Junko Takase’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel is a feminist’s nightmare

Junko Takase’s “Oishii Gohan ga Taberaremasu Yoni” is a uncommon work that makes good meals appear slightly unsavory.

The novel that gained the Akutagawa Prize this July is a deceptively mundane story depicting the on a regular basis work lifetime of three co-workers. It appears at first like a typical Japanese work place drama, poking enjoyable at numerous workplace stereotypes. However the guide additionally takes to activity a “given” of urbane society (not simply in Japan, though it’s actually a mainstay of Japanese popular culture): the exaltation of foodie tradition and the pursuit of deliciousness. The title, which roughly interprets to “I want to have the ability to eat scrumptious meals,” suggests a narrative full of loving depictions of gourmand scenes and smells — however the actuality is far much less appetizing. (At time of writing an English translation hasn’t been introduced.)

Oishii Gohan ga Taberaremasu Yoni, by Junko Takase.
162 pages
KODANSHA, Fiction.