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Strange Weather in Tokyo

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Strange Weather in Tokyo

By: Hiromi Kawakami
Narrated by: Clare Corbett
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least 30 years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love.

Perfectly constructed, funny and moving, Strange Weather in Tokyo is a tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance.

©2014 Hiromi Kawakami (P)2017 Audible, Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

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Critic reviews

"True love is celebrated with humour, grace and pathos as the wary narrator recalls her unusual approach to dealing with an overwhelming passion." (Book of the Year, Irish Times)
All stars
Most relevant
An exercise in restraint and respect but a fulfilling read. Memories are made for and from books such as these. I can imagine an author sitting amongst a million pieces of paper bearing crossed out text otherwise how could perfection be approached so noiselessly

Truly excellent

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This is a gentle and sensory love story about Tsukiko, a forty-year-old office worker, and her old teacher who she calls Sensei.

They meet by chance in a bar decades after parting but both remember each other. Their relationship develops with regular eating and drinking. Often, Tsukiko calls into the bar on her way home from work and they spend many evenings drinking and eating.

It has to be said they the eat the most foul food imaginable (to my conservative pallet) and drink copious amounts of saké.
Their conversations are formal and stilted. Sensei is in his late sixties/seventies, is widowed and collects tea pots, so there is much Japanese sensibility.

But Tsukiko is wanting more from the relationship and pursues Sensei even when a younger man appears on the scene to tempt her.

Their relationship does develop into remance and there is a wonderfully surreal other-worldly episode which may be due to drink or love.

Unfortunately, the ending is entirely predictable and can be seen from chapter one.
This is one of those books where nothing happens so the reader has to be fed on nuance, sensory and emotional content. While this happens to some extent, its actually disappointing.

I think the reason the book doesn't work is because we are not given any reason to empathise with Sensei or understand what Tsukiko sees in him.

There are issues about friendship, loneliness, ritual, age difference and unfulfilled lives but only enough to fill a small bowl.
It is very well read and performed.

A gentle sensory love story

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Fantastic story and narration. Thoroughly recommend. Anyone who enjoys the descriptive element of many Japanese novels will really enjoy this.

Excellent.

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This novel is really sweet and yet simultaneously heartbreaking, and a fantastic read. However, it was completely ruined by the narrator, whose voice took away entirely from the story. A more melodious and deeper female voice, I feel, would have lent itself to the tragedy of it more. However, if you're into literature in translation, this is a fab novel, with an interesting storyline, which I'd never encountered before!

Shockingly Tragic Novel!

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I have loved the Japanese stories I've read so far. The style is succinct and rather like what I've heard of Japanese poetry.
I found the characters most engaging and funny - and above all utterly charming.
The narrator's voice is lovely: it is quite clipped and still really highlights the humour well - humour that is all the better for being underplayed.
The basic premise of the couple's relationship seems so unlikely but I'm sure all who read or listen will find it very touching.

Charming

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