A light and quite sentimental novel about friendship and love between an older high school teacher and his former student, full of understatements and clumsy attempts to overcome one’s own shyness, loneliness and habits. Spontaneous meetings at the izakaya bar, unchanging regardless of the passing seasons, result in a special bond between the two that is difficult to define unequivocally. The narrative is very simple and the story is intimate; there is more behind what Kawakami does not write about – about fear of intimacy.
The release also includes a short story Parade, which is a mini-sequel to Strange Weather in Tokyo.
