Booktube has become of my favorite places to find out about books, and I have watched a lot of content there. One of my favorite Booktube channels is Books with Zara. Zara has eclectic taste in fiction, and I have liked the vibe of her videos. She recently did a video on Cozy Japanese Fiction, and Sanshiro by Natsume Soseki was one of her recommendations. I took a chance and read it.

Sanshiro was published in 1908 and is the first book of a trilogy. It recounts the tale of Sanshiro Ogawa, a young man from Southern Japan, who attends the University of Tokyo for further education and begins his journey in early 20th Century Japan.

At that time, Japan was becoming modern, influenced by the West. Sanshiro navigates college life and connects with several individuals, such as Yojiro, a wannabe radical, Professor Hirota, and a woman named Mineko. These three connections are the most established relationships in the novel, and their interactions make up the story.

I’m fond of coming-of-age stories and have read many. Despite this, I couldn’t fully appreciate the experience of reading Sanshiro. The translation was readable and flowed well. However, Sanshiro’s development as the main character felt incomplete throughout the story. I found him to be a bit too passive, and it felt like he expected things to unfold rather than actively pursuing his goals. Perhaps my American perspective prevents me from fully relating to a protagonist like Sanshiro.

Soseki writes well, and I could see why this novel is a classic in Japanese literature. I enjoyed Zara’s suggestion, and though I didn’t have a great reading experience with this book, I’m happy to have broadened my literary horizons.