
Four Seasons in Japan
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Narrated by:
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Hanako Footman
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By:
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Nick Bradley
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin
Flo is sick of Tokyo. Suffering from a crisis in confidence, she is stuck in a rut, her translation work has dried up and she's in a relationship that's run its course. That's until she stumbles upon a mysterious book left by a fellow passenger on the Tokyo Subway. From the very first page, Flo is transformed and immediately feels compelled to translate this forgotten novel, a decision which sets her on a path that will change her life...
It is a story about Ayako, a fierce and strict old woman who runs a coffee shop in the small town of Onomichi, where she has just taken guardianship of her grandson, Kyo. Haunted by long-buried family tragedy, both have suffered extreme loss and feel unable to open up to each other. As Flo follows the characters across a year in rural Japan, through the ups and downs of the pair's burgeoning relationship, she quickly realises that she needs to venture outside the pages of the book to track down its elusive author. And, as her two protagonists reveal themselves to have more in common with her life than first meets the eye, the lines between text and translator converge. The journey is just beginning.
From the author of The Cat and the City, Four Seasons in Japan is a gorgeously crafted book-within-a-book about literature, purpose and what it is to belong.
©2023 Nick Bradley (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they'll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives. It's also run by talking cats.
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Narration ruined it for me
- By Dar Sar on 09-23-24
By: Mai Mochizuki, and others
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The Lantern of Lost Memories
- By: Sanaka Hiiragi
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of the peculiar and magical photo studio owned by Mr. Hirasaka, a collector of antique cameras. In the dimly lit interior, a paper background is pulled down in front of a wall, and in front of it stands a single, luxurious chair with an armrest on one side. On a stand is a large bellows camera. On the left is the main studio; photos can also be taken in the courtyard. Beyond its straightforward interior, however, is a secret. The studio is, in fact, the door to the afterlife, the place between life and death where those who have departed have a chance—one last time.
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Quiet, magical feels...a bit like Harry
- By SHES4AMWF on 03-18-25
By: Sanaka Hiiragi
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What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
- A Novel
- By: Michiko Aoyama
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it. A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose. In Komachi’s unique book recommendations they will find just what they need to achieve their dreams.
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The power of honesty and an open mind
- By ili pika on 09-10-23
By: Michiko Aoyama
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Convenience Store Woman
- By: Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori - translator
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Tokyo resident Keiko Furukara has never fit in - neither in her family, nor in school - but when at the age of 18 she begins working at the Hiiromachi branch of national convenience store chain Smile Mart, she realizes instantly that she has found her purpose in life. Delighted to be able to exist in a place where the rules of social interaction are crystal clear (many are laid out line-by-line in the store's manual), Keiko does her best to copy the dress, mannerisms, and mode of speech of her colleagues, playing the part of a "normal" person excellently, more or less.
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Am amazing and different story
- By D.R. on 04-10-19
By: Sayaka Murata, and others
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The Travelling Cat Chronicles
- By: Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe. With his crooked tail - a sign of good fortune - and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. And as they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.
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What a wonderful story
- By V. Brown on 11-22-18
By: Hiro Arikawa, and others
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Butter
- A Novel of Food and Murder
- By: Asako Yuzuki
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination, but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can’t resist writing back.
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Interesting look at societal pressure in Japan
- By john w straus on 11-18-24
By: Asako Yuzuki
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Water Moon
- A Novel
- By: Samantha Sotto Yambao
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets. Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.
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A Beautiful Dream
- By daunetullina on 01-23-25
What listeners say about Four Seasons in Japan
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Roger Winright
- 04-11-24
Therapeutic Background Sound
Highly enjoyed hearing this beautiful novel. The characters are amazing people and the story flows beautifully.
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- Zach
- 04-09-24
Beautiful tale, setting, and narration
This kind of book is very far from my norm - I typically read nonfiction and especially histories (ironic, considering a particular scene in this book). I don't have a particular interest in Japan moreso than I do any other country. But I really enjoyed the narrator's vocal work in the video game Baldur's Gate 3, had a spare credit, and decided to see if she had done any audiobook narration on a whim. This book looked the most interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. I'm very glad I did.
The overall, absolute bare-bones summary of this book, is perhaps nothing special. It's a story-within-a-story where both layers feature inherently depressed and listless characters doing their best under less than ideal circumstances. But what makes the story shine is just how well-crafted everything is. The outer, framing story, featuring translator Flo, is compelling enough to get you to sympathize with her as tries to work through her rut. But the inner story, a coming of age tale featuring 19 year old Kyo, born and raised in Tokyo, foisted upon his old-school grandmother Ayako in a provincial, mountainous town, is the real star.
Yes, Kyo sometimes acts like an idiot and makes several stupid decisions throughout the first half of the book. Yes, Ayako is overly strict when she should probably have good reason to know better given her past history. It doesn't matter. The characters have good reasons to act the way they do. They are relatable. They are well explored. You root for them (and Flo) to overcome their issues, accomplish their goals, and learn to communicate with the ones they care about, about the issues that matter.
Japan itself is also a character in this book, and it's really well done. From the lively but sometimes suffocating confines of Tokyo, to provincial but captivating Onomichi, to Hiroshima, where the weight of history is well-represented, the author's love for the country really shines through and adds to the story's weight. I was going to say that it's difficult to remember that he's a Westerner rather than a Japanese native as you are going through the text, but perhaps this is inaccurate. Perhaps the fact that he *is* a Westerner and thus is taking special time and effort to display the beauty and complexity of the country as he sees it, but still from a Westerner's perspective, is what makes the story and the descriptions work so well. Perhaps a native would only gloss over the various descriptions of everyday settings, considering them unimportant to the tale. I wouldn't know. This setup works very well. That's enough for me.
As for the narration, it is superb. Hanako Footman's vocal work was what drew me here to the first place and she delivers here, injecting enough differences in her characters to make them stand out and putting the exact right amount of emotion in every scene to really make you feel what the characters are going through at any given moment. I won't comment on the accuracy of her pronunciation of various Japanese words, as I have no experience with the language, but they sure sound correct to me.
I played this audiobook on a long drive, winding through highways with mountains in the background, I think this only adds to the atmosphere. It really allowed me to immerse myself in the characters and the setting, and I was almost sad when I finally got to my destination and I still had some of the book to go. I strongly recommend both this book and listening to it under the exact circumstances that I did. A lovely experience from start to finish.
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