In this episode of Reading Materials, we discuss Rie Qudan's Sympathy Tower Tokyo (released on August 21st, 2025). We enter into a deep discussion about the ins and outs of judicial systems, ponder the differences between Eastern and Western culture, and explore language and its evolution, including the use of AI in literature.

Join us for an interesting exploration of this translation of Rie Qudan's Tōkyō-to Dōjō Tō, originally published in 2024 in Japan, and winner of the Akutagawa Prize.

Thank you to Penguin for sending us advanced copies of this book!

In this week's bonus episode we talk about another translated Japanese novel, The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (translated by Philip Gabriel). Join us for our discussion of pets, friendship and extremely moving scenes.