Every 14 days...(2)

Graffiti Japan (Remo Camerota)

Being that I love hip hop and I’m a pretentious twat that loves all things Japanese, two words that I clearly love being placed together to form a book title are ‘Graffiti’ and ‘Japan’. When last up in Newcastle and at the Baltic, I started flicking through various graffiti and ‘street art’ books while waiting for others to purchase their Christmas presents. Not buying it then, I decided to purchase while bored one day in January from the Tate Modern – I am a twat, as I previously stated.

A lot like many of Stewart Lee’s favourite books, this does not contain too many words, but a number of pictures of men in some hats. So, this isn’t exactly a difficult read, but was something that I picked up and flicked through now and again while continuing to read books that have printed words in them. In many ways, it’s a great toilet book.

Confused, and I’m sure we all are, as to why nobody had yet put together a book on Nihon no graffiti, Australian resident and graffiti man Remo started contacting Japanese writers with the look to finally producing a book on said topic. Starting off with Hiroshima-based SUIKO, Remo tours Japan, showcasing the works of the writers and taggers that he meets along the way.

While containing some very good works from, I’m sure, some of Japan’s biggest names, I felt that the book is not worthy of its title ‘Graffiti Japan’. Speaking to many artists that work together, it feels that the opinions and works of only a select group are being shown, and the locations are only those of the Tokyo/Yokohama region, Osaka and Hiroshima. Hiroshima seems to get a greater focus, being that it is the residence of SUIKO, the first writer to respond to Remo’s e-mails.

The nature of the exploration is not exactly in depth, with questions quite generic, with little probing around reasons for writers doing what they do and the thought processes behind their work. The text to accompany the photos, therefore, feels like some unnecessary add-on to try and give the book some credibility; when this could have been attained by a deeper exploration into the cultural context of graffiti in Japan, or simply no text at all.

But this is not hugely important. What is important is seeing some of the graffiti hot spots in Japan and knowing where to go to look for some good old fashioned spray can fun. ‘Graffiti Japan’ delivers on this front, if failing to scratch beneath the surface.

Days to read: 13

Days per book: 12.75

Sanshiro (Natsume Soseki)

Bought for me as a Christmas present, I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with the works of Natsume Soseki. From this edition, introduced by both Murakami Haruki and Jay Rubin, it’s clear that Natsume is an important name in 20^th Japanese literature. Painting a portrait of a troubled writer, the introductions put Sanshiro into context, showing how elements reflect Natsume’s own life.

Focusing in on Sanshiro, a 23 year-old travelling from a quiet, rural town to the big city as he enters University in Tokyo, the novel represents a coming of age story, as he deals with fast-paced life, confusing city folk and the dangerous world of city women. Naive to the ways of the city, Sanshiro often ends up in situations that could have been easily avoided, often to the amusement of those around him.

And this is indeed Sanshiro’s charm. Reflecting that Natsume was a writer he only began enjoying once entering adulthood, Murakami sees many parallels in his and Sanshiro’s life, experiencing similar thoughts and feelings on entering University. This is a book best read once graduation has passed and the real world entered, looking back at all the stupid things your younger self once did. One can but smile...

Days to read: 15

Days per book: 11.8