The descriptions of 1960 Japan were what made me want to read the book and that’s also what I got. The mystery itself wasn’t that enjoyable to me. The red herrings were quite frustrating and it wasn’t clear to me why one of the characters was acting absolutely paranoid.
I really enjoyed Imanishi as a character and the haikus. This story felt like going back in time and was pleasant to experience.

A completely gripping mix of crime and social commentary set in Japan at the beginning of the 1960s. Seichō Matsumoto’s classic novel offers fascinating insights into Tokyo’s burgeoning avant-garde blended with glimpses of the numerous inequalities of postwar Japan – rural areas in decline, impoverished communities cheek-by-jowl with shiny redeveloped cities profiting from the recent economic upturn. Matsumoto opens with the discovery of the battered body of a man in a Tokyo railway yard. The man’s identity proves challenging to pin down and world-weary, dogged detective Imanishi Eitaro becomes central to the squad assigned to investigate. But this murder sets off a chain of unsettling deaths leaving Imanishi and his colleague Yoshimura Hiroshi embroiled in a highly unusual case - one that has its roots in the dominant attitudes and values of pre- and early postwar Japan.

Beautifully observed, meticulously detailed, with a keen sense of place, Matsumoto’s approach to his material is understated, admirably subtle. Imanishi himself is a sympathetic character: with his love of bonsai, devotion to writing haiku and wonderfully patient wife. Matsumoto uses his middle-aged detective to reflect on generational shifts, contrasting dutiful Imanishi with the younger, so-called ‘generation of the burnt-out ruins’ (yakeatoha) who came of age during WW2. It’s this generation who may be implicated in the crimes Imanishi’s now bent on solving. Crimes and criminals that hark back to the chaos and mass displacement that followed the extensive WW2 bombing of Japan. But, Imanishi suspects, a moment of chaos that may have provided some with a welcome opportunity for reinvention.

His suspicions bring Imanishi into contact with the rising stars of the Nouveau group: avant-garde artists and musicians as well as writers, film-makers and architects. The Nouveau group’s increasing reach and artistic endeavours form the backdrop to Imanishi’s detective work. Matsumoto’s grouping’s not entirely fictional. It’s clearly based on real-life avant-garde groupings prominent in Tokyo during the late 1950s and 1960s: some influenced by Nouvelle Vague, others like performance artist Yoko Ono linked to Germany’s Fluxus, while Group Ongaku’s experimental composers built on concepts like musique concrete. Together they formed a movement that tied cultural output to political activism - although the authenticity of these links comes under intense scrutiny in Matsumoto’s narrative.

Another significant aspect of Matsumoto’s story stems from his wider investment in exposing the flaws and fissures in Japanese society. This time his focus is on discrimination, othering and disability. It’s not possible to say much more about this strand of the novel without giving too much away. But it’s an intriguing representation of the shunning of people with conditions considered somehow ‘karmic,’ popularly interpreted as the result of ‘bad blood’ or past sins. Matsumoto draws from Japanese history, and the prejudice rife in the 1930s, a time when people dealing with particular conditions as well as the poor or homeless were often ostracised, setting out on a form of pilgrimage in a desperate search for a cure or some other kind of relief. Another element that stands out builds on Japan’s newly-formed reputation for the revolutionary, not just in creative terms but also technological, leading to a bizarre discovery that enables Imanishi to solve the puzzle at the heart of this frustrating case. It’s slightly episodic, originally published in instalments, but that works well for the genre, disparate pieces slowly fitted together as the plot unfolds - some sections would work well as short/flash fiction. Translated by Beth Cary.

Rating: 4.5

A body is found in a train yard and it’s up to Inspector Imanishi to find out what happened. At first, he’s got a lot of dead ends as he can’t identify the body nor the last person to speak with him. As noted by other reviewers, this means the book has a slow start as Imanishi doesn’t achieve any breakthroughs quickly. We’re also introduced to a quartet of young famous artists. What possible connection could they have with this case? Slowly, all is revealed, driven by Imanishi’s grit and determination to succeed.

What I loved most about the book were the details about life in Japan: the quick evening snack of green tea over rice, the changing from office (western) clothes into a kimono once you’re home, the constant self-deprecation about your abilities (even if you’ve just scored a major breakthrough), the depictions of different parts of Japan including their accents and dialects, the gender politics, etc. A fascinating snapshot of life in another country.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It took a long time for me to feel like I was getting anywhere with this book. It starts very slowly, the language is quite plain and bare, and there are an awful lot of names to try to keep track of. But once I got the hang of the style, and once the investigation started to ramp up a bit I found I was really enjoying it. I liked the inspector - he's tenacious, going off and investigating still on his weekend and holiday (though he's using up his wife's savings doing so! I did feel bad for his poor wife who never knows when he'll be coming home and if he'll want food...) It gives an interesting flavour of post-war Japan, and I enjoyed the relentless investigation and how Imanishi just won't let it drop and keeps teasing at odds and ends of information.
The ending came a bit suddenly, and did leave me thinking 'what, that's it?!' It's a shame it's a book from the 1960's - I would have enjoyed seeing Inspector Imanishi out on another case.

There were a LOT of errors in the Kindle text - missing letters (mostly ff or fi) which made reading very hard. It was also missing all the numbers, so no dates or times could be read.

Inspector Imanishi Investigates is a classic Japanese detective novel by Seicho Matsumoto, best known for his previous Inspector Imanishi book Tokyo Express.
As in the previous novel the railway system plays a significant part in the story. Firstly when a body is found at Kamata Station in Tokyo, then ,as Imanishi investigates, his extensive travels across vast swathes of Honshu and many of the clues to the mystery feature the train journeys of various characters.
Like Tokyo Express this isn't a book for those who demand thrills and spills. Imanishi is more of a William Wisting -type character who doggedly and persistently follows obscure leads and painstakingly puts the evidence together, a more cerebral than exciting character.
As well as a murder mystery this is a fascinating look at early 1960's Tokyo with young artists bringing Western influences into a largely conservative society. One rather jarring note is the relationship between Imanishi and his wife pre "women's lib" that I'd guess would astonish most readers under 60.
This isn't a book to rush, like its main protagonist it ambles along,goes down a few side roads and comes to its conclusion with the kind of satisfaction you feel when finishing a jigsaw puzzle rather than ending with a bang and something action-packed and unbelievable.
That's not a criticism,it's a welcome change from what is the norm now and fans of the Wisting and Wallander books should give it a try.

This novel was not for me. Even though it was interesting as to the cultural side of it, I felt the writing was very plain and dry. I really had difficulties in getting into the story! What I enjoyed though is the relationship between the two policemen and that of one of them with his wife. I particularly found it good that these two policemen were not super heroes but ordinary characters. It made the plot more relatable.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

This starts so slowly with many unfamiliar names and places that I was overwhelmed to begin with, but Imanishi’s investigation speeds up steadily to a really quite unusual and engrossing conclusion. As far as the plot is concerned, I found I needed just to go with it - there are rather too many coincidences and Imanishi makes random connections between people and events that turn out to be right on the button but beggar belief for the reader.

Overall, though, my main interest in this novel was taken up with his portrayal of life in Japan in the aftermath of WWII. The old ways clung on in mainly rural pockets, contrasted with the new influences in the cities, especially in the arts, imported from the US.

In the course of his investigation he travels the length and breadth of Japan, meeting people and seeing landscapes of all kinds. All very interesting for someone with practically no knowledge of Japan and its geography. I was struck by the importance placed on dialect and how people formed opinions of others dependent on how they spoke - it’s mentioned so often (and it’s no spoiler to say it plays a big part in the solution of the mystery) - people moving around a lot when the war ended.

Probably my abiding memory of this novel will be the fact that people used abacuses, both at home and in the office. Lovely images and I hope they survive to this day.

‘The palm of the hand
holding the abacus feels
the autumn village cold’

With thanks to Penguin Classics via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.