Viz have been very savvy in their selection of novels to translate and publish in the English-speaking world, with the end result of the Haikasoru imprint being a range of books that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed so far. Admittedly, some were more impressive than others but each and every one of them has been deserving of reaching a wider international audience.
Which brings us to the first short story collection (not counting the excellent Stories of Ibis), which showcases some shorter pieces whose length wouldn’t justify stand-alone releases. Tellingly, these are not comprised purely of Japanese writers: the selection appears to be based on general cultural themes rather than the basis of the contributors’ nationalities. It’s an unusual move for the publisher, but I daresay it makes the end results even more interesting and their rationale makes sense when you read the stories themselves.
I’ve been interested in twentieth-century history for as long as I can remember – before my fascination with Japanese popular culture even began I was drawn to the issues surrounding the atomic bombings of 1945. Fumiyo Kouno is one of many writers and artists who have taken on the subject but her approach is one that conveys the human cost of the events in an unusual way. Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms is a short, surprisingly sweet but nevertheless powerful work.
As far as fans of sharp, contemporary Japanese psychological thrillers are concerned, Ryu Murakami is often the first names that spring to mind. Quite rightly too considering he wrote the original novel of Audition and has several of his other works published in English in recent years: I have to say I 
