The Travelling Cat Chronicles is my favorite book! I remember reading the end one evening in bed and crying my heart out and my cat Charly came up to me and cuddled with me until the tears stopped coming - and longer :D He passed away this year and I haven't been able to pick the book up again but I hope I will be able to at some point, as I definitely want to read it again! Thanks for mentioning it, more people need to read this beautiful piece of literature
I must say, as someone who's had their love of Japan and its culture and literature completely destroyed by majoring in it, your videos are slowly making me fall in love with it more and more.
I also love cats and cat books. I taught my Abyssinian everything I knew. He saved me from a vicious dog in an alley. He never meowed and as a baby grew up with doberman pincers and kids. He would hear kids in their backyards and go back there and play with them. Dogs in the park couldn't figure him out since he was not afraid of them and made no sound. I also like Japanese literature but have read little.
I have the sneaking feeling you would love The Cat and the City by Nick Bradley (a cat/Japanese lit superfan and all round lovely guy). It reads like a tribute to cats and Japanese fiction.
You mentioned The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. That novel has a missing cat and kind of starts the whole adventure. Thanks for diving into this interesting topic
I have been waiting for this! Was really trying to figure out to read if cats disappeared or travelling cats chronicle first but now i think I'll go with cats disappeared cause its theme sounds more intrigue. Thank you!
I've read the guest cat, the cat who saved books and the travelling cat chronicles and fell in love with this niche of literature! The travelling cat chronicles ripped my heart out in the best way. I was a bit underwhelmed with the cat who saved books though!
I agree on both points! Travelling Cat had never left me. I think about it all the time. And I really hoped for something more from Cat Who Saved Books.
I'm currently struggling on writing a degree thesis about cats on Japanese literature, and this video helped me a lot, thanks so much! Do you have any tips perhaps?
there are two amazing mangas (that i know of, there’s likely more) featuring cats as well! “chi’s sweet home” and “a man and his cat” both very wholesome and funny
Yes! I've been meaning to read both! I've read Chi's Sweet Hope in Japanese, for comprehension practice, but not in English. There's also Jinji Ito's Cat Diary
Cats and Japan related, I think you guys would love Dreamtime by Venetia Welby, though the author's not Japanese. A near-future magic-realist dystopia set largely in Tokyo, Okinawa and the islands that lead on from there in the chain. Absolutely gripped me, and it's pretty out there. Also learned a lot about Okinawan history through it
GUYS HELP! I need a ranking for these books as I'm about to read them all this holy week LOL planning not to include If cats disappeared from the world tho. Thoughts?
I am definitely a cat person. I had to re-home my cat Nash due to a family situation and I still miss him. I doubt he misses me since he has several dogs and cats (and humans) to play with. His BFF is a cocker spaniel. Anyway I read The Guest Cat and enjoyed it although it was a bit long for me. I want to read The Cat Chronicles but am afraid it will make me sad when I’m done.
Oh, such a shame about The Cat Who Saved Books, I was kinda looking forward to that. I don't think it would be a super enjoyable experience based on the points that you brought forward. Really want to check out The Travelling Cat Chronicles now, but it's not the first time that I have heard that it's really sad, so I am kinda wary about going into it in the wrong mood. 😅 Thanks for sharing these! :)
Yeah I generally try to focus on the positive merits of books but the amount of masturbatory writing about dead white men just exhausted me. Travelling Cat Chronicles really is superb though!
Hmm I might skip the first book as I mostly read women. My mom is a fan of the Arikawa book, I need to borrow it from her and I have the Tanizaki ebook, so I will read it someday. I've read The Guest Cat and If Cats Disappeared, they were pleasant reads.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles is my favorite book! I remember reading the end one evening in bed and crying my heart out and my cat Charly came up to me and cuddled with me until the tears stopped coming - and longer :D He passed away this year and I haven't been able to pick the book up again but I hope I will be able to at some point, as I definitely want to read it again! Thanks for mentioning it, more people need to read this beautiful piece of literature
I must say, as someone who's had their love of Japan and its culture and literature completely destroyed by majoring in it, your videos are slowly making me fall in love with it more and more.
Nothing ruins passion like academia lol
I really needed a video on this topic
I hope it gave you everything you were looking for!
The Travelling Cat Chronicles 😭😭😭 I'm still picking up the pieces of my shattered heart. (oh, you lived in Seoul for a while! hello 😃)
Yep, I lived there for a year and loved every moment 💜
Thank you for your recommendations. I’m at the beginning of my journey into Japanese literature. I really love they way you speak about the books. 🌺💐
*sees title*
“Welp there’s gonna be at least one Murakami book here”
There is indeed, but I saved it till the end because the other writers deserve more attention.
@@WillowTalksBooks definitely!
😂 I was watching whole video waiting for Nakata and his Cats to be referenced
I also love cats and cat books. I taught my Abyssinian everything I knew. He saved me from a vicious dog in an alley. He never meowed and as a baby grew up with doberman pincers and kids. He would hear kids in their backyards and go back there and play with them. Dogs in the park couldn't figure him out since he was not afraid of them and made no sound. I also like Japanese literature but have read little.
YEEES THIS IS WHAT I NEEEDED! "Japaneese books about/ from the point of view of cats" is one of my favourite genres.
They are truly joyous and beautiful things 💜
This is exactly what I needed. Books. Cats. Japanese lit. 🤩
I hope the video didn't disappoint!
I have the sneaking feeling you would love The Cat and the City by Nick Bradley (a cat/Japanese lit superfan and all round lovely guy). It reads like a tribute to cats and Japanese fiction.
I've actually read it and done a written review for our site! Nick and I follow each other on Twitter and, like you said, he's really sweet.
Amazing! I'll look it up now.
Also, I read If Cats Disappeared a couple weeks ago. Can cofirm, the devil is goofy af
Thank you so much for the Japanese cat books. 🐈⬛🐈
Hey! Nana is the cat who narrates the story in The Travelling Cat Chronicles!!! :D
Yeah it came to me after I posted the video and knew I could count on someone to confirm it :)
You mentioned The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. That novel has a missing cat and kind of starts the whole adventure. Thanks for diving into this interesting topic
That's true, so many of his books feature cats doing something strange. It's part of Murakami Bingo :)
I have been waiting for this! Was really trying to figure out to read if cats disappeared or travelling cats chronicle first but now i think I'll go with cats disappeared cause its theme sounds more intrigue. Thank you!
I really hope you enjoy both books when you get to them!
I've read the guest cat, the cat who saved books and the travelling cat chronicles and fell in love with this niche of literature! The travelling cat chronicles ripped my heart out in the best way. I was a bit underwhelmed with the cat who saved books though!
I agree on both points! Travelling Cat had never left me. I think about it all the time. And I really hoped for something more from Cat Who Saved Books.
The traveling cat chronicles is brilliant.
Completely agree!
I'm currently struggling on writing a degree thesis about cats on Japanese literature, and this video helped me a lot, thanks so much! Do you have any tips perhaps?
Also i wanted to write a whole chapter about Haruki Murakami's relationship with cats
Wow a whole thesis on this topic, how fun! I don't have any unique insight to offer but I hope you have fun writing it!
The Cat Who Saved Books reminded me a lot of Persona 5 ❤ it made the book a lot more fun to me
there are two amazing mangas (that i know of, there’s likely more) featuring cats as well! “chi’s sweet home” and “a man and his cat” both very wholesome and funny
Yes! I've been meaning to read both! I've read Chi's Sweet Hope in Japanese, for comprehension practice, but not in English. There's also Jinji Ito's Cat Diary
The cat who saved books was translated as the cat who loved books in Spanish. A way better title, and I think closer to the Japanese title.
Two things I love! I have massive amounts of one, and one very special edition of the other.
What a beautiful way of putting it 💜
Cats and Japan related, I think you guys would love Dreamtime by Venetia Welby, though the author's not Japanese. A near-future magic-realist dystopia set largely in Tokyo, Okinawa and the islands that lead on from there in the chain. Absolutely gripped me, and it's pretty out there. Also learned a lot about Okinawan history through it
I've never heard of it! But the mention of Okinawa history has me very interested!
GUYS HELP! I need a ranking for these books as I'm about to read them all this holy week LOL planning not to include If cats disappeared from the world tho. Thoughts?
I am definitely a cat person. I had to re-home my cat Nash due to a family situation and I still miss him. I doubt he misses me since he has several dogs and cats (and humans) to play with. His BFF is a cocker spaniel. Anyway I read The Guest Cat and enjoyed it although it was a bit long for me. I want to read The Cat Chronicles but am afraid it will make me sad when I’m done.
Any cat person is a friend of mine, though I'm sorry you had to re-home Nash (great name for a cat, by the way!)
I love ‘I am a Cat’, especially Coldmoon. Might need to reread it now.
what a great video idea!
Aw thanks!
Oh, such a shame about The Cat Who Saved Books, I was kinda looking forward to that. I don't think it would be a super enjoyable experience based on the points that you brought forward. Really want to check out The Travelling Cat Chronicles now, but it's not the first time that I have heard that it's really sad, so I am kinda wary about going into it in the wrong mood. 😅
Thanks for sharing these! :)
Yeah I generally try to focus on the positive merits of books but the amount of masturbatory writing about dead white men just exhausted me. Travelling Cat Chronicles really is superb though!
these books sound good so i will defo put these on my list to read also i am a cat lover too
Cat lovers unite!
Hmm I might skip the first book as I mostly read women.
My mom is a fan of the Arikawa book, I need to borrow it from her and I have the Tanizaki ebook, so I will read it someday.
I've read The Guest Cat and If Cats Disappeared, they were pleasant reads.