Going Japanese.

I blame David Mitchell. First I read his Ghostwritten, his Cloud Atlas and his Zoet, then I learn he was inspired by Haruki Murakami and I become a besotted addict. I think I am most of the way through his entire oeuvre (at the moment I am listening to his collection of short stories as I go about my chores which is called 'The Elephant Vanishes').


Then, somehow or other (on Amazon, I think) I read that Murakami was inspired (as all Japanese are, apparently) by Natsume Soseki. So I acquire his bestseller, Koroko.


But then I feel I need to know more about Japan and its culture and society so I buy these: Japan: Its History and Culture by W Scott Morton,


and then Understanding Japanese Society by Joy Hendry.


And then I think I would rather like to learn about how Japanese literature has developed throughout the ages so I have this the Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories edited by Theordore W Goossen on order - which should keep me busy for a while.

So, after China and Korea comes Japan. I am slowly traveling around the world in books, and learning a lot about the different ways there are to tell a story.