The Izu Dancer, Yasunari Kawabata’s first work to bring him recognition as a writer, is a novella about six Izu Peninsula travellers. As the six travellers journey together, intimacy develops and friendship overcomes class differences. Capturing the shy eroticism of adolescence, The Izu Dancer is a charming picture of the times.

Yasushi Inoue’s The Counterfeiter, although set in modern times, poses universal questions that transcend culture and era. Obasute and The Full Moon both explore themes of separation, loneliness and isolation. Through the gloomy tales, Inoue’s compassion shines, revealing yet another aspect of an author known for his vivid precision and economy of words.