Read Japanese Literature

Banana and the Bubble: Banana Yoshimoto and Kitchen

• Read Japanese Literature • Season 1 • Episode 14

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0:00 | 45:00

In this episode, we’re talking about Japan’s bubble economy of the 1980s and the work of Banana Yoshimoto.

Runaway consumer spending.

Everything kawaii.

A Nobel laureate’s contempt.

And a young author whose career challenged the publishing powers that be.

cw: transphobia, real life hate crime against Asian Americans, fictional hate crime against a trans woman

Transcript, notes and sources at the podcast episode website.

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