Strange Weather in Tokyo

A Novel

By: Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell - translator

Narrated by: Allison Hiroto

Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Asian Literary Prize, Strange Weather in Tokyo is a story of loneliness and love that defies age.

Tsukiko, 38, works in an office and lives alone. One night, she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, "Sensei", in a local bar. Tsukiko had only ever called him "Sensei" ("Teacher"). He is 30 years her senior, retired, and presumably a widower. Their relationship develops from a perfunctory acknowledgment of each other as they eat and drink alone at the bar, to a hesitant intimacy, which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love.

As Tsukiko and Sensei grow to know and love one another, time's passing is marked by Kawakami's gentle hints at the changing seasons: from warm sake to chilled beer, from the buds on the trees to the blooming of the cherry blossoms. Strange Weather in Tokyo is a moving, funny, and immersive tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance.

Photo credit: ©Hisaji Hara and Natsumi Hayashi

©2012 Hiromi Kawakami (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Great Story

I really like the story itself, but the narrator is so robotic it makes the character lack emotion.

Loved it

The whole book has the sensibility of haiku. It’s distilled, delicate, sensual, deep, tender, subtle. The narrator was perfect for the part & I’m already planning to relisten to it soon.

Lovely story

Lovely written story and a great narrator. It was a bit slow, but endearing.

enjoyed. not my usual

overall good story and we used together time and characters in an interesting way. I'm just starting to get into this kind of book and I enjoyed it.

Very charming

Story about an unusual romance between an elderly professor and her former student, told through the seasons in Tokyo. The descriptions are very colourful and overall this book gave me a sense of peace.