Catch this Tokyo drift

It's #Japanuary, the month to celebrate all things Japan. Start with these 10 books which offer a glimpse into the country through manga, poetry and grisly whodunnits

- Rutvik Bhandari

1 SpyxFamily (2020).

This playful, fastpaced manga is one of the top-selling series of all time. Tatsuya Endo's story is about a top-secret spy who assembles a fake family as a part of a covert mission, unaware that his wife is an assassin and his adopted daughter is a telepath. They try to hide their identities from each other, only to realise that the toughest missions are not about infiltrating enemy camps, but about getting a child to behave during a school interview.

2 A Perfect Day to be Alone (2024).

Nanae Aoyama's novel, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, takes a cold hard look at 21-year-old Chizu, who moves in with 71-year-old Ginko, an eccentric relative. Chizu navigates part-time jobs, a slew of unsatisfying relationships, and existential dread before finding her feet and locating independence within her solitude. There's plenty of humour. It's a lovely examination of modern loneliness and heartbreak.

3 In A Grove (1922).