62 Japan – Tanizaki Junichiro – Some Prefer Nettles (Score 6.25)

I found the introduction to this book very useful in highlighting the differences between the Japanese way of thought and language and the more brusque Western way. We also learn a lot about Japanese life and how so many things differ from how we in the UK do them. The story is set in the 1920s.

The main characters, to make it easier for the reader to follow the story, are –

Kaname – the husband,

Misako – the wife,

Hiroshi - their young son,

Misako’s father,

O-hisa – her father’s mistress,

Aso – a possible love interest for Misako.

Takamatsu – Misako’s cousin.

Kawame and Misako travelled by train to Osaka to meet her father to go to th Puppet Theatre. Instead of buying tickets for the specific journey tore tickets from their books of tickets at the end of the journey. The play they are to see is the famous Bunraku performance “Love Suicide”. The Bunraku puppets for this performance are Jihei, the man, and Koharu, the geisha. They are both large, better to be seen from a distance. Bunraku performances last for several hours.

I really enjoyed the interplay of the characters, especially between Misako and Takamatsu. On page 77 Kaname set a dreadful precedent when he dog-eared a page in his book.

After you read the book you may be interested in searching on line for some relevant references –

Awaji Theatre,

Awaji Genojo,

Bunraku puppets,

Samisen,

Koto.