Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories: Illustrations by Yoshimi OHTANI

Young Adult, Romance, General Fiction

By Renae Lucas-Hall

Publisher : Grosvenor House Publishing

ABOUT Renae Lucas-Hall

Renae Lucas-Hall
Renae Lucas-Hall is an Australian-born British novelist and writer. Renae spent many years studying French, Italian and Japanese because she loves languages and she always wanted to be an interpreter, a teacher or a writer. Renae graduated from Monash University in Australia with a Bachelo More...

Description

Renae Lucas-Hall leads the reader into an enchanting, life-affirming and inspiring world of Japanese short stories in Tokyo Tales. You’ll love the way each story embraces the charm and allure of Japan and you’ll enjoy these stories even if you have a limited knowledge of this fascinating country. These fifteen magical tales include a hellish homestay, ghosts, school bullying, a marriage arrangement and the kawaii culture. Renae Lucas-Hall’s captivating way of storytelling will deepen your appreciation of the Japanese culture and provide you with a glimpse into the Japanese mind-set which will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page. Prepare to be enthralled by the illuminating images throughout Tokyo Tales by the renowned Japanese Illustrator Yoshimi OHTANI. These wonderful illustrations and the delightful narrative will harness your imagination and leave you spellbound.
 

About the Author


Renae Lucas-Hall is the author of Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories as well as Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story. Renae is an Australian-born British novelist and writer. She spent years studying French, Italian and Japanese because she loves languages and she always wanted to be an interpreter, a teacher or a writer. Renae later graduated from university with a degree in Japanese language and culture. She went on to live in Tokyo for two years, where she taught English. Renae has continued to work with the Japanese for many years. Ten years ago, Renae also completed an Advanced Diploma of Business. Over the past twenty years, Renae has enjoyed visiting Japan many times for work or as a tourist. She continues to love reading and writing anything and everything about Japan. Renae lives in Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom with her husband. You can read more about Renae Lucas-Hall, her books and her writing at www.renaelucashall.com.
Yoshimi OHTANI’s illustrations feature on the book cover and throughout Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories by Renae Lucas-Hall. Yoshimi OHTANI is a renowned Japanese illustrator from Tokyo. OHTANI's creations combine a traditional mindset (iki) with a sense of modern Japanesque "passive demeanor" (wabi), an "elegant simplicity" (sabi), and a "classic taste" (kare). The results give fascinating characters that are a hybrid of Japanimation/manga-comics and design/artistic expression. Find out more about Yoshimi OHTANI at http://ARTas1.com/yoshimi_ohtani.

Renae Lucas-Hall leads the reader into an enchanting, life-affirming and inspiring world of Japanese short stories. You’ll love the way each story embraces the charm and allure of Japan and you’ll enjoy these tales even if you have a limited knowledge of this fascinating country. These fifteen magical stories include a hellish homestay, ghosts, school bullying, a marriage arrangement and the kawaii culture. Renae Lucas-Hall’s captivating way of storytelling will deepen your appreciation of the Japanese culture and provide you with a glimpse into the Japanese mind-set which will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page. Prepare to be enthralled by the illuminating images throughout Tokyo Tales by the renowned Japanese Illustrator Yoshimi OHTANI. These wonderful illustrations and the delightful narrative will harness your imagination and leave you spellbound.

I admit, I'm totally obsessed with all things Japan and Japanese culture. Tokyo Tales indulges that obsession for me in written fiction form, and reminded me at times of reading manga and at times of reading an adventure fiction book or old Japanese myth.

Being well acquainted with the cultural ins and outs of Japan, I immediately recognized and delighted in the details Lucas-Hall adds in like referencing the famous ganguro girls and how Japanese girls are the ones who present the gifts on Valentine's Day, not the other way around. Aside from that, these stories are at times cute, at times compelling, and always exciting to read - but my true indulgence here was getting to inhabit Japan and all of its cultural wonders for awhile.

My favorite story in the whole book is probably Ginza Girl, but I truly enjoyed them all. Fellow Nihonophiles, take note - you'll love this original short story collection. - Sam G

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