The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Kafū Nagai and Natsume Sōseki and Ōgai Mori and Yukio Mishima and Yūko Tsushima and Taeko Kōno and Kenji Nakagami and Banana Yoshimoto and Minako Ohba and Fumiko Enchi and Abe Akira and Yōko Ogawa and Doppo Kunikida and Uno Kōji and Genji Keita and Minoru Betsuyaku and Mieko Kawakami and Shinichi Hoshi and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa and Sawanishi Yuten and Hyakken Uchida and Ota Yoko and Yuichi Seirai and Yasunari Kawabata and Akiyuki Nosaka and Tomoyuki Hoshino and Kazumi Saeki and Aoko Matsuda and Yūya Satō

"This fantastically varied and exciting collection celebrates the great Japanese short story, from its modern origins in the nineteenth century to the remarkable works being written today... The Penguin Book of Japanese Short stories is filled with fear, charm, beauty and comedy. Curated by Jay Rubin, who has himself freshly translated several of the stories, and introduced by Haruki Murakami, this book will be a revelation to its readers."-Dust jacket.

3.5

1. The Story of Tomoda and Matsunaga - Tanizaki Jun'chirō — ☆☆☆.5
2. Behind the Prison - Nagai Kafū ☆☆☆.75
3. Sanshirō - Natsume Sōseki ☆☆
4. The Last Testament of Okitsu Yagoemon - Mori Ōgai ☆☆☆
5. Patriotism - Mishima Yukio ☆.5
6. Flames - Tsushima Yūko ☆☆☆
7. In the Box - Kōno Taeko ☆☆☆
8. Remaining Flowers - Nakagami Kenji ☆☆
9. Bee Honey - Yoshimoto Banana ☆☆☆☆
10. The Smile of a Mountain Witch - Ohba Minako ☆☆☆☆
11. A Bond for Two Lifetimes - Enchi Fumiko ☆☆
12. Peaches - Abe Akira ☆☆☆
13. The Tale of the House of Physics - Ogawa Yōko ☆☆☆☆
14. Unforgettable People - Kunikida Doppo ☆☆☆☆
15. The 1963/1982 Girl from Ipanema - Murakami Haruki ☆☆
16. Cambridge Circus - Shibata Motoyuki ☆☆☆
17. Closet LLB - Uno Kōji ☆☆☆
18. Mr English - Genji Keita ☆☆☆
19. Factory Town - Betsuyaku Minoru ☆☆☆☆
20. Dreams of Love, Etc. - Kawakami Mieko ☆☆☆☆
21. Shoulder-Top Secretary - Hoshi Shin'ichi ☆☆☆☆
22. Hell Screen - Akutagawa Ryūnosuke
23. Filling up with Sugar - Sawanishi Yūten
24. Kudan - Uchida Hyakken
25. The Great Earthquake and General Kim - Akutagawa Ryūnosuke
26. Hiroshima, City of Doom - Ōta Yōko
27. Insects - Serai Yūichi
28. The Silver Fifty-Sen Pieces - Kawabata Yasunari
29. American Hijiki - Nosaka Akiyuki
30. Pink - Hoshino Tomoyuki
31. UFO in Kushiro - Murakami Haruki
32. Weather-Watching Hill - Saeki Kazumi
33. Planting - Matsuda Aoko
34. Same as Always - Satō Yūya

I took more than a year to complete this wonderful collection of stories and it was worth the time. Along the way it helped to discover some great writers like Tanizaki and Mishima, and made me read some elegant Japanese books including Some Prefer Nettles, Sanshiro and Memory Police. Overall a year that was well spent..!!!