although Henk did in the 2022 New Releases thread) but now available to request on Netgalley.com and now also Edelweiss+:

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami

Available to request on Edelweiss +: Trinity, Trinity, Trinity by Erika Kobayashi.

Available to request on Edelweiss +: Trinity, Trinity, Trinity by Erika Kobayashi.

Carol wrote: "Available to request on Edelweiss +: Trinity, Trinity, Trinity by Erika Kobayashi."

Carol, I see that this has also appeared on NetGalley.com the last couple of days.

On both Edelweiss+ and NetGalley.com, the new short story collection:

Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata which, I have to say, made me very pleased!

Alan wrote: "On both Edelweiss+ and NetGalley.com, the new short story collection:

Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata which, I have to say, made me very pleased!"

nice. let me know if it's worth springing for. (my percentage is in the tank on both platforms now, so requesting is out.)

@Carol - aww, that's not so good. I keep my NG % high so I pretty much get anything I request now. Edelweiss is more of a lottery, but usually because of US publishers not granting me as a UK reader, though fortunately that hasn't happened for a while. My list of things to read and request is quite long so I probably won't get to the Murata for a while yet.