INTERVIEW Radhika Jha

The Hidden Forest and My Beautiful Shadow

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Radhika Jha’s novels transport readers into the intricate and often contradictory world of contemporary Japan, where tradition and modernity collide in unexpected ways. Having lived in Japan for six years, Jha brings a deeply personal perspective to her storytelling, drawing inspiration from the subtle tensions she observed—where beauty and transience coexist, where reverence for the past clashes with the forces of urban transformation. In this conversation, she delves into the themes of her novels The Hidden Forest and My Beautiful Shadow, exploring the psychological depths of materialism, the evolving role of the Yakuza, and the search for belonging in a rapidly changing society.

Both of your novels explore complex personal journeys set against the backdrop of Japanese society. How does your own experience with Japan influence your writing?

I lived in Japan for six years - from 2007 till 2013. But even before I went there I was fascinated by Japanese paintings, ceramics, film, and literature. I loved the attention to detail in their crafts, the use of empty space in their paintings and what was left unsaid in their novels. However, nothing prepared me for the experience of actually living in Japan. The Japan I discovered was a cosmopolitan yet insular culture that was both open and closed. Tokyo was not beautiful but there was beauty to be found in quite unexpected places. But it was not the uniqueness of Japanese culture that inspired me to try to write a story set in Japan. It was the excesses of Japan that fascinated me. The women who were so perfectly dressed that they looked like they belonged in a magazine. The reverence of nature and sensitivity to the seasons while living in tiny ugly cramped apartments. The beautiful shrines that were torn down to create apartment blocks.