Tokyo Fiancée, administrivia

2009-08-10

Tokyo Fiancée, administrivia

My review of Amélie NOTHOMB's new-to-English Tokyo Fiancée is up at Néojaponisme. My verdict: it's fun, but offers insight only into its narrator's psyche. For a dissenting opinion from elsewhere within Japan, try Japan Navigator's take (good comments, too).

In other news, my wife recently opened the Suzunoki Cafe すずの木カフェ five minutes from Chigasaki station. The website is now online (design by fellow Néojaponiste Ian LYNAM, photography by SUZUKI Ayako 鈴木綾子 and MATSUNAGA Naoko 松永直子), so if you're visiting the area this summer, do drop by. (I fought for the spelling すゞの木, but was outvoted.)

Finally, I am tweeting.

Popularity factor: 6

Bill:

Will the Cafe have a comedy night, featuring Edo jokes?

Peter:

That's good news about the cafe.

I will sick the family on it.

Matt:

Edo jokes! That's an excellent idea. I'll bring it up with the shareholders.

Peter: Please do!

Anonymous:

For some reason a pun すゞの木茶 occurs to me. Do with this what you will.

Shzbat:

As usual, I think you did such a great and fair job of describing, perfectly, what all of these "Me in Japan!" books (of which we get six new ones per year) fail to really say or see.

Morgan:

I liked your review of Nothomb's new thing, but it's sort of confirmation bias on my part-- after seeing the movie made from her novel Fear and Trembling by chance (halfway through I really wished it was based on Kierkegaard instead), I was so uninterested by the orientalist/self-centered moodswingy-ness of it. If I want that, language classes are a more productive source.

The cafe looks great. Chigasaki, is that near Chingford?

2009-08-10