From Los Angeles to Tokyo: Booknerd Tokyo on Language, Culture, and Living Abroad: S6E8

Send us Fan MailIf your understanding of Japan still comes mostly from travel imagery, pop culture, or Haruki Murakami, Yuki Tejima offers a faster way to widen that picture. Born in Japan, raised in Los Angeles, and later returning to Tokyo, the creator of Book Nerd Tokyo uses Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen to explore Japanese literature, grief, food, identity, and everyday communication, showing why the 1988 novel still feels relevant now.Listen for:Why Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto became a modern Japanese classicHow Kitchen challenges stereotypes about Japanese literature and cultureHow food and seasonal eating shape everyday life in JapanHow Japanese literature helps explain unspoken communicationWhat Japanese authors to read beyond Haruki MurakamiWhy Did Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto Become a Modern Japanese Classic?Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen became a modern Japanese classic by turning grief into a story about recovery, food, and chosen family. After Mikage loses the grandmother who raised her, she moves in with Yuichi and his mother, Eriko, and begins rebuilding her life. Mikage sleeps beside the refrigerator because the kitchen is the only place where she can rest, and cooking later gives her direction. Yoshimoto said she wrote for people who felt things deeply or found everyday life intensely lonely, yet Kitchen became a phenomenon while she was only 24.How Does Kitchen Challenge Stereotypes About Japanese Literature and Culture?Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen challenges stereotypes about Japanese literature by focusing on ordinary emotions and people who don’t fit neatly into social expectations rather than familiar images of Japan. Yuki points to references to Bewitched, Helen Keller, the Brothers Grimm, and Linus and his blanket instead of Mount Fuji or shrines. Kitchen also introduces Eriko, Yuichi’s transgender mother, without making her identity the central conflict. Yuki says Japanese readers could recognize characters who mourned differently, had unusual families, or didn’t know what they wanted from life.How Do Food and Seasonal Eating Shape Everyday Life in Japan?Food and seasonal eating shape everyday life in Japan through regional specialties, changing ingredients, and close attention to preparation. Yuki says Japanese television features food constantly, from restaurants to regional dishes. At an inn in Kyoto, she once ate roughly 20 different tofu dishes and learned to notice differences in texture, preparation, and presentation. Seasonal food became part of that education too: winter cabbage tastes especially sweet, while tomatoes and cucumbers belong to summer.How Can Japanese Literature Help Explain Communication and Culture in Japan?Japanese literature helped Yuki understand unspoken communication in Japan by showing the thoughts and emotions behind behavior people didn’t always express directly. Raised in the United States, Yuki describes herself as more American in her communication style. In Tokyo, she found more emphasis on reading the room and noticing nonverbal cues, so modern Japanese novels became a kind of textbook. Yuki also recommends Yoko Ogawa’s The Housekeeper and the Professor, Hiromi Kawakami, and Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman for readers exploring Japanese literature beyond Haruki Murakami.CONNECT WITH GUEST: YUKI TEJIMABook Nerd Tokyo:https://www.booknerdtokyo.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/booknerdtokyo/CONNECT WITH GUEST HOST: TATJANA CHENhttps://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/contact-stephanieMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEKitchen | Banana Yoshimoto | Japanese literature | modern Japanese culture | Book Nerd Tokyo | Tokyo | Japanese food culture | seasonal eating | Japanese communication | The Housekeeper and the Professor | Yoko Ogawa | Hiromi Kawakami | Convenience Store Woman | Sayaka Murata | Haruki MurakamiOriginal publication date: May 29, 2020💰Best credit card for Americans living or traveling outside the U.S. NO transaction fees, only a once a year fee. Pays for itself in no time. Chase Sapphire: https://accounts.chase.com/raf/share/1805579379📬 Traveling abroad long-term? Traveling Mailbox gives you a permanent US mailing address you can access from anywhere: https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422💰Need a global bank account: I use Wise for multiple currencies https://wise.com/invite/dic/debrad107📸 Instagram reels from my past and present life abroad: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/🎥 Daily video clips from my life abroad: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew🎙️Start your own podcast. The podcast host I recommend most often is Buzzsprout. Use this link and get a bonus when you upgrade:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2022201📬 Weekly podcast discoverability tips to help your older episodes keep getting found:  https://podcaststeph.substack.com/