Table of Contents Introduction "Concerning the Sound of a Train Whistle in the Night or On the Efficacy of Fiction" -Murakami Haruki (b. 1949), translated by Michael Emmerich "A Little Darkness" -Yoshimoto Banana (b. 1964), translated by Michael Emmerich "Genjitsu House" -Koike Msayo (b. 1959), translated by Michael Emmerich "The Silent Traders" -Tsushima Yuko (b. 1947), translated by Geraldine Harcourt "Mogera Wogura" -Kawakami Hiromi (b. 1958), translated by Michael Emmerich "The Maiden in the Manger" -Abe Kazushige (b. 1968), translated by Michael Emmerich "Where the Bowling Pins Stand" -Ishii Shinji (b. 1966), translated by Michael Emmerich "Love Suicide at Kamaara" -Yoshida Sueko (b. 1947), translated by Yukie Ohta Notes on Japanese Texts Acknowledgments