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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Jim Rion: 'Fair-play mystery is still alive and well in Japan'
How did you end up living in Yamaguchi? Jim Rion (Courtesy the subject) It was all just an accident, really. I was living and studying in Germany before I came here. Just as I was coming to the end of my time there and wondering where to go next, a friend from university emailed out of the blue. She said she was working at an English school in Yamaguchi that was looking for a teacher; was I interested? And I thought, 'Why not give it a try?' I'm glad I did it, because here I am, 20 years later, and happy as can be. What got you interested in sake and writing about the Yamaguchi breweries? The first thing was just enjoying the drink. I came here in 2004, and Yamaguchi was right at the start of a big jump in sake quality and recognition. So, the people around me were all excited to share the local drink with this new guy. Over time, as I began to learn more about the brewing process, I was attracted to all the craft skill that goes into it. I've always been a fan of traditional craft and making things by hand, and sake is certainly a good example. Then, when I started working as a translator, I saw my position as a way to both get closer to that craft and maybe also help share these wonderful local products with the world. 'I came here in 2004, and Yamaguchi was right at the start of a big jump in sake quality and recognition. So, the people around me were all excited to share the local drink with this new guy. ' Having interacted with Uketsu's work closely as a translator, what stood out for you as a dominant theme in the book? Strange Pictures is an unusual book that you can just read for the chills and the mysteries but also rewards some deeper reading and exploration of themes. As a translator, of course I wanted to get as deep as possible to make sure I didn't miss anything when I was bringing it into English. I won't go into spoiler territory, but as I went through the book over and over, I came to feel that the essential theme of Strange Pictures is motherhood, and how it can be both a source of boundless love and also a terribly dangerous thing. You've mentioned in your blog about the challenges of translating Strange Pictures – the Kanji characters, the name of the blog in chapter one, etc. What are some of the most common challenges when it comes to translating Japanese into English? I think there are two things about Japanese that make it particularly challenging to translate for me personally — other people surely have their own lists. One is purely linguistic, and one is stylistic. The linguistic issue is that sentences often leave out the subject, ie who it is that is speaking or doing some action, which we can't do as much in English. In Japanese, the subject is usually understood from context, but sometimes it is intentionally left vague. In the mystery and horror genres in particular, not knowing is often essential to the impact of a story. The need for English to know the subject of a sentence introduces a danger of ruining the surprise. The real challenge, then, is not necessarily that of deciding who did something, but how to write a meaningful English sentence without ruining some kind of plot point. The stylistic issue is that Japanese writing uses repetition in ways that English writing simply doesn't. For example, it's very common in written dialogue for one person to make a statement, then for the narrative text to repeat the idea in other words. So, you might get an exchange that would be directly translated like, 'This isn't just an accident. Someone killed him.' He was saying this was deliberate? In other words, murder? Which is three ways of saying the exact same thing, and people reading in English, without that kind of style, might get tired of a novel that did that for every major exchange. So, I have to both stay true to the tone and the meaning of the original while still making the English text something people will enjoy reading. 'Strange Picturesis an unusual book that you can just read for the chills and the mysteries but also rewards some deeper reading and exploration of themes.' What do you make of Uketsu's enigmatic disposition? With respect to the fact that he never shows his face, he has a somewhat unconventional profile of a YouTuber-turned-author, the narrative he chooses to engage in is quite different. I've heard Uketsu himself talk about this several times now, and I think that the way people are focused on his mask and body-stocking is an excellent example of organic identity building. He has said in several interviews that he was simple concerned about preserving anonymity as a guy making those 'weird videos' at the start of his YouTube career, but now they've become essential to the Uketsu mystique. I don't think he ever dreamed he would become as famous as he is, so I doubt he had much of a plan. So, the unconventional profile and narrative are probably just the result of him making it up as he goes along. Luckily, he seems to be quite good at that. It all really does work to build the mystery and fascination with everything he does, doesn't it? As for the YouTuber-turned-author path, he has said that he hadn't originally intended to become an author, but someone in publishing saw his mystery videos and said if he wrote books, they'd be hits. Clearly, that person was right. From a contemporary novel to the classics, tell us about your understanding of Seishi Yokomizo's novels and honkaku as a genre, something that was in vogue almost five decades ago. Honkaku mystery has been a significant presence in Japan's publishing market for decades, even as a target of rebellion as some writers in the 1960s started to feel it was getting too mired in orthodoxy and trope. Of course, Yokomizo was a foundational figure in the whole Japanese mystery genre, and his works are still popular in Japan today. One of the things that I find so interesting is just how dark his stories are, and how they seem to toy with supernatural elements, even while ending up being purely rooted in the natural world. I think in that, Yokomizo reflects the influence of Edogawa Ranpo, the 'founding father' of Japanese mystery who, in turn, was deeply influenced by Edgar Allan Poe. So, he includes an undercurrent of the grotesque, the corrupt, and the twisted that goes beyond the more mundane murders that populated the works of Agatha Christie or Ellery Queen. If you're looking for a Western writer for comparison, it's probably John Dickson Carr, who also tried to evoke horror fiction tropes like ghosts, vampires, and witches, while remaining purely natural and scientific in the end. And today, 'fair-play' mystery is still alive and well in Japan. This is the age of Shin-honkaku, the 'New orthodox' mystery movement that started in the 1980s — or even the Shin-Shin-Honkaku, 'The new new-orthodox.' I think some might even call this a golden age, with young writers taking up the challenge of writing fair-play mysteries that bring fresh takes on the well-trodden ground of locked rooms and impossible murders. Which explains why Yokomizo's books are still in print, and the many film and television adaptations are still being watched. Of Strange Pictures and The Devil's Flute Murders, which one was more fun to translate and why? I have to say that in terms of 'fun,' Strange Pictures has to be the winner. It was just so satisfying to follow as all the threads wove together in the end to reveal... Well, I'll stop there. No spoilers! There was a lot that was rewarding about The Devil's Flute Murders, of course. It gave me a way to learn about Japanese history, such as the fall of short-lived noble classes that were modelled on Europe. But then, when I think of what I gain from translation, I have to say connections to authors is one of the biggest rewards — and unfortunately, Yokomizo is no longer with us. Uketsu, though, is and I have been lucky enough to get to speak and work with him. 'There was a lot that was rewarding about The Devil's Flute Murders, of course. It gave me a way to learn about Japanese history, such as the fall of short-lived noble classes that were modelled on Europe.' What are you working on next? The next book from Uketsu, Strange Houses, is coming out in the summer, and we're just finishing up edits on that. Then, I have another unannounced mystery translation coming from Pushkin sometime in 2025 or 2026, maybe, before the next Uketsu book, so my schedule is pretty full for the next year or so. But I'm also trying to find time to work on my own book, a non-fiction look at ceramic artists in Japan. I hope that by making this so public, I'll feel compelled to finish what I started! Arunima Mazumdar is an independent writer. She is @sermoninstone on Twitter and @sermonsinstone on Instagram.
Japan Times
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
'Uketsu': The internet phantom haunting Japan's bestseller lists
Japan's bestselling books often converge around practical life advice: Mental math tricks for kids, tips on how to sound smart and personal finance hacks have all been top sellers in recent years. Wider pop culture trends break through, too: In 2020, Japan's top five bestselling books were all related to either the gory smash-hit manga 'Demon Slayer' or cozy escapist video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. A new mania now has the country's readers rapt: A set of odd books, somewhere between mystery and horror, between manga and novels, by the even odder writer known as 'Uketsu.' Strange Pictures, by Uketsu. Translated by Jim Rion. 240 pages, HarperVia, Fiction.
The Guardian
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Am I a Cyclopian monster?' How masked writer Uketsu went from asparagus videos to literary sensation
Hidden behind a white papier-mache mask, wearing a black bodysuit and with a voice modulated to sound something like a little girl's, is Japan's latest literary superstar. Almost nothing is known about Uketsu – a made-up name that means 'rain hole' – who first gained fame posting surreal videos on YouTube: clips of asparagus that turns into fingers when chopped; strips of meat pegged out on a washing line; eight ears spinning on a wheel. Then, in 2020, Uketsu posted a 21-minute mystery story based on a series of floor plans, and was told he should turn it into a novel. Since then, his books have become blockbusters in Japan: three of the country's Top 10 fiction bestsellers last year were by him. Now the first of his novels to have been translated into English, Strange Pictures, has come out in the UK and the US, and Uketsu has agreed to speak to me about it on Zoom. The novel, translated by Jim Rion, is structured as a quartet of stories that initially seem unconnected but in fact interlock, unfolding a clever mystery centred on a series of drawings that serve as clues. For our call Uketsu opts to have his camera off, rather than wearing his trademark mask – a disguise that reminds me of No-Face from the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. The likeness was unintentional – 'it just happened that way,' he tells me, via Rion, who is interpreting for us. The costume was in fact modelled on the kuroko, stagehands in classical Japanese theatre who wear all black, including a black veiled hat, to blend into the background. Because the traditional headpiece is difficult to make, Uketsu opted for the papier-mache mask instead. A face reveal will not be coming any time soon. 'I have thought about maybe sneaking a giant fake eye under the mask and then taking it off to reveal that I've been a terrible Cyclopean monster the whole time,' he jokes. How many people know he is Uketsu? About 30, he says, including his family, his publishers and a group of people he has worked with since he began the project. His biographical details are scant. We know he is a man. He says he lives in Kanagawa prefecture, in south-west Tokyo. When he began posting YouTube videos, he was working at a supermarket. He lived in the UK for a short time during his childhood. His parents divorced when he was young. But when it comes to his age, 'I'll leave that to your imagination.' (From his voice, I'd guess that he is youngish, maybe in his 30s.) Women are often the antagonists of Uketsu's stories, and Strange Pictures is no different. 'It just seems to work out that way,' says Uketsu. He explains that after his parents' divorce, he spent a lot of time with his mother's family, and when he was in school, many women were involved in the clubs he was part of. He is perhaps therefore 'a little bit more prone to writing' about frightening women than frightening men. Childhood trauma is a major plot driver in Strange Pictures; two of the key images in the book are drawn by children and then interpreted by a teacher and a psychologist. To write these segments, Uketsu read books by child development experts on why children draw the things that they do. 'I don't have a lot of contact with children in my actual life,' he says. For many of Uketsu's characters, life hasn't turned out the way they planned. Strange Pictures is set around the time of Japan's 'lost decades' – a period of economic slowdown in the 90s and 2000s that left many graduates unable to find jobs. 'It was something that I remember hearing about all the time on television or in family discussions, and it really made an impression because there was a kind of attitude that said, 'These people are struggling because they're weak.'' Rion's wife introduced him to Uketsu's work during the pandemic. 'There was not a doubt in my mind that it would be perfect for translation,' he tells me. He pitched it to the publisher Pushkin, who gave the green light. For Rion, Uketsu's work is special because it combines accessibility with depth of theme and smart mysteries that are opaque until the very end. 'You can get very complex books, and you can get very simple books, but it's very rare to see both at the same time. It's deceptive simplicity.' And it's certainly a good time for Uketsu's book to be arriving in the UK: Japanese fiction is hugely popular at the moment, with 43% of the Top 40 translated fiction titles in 2024 being Japanese. Uketsu says that many Japanese authors, himself included, like to read foreign literature in translation, so he sees the phenomenon as Japanese writers showing how their influences have been incorporated. 'I'm very happy about it,' the man behind the mask concludes. Strange Pictures by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion, is published by Pushkin (£14.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
