This is a deceptively short novel about alienation and the existential condition. When a widower starts visiting a section of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, he meets a mysterious motorcycle rider and his life starts to change. Urban decay begins to take on a whole new meaning. ( )

Shozo Sakai, a middle-aged widower and engineer, is enamored with the beauty he sees in modern Tokyo. One day he wanders into another part of the city he is not familiar with, an area of reclaimed land, created by the refuse and trash of the city. He is strangely drawn to this area and finds it beautiful in its own way. It is hear that he is nearly run over by a mysterious, young woman in black leather riding way too fast on a motorcycle. She lures Shozo away from the reclaimed land to another place "far less benign."

I really enjoyed this book, first, because Shozo, on his walks through the city near where he works, really sees modern Tokyo as beautiful and his descriptive thoughts often wax poetic. "Shozo was not indifferent to the charm of the quaint and stately pre-war structures that had survived the air raids, but he was invariably struck by the beauty of contemporary buildings, sharply geometrical in form, devoid of superfluous décor, adroitly bringing to the fore a texture that was both mineral and metallic. Particularly when at dusk, the rain having lifted, he happened to see the clouds suddenly part and the sunlight break through the air like streams of golden arrows to illuminate the walls and windows of the high-rises, row upon row, he found himself, quite involuntarily, trembling with emotion.

So, it is interesting when he comes across the reclaimed land he tells an old friend: "I feel drawn to it, though I myself don't know why. Perhaps one reason is that it reminds me of the burned-out ruins of our childhood. It's just that it's wistfully familiar, as though I were taking a journey home." And even more interesting when he is nearly run down by the speeding motorcycle.

This is a contemplative story, beautifully written, which drifts into magical realism and does so in way that you almost don't notice. The book's back cover calls this a "sinister satire on urban decay" but I think it is saying much more - perhaps commentary about changes in Japanese society - though I feel I am only getting glimpses of it - like seeing the sun through the buildings as you walk down a city street.

Written 2/19/11, entered here much later. ( )