Strange Weather in Tokyo
Hiromi Kawakami
Counterpoint
Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens 
to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He 
is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a 
widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet 
occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - 
from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei 
come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly
 into love.  Perfectly constructed, funny, and moving, Strange Weather 
in Tokyo is a tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance.