Collection of short stories by cutting-edge writers to make reading Japanese easier than ever. Includes profiles of the individual writers - including Hiromi Kawakami, Otsuichi, Banana Yoshimoto and Yoko Tawada, amongst others - placing the stories in context and enriching the reader’s understanding of modern Japanese literature. Each double-page spread contains everything a reader needs to enjoy contemporary written Japanese: original text, phrase-level translations and endnotes explaining tricky grammar. Built-in J-E learner s dictionary provides translations of every single word appearing in the book.