of the best contemporary Japanese fiction. Inhabiting the exotic interstice between cultural traditionalism and high-tech futurism, the stories in this volume offer a rich portrait of the Japanese sensibility — the zeitgeist that is transforming the way the rest of the world views itself. Sections include “Kitchen” by Banana Yoshimoto, “A Callow Fellow of Jewish Descent” by Masahiko Shimada, “On Meeting My 100 Percent Woman One Fine April Morning” by Haruki Murakami, “Swallowtails” by Shiina Mkoto, “God Is Nowhere; God Is Now Here” by Itoh Seikoh, “X-Rated Blanket” by Eimi Yamada, “Yu-Hee” by Yang Ji Lee, “On a Moonless Night by Sei Takekawa, “Living in a Maze” by Kyoji Kobayashi, “The Imitation of Leibniz” by Genichiro Takahashi, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” by Tamio Kageyama, and “Wine” by Mariko Hayashi.

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