Tokyo Story

by Akahige Namban

Jim Suzuki and Andy Middler are brothers meeting for the first time in the labyrinth of Tokyo. While uncovering the mystery of their parentage with the help of Officer Michiko Teraoka, the brothers... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1562012665
• ISBN13: 9781562012663
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Lust in Translation, Part 1

Jim Suzuki and Andy Middler are a couple of Americans setting up residence in Tokyo for business purposes when they accidentally meet after renting the same apartment through two different housing agents. But is it an accident? Shortly after meeting they discover what has been nagging at the back of their minds; their faces are almost identical, despite Jim being raised thinking he was Japanese and Andy being raised thinking he was Caucasian! A subsequent back story exchange reveals that both were adopted and both have had their educations paid for by unknown benefactors. Jim and Andy decide to share the apartment while they pool their efforts to investigate their parentage, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of time to pursue their other mutual interest: having lots of sex with as many women as possible. I picked up this series after enjoying Mr. Namban's other series set in Tokugawa Japan: Chrysanthemum, Rose, and the Samurai, Shogun's Agents, Women of the Mountain, Warriors of the Town, and The New Concubine, but while the former series is quite intricately plotted, this one is not. I almost believe what another reviewer wrote, "I think that maybe someone told him to skip the plot in his next book and get right to the sex." The result is that 218 pages later, they've bedded over a dozen women alone or together, and they've learned precious little beyond a few intriguing clues about their parentage. So am I saying this novel is a waste of time? Well, no, surprisingly it isn't. That is because while the plot is mostly on hold, Mr. Namban does a good job of setting the scene in modern Japan and an excellent job of drawing the characters of the women Jim and Andy encounter. Far from being interchangeable sex dolls, each woman is distinctly and (except for the part about being so willing to hop into bed with and sexually share the brothers) quite realistically drawn. You will find yourself wanting to know more about them and in some cases whether they were able to deal with the situation that sent them to Andy and Jim in the first place. At least one pair of messed up and star crossed lovers are brought back together by the unknowing acts of our bonking brothers. Not quite as good as I'd hoped, but much better than I'd feared. Note: The story continues in Yakuza Perfume.