
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


In part two of this three part episode, we're looking at the apocalyptic and dystopian fiction of Japan.
We'll begin with the evolution of the idea of "the end of the world" in Japan, especially after Japan started importing American and European science fiction. We'll move on to Japanese apocalyptic stories, especially between 1945 and the 1970s and then during the 1970s and 1980s.
CW: brief mentions of historical and fictional violence and rape
Part two mistakenly implies Jules Verne was an Anglo-American author. As outlined in part one, he was French.
Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available.
This episode’s artwork is adapted from a photograph by Du Truong, “The Student of Gunkanjima”. Gunkanjima, also known as Hashima Island, is an abandoned island in Nagasaki Prefecture. Truong’s work is available under a Creative Commons license.
Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.)
Please note that text messages are for feedback only. RJL can't respond directly.
Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com.
Support RJL on Patreon.com.
Buy your books from Bookshop.org.
All content © 2025 Read Japanese Literature.
By Alison Fincher4.8
2121 ratings
In part two of this three part episode, we're looking at the apocalyptic and dystopian fiction of Japan.
We'll begin with the evolution of the idea of "the end of the world" in Japan, especially after Japan started importing American and European science fiction. We'll move on to Japanese apocalyptic stories, especially between 1945 and the 1970s and then during the 1970s and 1980s.
CW: brief mentions of historical and fictional violence and rape
Part two mistakenly implies Jules Verne was an Anglo-American author. As outlined in part one, he was French.
Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available.
This episode’s artwork is adapted from a photograph by Du Truong, “The Student of Gunkanjima”. Gunkanjima, also known as Hashima Island, is an abandoned island in Nagasaki Prefecture. Truong’s work is available under a Creative Commons license.
Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.)
Please note that text messages are for feedback only. RJL can't respond directly.
Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com.
Support RJL on Patreon.com.
Buy your books from Bookshop.org.
All content © 2025 Read Japanese Literature.

15,220 Listeners

3,355 Listeners

2,234 Listeners

2,138 Listeners

794 Listeners

24,655 Listeners

1,770 Listeners

16,095 Listeners

17 Listeners