In the Miso Soup

In the Miso Soup (イン ザ・ミソスープ, In za Misosūpu) is a novel by Ryu Murakami. It was published in 1997 in Japanese, and in 2003 in English. The novel won the Yomiuri Prize for Fiction in 1997.

In the Miso Soup
First edition
AuthorRyu Murakami
Original titleイン ザ・ミソスープ
In za Misosūpu
TranslatorRalph McCarthy
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
GenrePhilosophical novel
PublisherYomiuri Shimbun
Publication date
1997
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages192 pp (UK paperback edition), 216 pp (US paperback edition)
ISBN0-14-303569-X (US)
0-74757-888-5 (UK)
OCLC61520482
895.6/35 22
LC ClassPL856.U696 I513 2006
Preceded byKyoko 
Followed byStrange Days 

Plot summary

Twenty-year-old Kenji is a Japanese "nightlife" guide for foreigners—he navigates gaijin men around the sex clubs and hostess bars of Tokyo. On December 29 he receives a phone call from an American named Frank, who seeks three nights of his services. While Kenji has promised to spend more time with his girlfriend, sixteen-year-old Jun, the money is too good to pass up. He finds himself closing out the end of the year accompanying Frank around Shinjuku, wondering if his strange, plastic-skinned patron could be responsible for the gruesome events recently reported in the news.

Characters

Major characters

  • Kenji: A nightlife guide based in Tokyo. He is an average English speaker who specializes in touring foreigners through Kabuki-cho. As mentioned, Kenji is the narrator of the story.
  • Frank: An American tourist who contracts Kenji's services. Frank disturbs Kenji from the outset, and is the antagonist.

Minor characters

  • Asami/Madoka: A "special services" hostess at a peep show.
  • Jun: Kenji's sixteen year-old girlfriend.
  • Maki: Female patron/prostitute at the omiai pub. She claims to not be a prostitute, but also claims to be a high price call girl.
  • Noriko: A tout for the omiai pub and former juvenile delinquent.
  • Reika and Rie: Two lingerie pub hostesses.
  • Satoshi: A lingerie club barker and acquaintance of Kenji's.
  • Yokoyama: Publisher of Tokyo Pink Guide. The only publication Kenji advertises in, and Frank's sex industry bible.
  • Yuko: Female patron/prostitute at the omiai pub. She is seated with Frank, Kenji, and Maki.

References


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