How does the novel explore the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures in post-war Japan? How do the characters’ struggles to define their national culture reflect the wider transitions at play?

Kazuko is the narrator of the novel. How does the novel use different narrative modes to deepen her characterization and/or to help illuminate some of the key themes and ideas in the text?

In the novel, both Naoji and Uehara experience dependencies on opium and alcohol. How does the novel explore the nature and effects of dependency? How do these instances of substance misuse reflect the novel’s interest in illness and decay more generally?