Just returned from a 4-day vacation, where I read Haruki Murakami's After Dark, known in the Japanese original as Afutadaku. Yes, I thought you might enjoy knowing that.

Has anyone read this book? I did not understand what the fuss was about, why this writer is so highly regarded, and am curious whether that has to do with my lack o' knowledge about Japanese culture or with the book's actual lack o' substance. Or perhaps something was lost in translation? Probably it's a combination of the three things.

Anyway, here's a place to waffle about all things Japanese. Except the cuisine. You can leave that for the cuisine thread.

I recommend the film Sans Soleil by Chris Marker, the film is not specifically about Japan, but most of its observations are made there. (Indeed the African footage serves to frame the first world, as represented through Japan). The Japan I have seen, as a Westerner, is well represented there. In it Marker discusses the huge poster hoardings Martle has shown us and muses that the city [Tokyo] is seen to be watching itself.

It's dated (early 80s) but contains great footage, pithy anecdote and historical/political consideration. It's also a work of great cinematic poetry - not bad for a documentary.

Further to ahh's Chris Marker recommendation, I would also recommend Roland Barthes' book Empire of Signs. However, I would be unhappy about claiming it's accurate about Japan; indeed, it contains some cultural interpretation which I suspect is very suspect (as it were).

A friend of mine met his (now ex-)partner for the first time at a dinner party where she roundly condemned him for having dared to write a novel about Japan without ever having been there himself. She later read the novel, liked it very much, and the rest was history.