With a determined plan to reunite his mother and father, a young boy named Wataru knowingly enters a fantasy realm inhabited by a goddess who has the power to change destiny. With the help of the Lizard Boy, the Cat Girl, and the Fire-breathing Dragon, Wataru faces a series of seemingly insurmountable obstacles on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

This collection of short stories by non-Japanese who choose to live in Japan is an absorbing look at the Outsider in a nation that does not absorb foreigners easily. Unlike that other, earlier hotbed of expatriate writing, Literary Paris, which was not so different from home, postwar Literary Japan has confronted its expatriate writing community with a challenging mental and physical landscape.

A girl creates a cell phone in her imagination, from which she can communicate with others. A young boy discovers his new friend has the power to heal others - and learns about true friendship and sacrifice. The healing power of love confronts the tragedy and horror of a deadly train accident.

Born into the burakumin - Japan's class of outcasts - Kenji Nakagami depicts the lives of his people in sensual language and stark detail. The Cape is a breakthrough novella about a burakumin community, their troubled memories, and complex family histories. Includes House on Fire and Red Hair.

Goro Kawakubo, the dashing son of a famous artist and now a widower, hires an au pair, Masayo Hariu, to care for his eight-year-old daughter Momoko, whose only companion is her cat Lala. The au pair quickly falls in love with Goro's lifestyle and then with the widower himself. One fateful night, Goro throws a party and meets the gorgeous Chinatsu, who soon becomes his girlfriend. Masayo is tormented with jealousy but can do nothing but watch.

Four disillusioned Tokyo teenagers who have never met are suddenly drawn together by a mysterious chain mail message sent to their cell phones. In the tradition of classical Japanese tanka poetry, each teen takes on a role in the intriguing and absorbing narrative: the schoolgirl stalked by an older boy; her mysterious stalker; the schoolgirl's boyfriend; and the female detective.

Karin isn't like all the other teenage girls. Once a month, she experiences intense bleeding - from her nose! Karin is from a family of vampires who love to suck blood. But she prefers to give blood to her "victims." If done right this act of giving can be extremely positive. The problem is that Karin seems to never do things right!

Kenta has vowed to keep Karin's "problem" a secret. Despite their awkward attraction, they still remain friends. One day, Kenta shares his umbrella with China, a weird girl dressed like a nun, and Kenta and China begin to share more than an umbrella. As they get closer and closer, Karin's world begins to burn - literally!

Clumsy Karin stumbles and dumps food all over a young woman named Kira Matumiya and her guardian Shougo Tachikage. She has to pick up a part-time summer job to pay for the exuberant cleaning bill. The job turns out to be easy and fun, but then, two young women at her summer job go missing. Where did they go? Will more people disappear? Between unsolved mysteries and blood-spurting, Karin's in big trouble.

Kenta Usui, Karin's classmate, has remained just friends with Karin despite a strange attraction between them. So why is he so jealous when Karin meets Hidemi, a young teacher who rescues her and then is concerned for her younger sister Anju? While Karin struggles with the meaning of her newfound "friendship," Kenta fights his feelings of jealousy - and Anju and Karin's father Henry only makes matters worse!

Out loveable reverse vampire Karin can't help it: classmate and coworker Kenta's unhappiness triggers her bloodlust. Although she's learned to control her urges around Kenta, when her excess blood becomes too much to handle, even Kenta isn't safe!

He killed two gangsters for the woman he loves, Makiko. The sensation of the murder on Koji's hands is still fresh. Now he's running from the police as well as the mod. But unlike your ordinary hero, Koji kidnaps a boy during his getaway, and on his trail is "the Old Dog" Detective Takagi.