Gaikotsu biru no niwa

This novel is set in 1994 in a dilapidated building called the “Skeleton Building” in the Jūsō district of Osaka. The structure has been slated for demolition and redevelopment, but more than 10 long-term residents remain in the building, refusing to leave. The story begins with the arrival of the superintendent, a 47-yearold man named Yagisawa, whose job is to evict them. There he meets a slightly shady bunch of people, including a private detective, a metal carver, a manufacturer of sex toys, a cross-dressing hostess, and a high-ranking gangster. Once he gets to know them, he discovers that they are just regular, warmhearted people from downtown Osaka.

    However, they carry a common past. They are all orphans who either lost their parents in the war or who were abandoned by them after the fighting ended. They were picked up and raised in the Skeleton Building by a young man, who inherited the building during the chaotic period right after the war, and his close friend. These two men raised dozens of war orphans this way, out of the goodness of their hearts. Before long, Yagisawa finds himself fascinated by the essential humanity of the residents. Through their reminiscences, he retraces the path of contemporary Japanese history from the end of World War II to the 1990s.

    This might also be called a tale starring the city of Osaka itself, which is full of vitality. The characterization is vivid and the plot is so interesting that you won’t be able to put the book down. As you follow the mysteries hidden in the history of the Skeleton Building, you can fully experience the lively atmosphere of postwar Osaka itself. (NM)