Touring the Land of the Dead (and Ninety-Nine Kisses)

A story from one of Japan's rising literary stars about memory, loss, and love, Touring the Land of the Dead is a mesmerizing combination of two tales, both told with stylistic inventiveness and breathtaking sensitivity. Taichi was forced to stop working almost a decade ago and since then he and his wife Natsuko have been getting by on her part-time wages. But Natsuko is a woman accustomed to hardship. When her own family's fortune dried up years during her childhood, she, her brother, and her mother lived a surreal hand-to-mouth existence shaped by her mother's refusal to accept their new station in life. One day, Natsuko sees an ad for a spa and recognizes the place as the former luxury hotel that Natsuko's grandfather had taken her mother to when she was little. She decides to take her damaged husband to the spa, despite the cost, but their time there triggers hard but ultimately redemptive memories relating to the complicated history of her family and a reconciliation with her husband. Modeled on Junichiro Tanizaki's classic story, The Makioka Sisters , Ninety-Nine Kisses is the second story in this book and it portrays in touching and lyrical fashion the lives of the four unmarried sisters in a historical, close-knit neighborhood of contemporary Tokyo. "A delicate, layered exploration of family, trauma, and memory . . . An intriguing introduction to a significant voice in contemporary Japanese fiction." — Kirkus Reviews Two tales about memory, loss and love, both told with stylistic inventiveness and breath-taking sensitivity. Taichi was forced to stop working almost a decade ago and since then he and his wife Natsuko have been getting by on her wages. But Natsuko is a woman accustomed to hardship. When her own family's fortune dried up years during her childhood, she lived a surreal hand-to-mouth existence shaped by her mother's refusal to accept her family's new station in life. When Natsuko sees an ad for a spa and recognizes the place as the former luxury hotel where she spent time as a child, she decides to take her sick husband, despite the cost. But the overnight visit triggers hard but ultimately redemptive memories relating to the complicated history of her family. Modelled on a classic story by Junichiro Tanizaki, Ninety-Nine Kisses is the second story in this book and it portrays in touching and lyrical fashion the lives of the four unmarried sisters in a historical, close-knit neighbourhood of contemporary Tokyo. "Magical." — The Guardian , Most Anticipated Fiction of 2021 "An ethereal novel combining two tales exploring memory, love, and loss." — Vogue (UK) "Kashimada's writing is exceptional." — The Spectator "While Kashimada's stories, like Murakami's, resist easy interpretation, the former revel in the beauty of experience, whether sorrowful or joyous, affirming life in all its strangeness, horror and mystery." — The Times Literary Supplement (UK) "Only Kashimada can create this kind of world." —Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory Police "Natsuko lives with her husband Taichi, who was forced to stop working eight years ago by the sudden onset of a brain disease. Ever since then, they have been living on her part-time wages and what he receives in disability. But Natsuko is well accustomed to financial hardship. Before meeting Taichi, she lived with her mother, a proud woman who clung to illusions of affluence long after the family riches had dried up. Her mother and her brother are haunted by their former station in life, restless spirits unable to live according to their present realities, and uncomprehending of Natsuko's decision to marry a lowly functionary. One day, Natsuko sees an ad for a rest-and-recreation center posted on a bulletin board: February Only: Weeknights 5,000 Yen (5000 Yen = Approx. 50USD). She recognizes the place as a former luxury hotel--a symbol of that time in her mother's youth when she wanted for nothing. Natsuko's grandfather, who single-handedly built the family fortune, had taken her mother to the storied hotel when she was little. When, for the first time in years, Natsuko and her husband take an overnight trip to a spa that was once a luxury hotel Natusko remembers staying in when she and her family had wealth and prestige. However, the building triggers memories and epiphanies relating to the complicated history of her family. Natsuko's overnight trip becomes a voyage into the netherworld--a journey to the doors of death and back to life. The volume also contains a short story modeled on Junichiro Tanizaki's The Makioka Sisters titled Ninety-Nine Kisses, which portrays four unmarried sisters living in an old-fashioned neighborhood in contemporary Tokyo."--Provided by publisher From one of Japan’s rising literary stars, two mesmerizing novellas told with stylistic inventiveness and breathtaking sensitivity about memory, loss, and love. Touring the Land of the Dead tells the story of Taichi, who was forced to stop working almost a decade ago and since then he and his wife Natsuko have been getting by on her part-time wages. But Natsuko is a woman accustomed to hardship. When her own family’s fortune dried up for years during her childhood, she, her brother, and her mother lived a surreal hand-to-mouth existence shaped by her mother’s refusal to accept their new station in life. One day, Natsuko sees an ad for a spa and recognizes the place as the former luxury hotel that Natsuko’s grandfather had taken her mother to when she was little. She decides to take her damaged husband to the spa, despite the cost, but their time there triggers hard but ultimately redemptive memories relating to the complicated history of her family and a reconciliation with her husband. Modeled on The Makioka Sisters, Junichiro Tanizaki’s classic story, Ninety-Nine Kisses portrays in touching and lyrical fashion the lives of the four unmarried sisters in a historical, close-knit neighborhood of contemporary Tokyo. An atmospheric and captivating tail of siblings and women’s lives.