Strange Weather in Tokyo

A new edition of the bestselling Japanese novel, now including the new short story, 'Parade'.

Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love.

Perfectly constructed, funny, and moving, Strange Weather in Tokyo is a tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance. This edition contains the bonus story, 'Parade', which imagines an ordinary day in the lives of this unusual couple.

About the Author

Born in 1959 in Tokyo, Hiromi Kawakami is one of Japan's most popular contemporary novelists, famous for her literary, off-beat fiction. She is the author of The Nakano Thrift Shop and Strange Weather in Tokyo, which was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

About the Translator

Allison Markin Powell's translations include works by Osamu Dazai, Fuminori Nakamura, and Kanako Nishi. She was the guest editor for the first Japan issue of Words Without Borders and she maintains the database, Japanese Literature in English, at www.japaneseliteratureinenglish.com.