Moon Sushi – Woman-Man - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Moon Sushi – Woman-Man

 

Novel by Satoko Motoyama

 

 

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

 

Written in a flowing, elegant, and equally profound style, the novel Moon Sushi – Woman-Man by Satoko Motoyama (2024, Fiori d'Asia Editrice, English version) is rich in detail and food for thought thanks to the explanations of Masako, one of the protagonists, who suddenly finds herself catapulted into a situation as unexpected as it is unfamiliar to her. She plays a crucial role as a "consultant" and "mediator," thanks to her empathetic yet pragmatic ability to analyze the dynamics of certain situations and, without judgment, weigh the pros and cons.

 

Thanks to Masako's explanations and the knowledge of the author, Satoko Motoyama, daughter of a Chinese father and a Japanese mother, the reader will immerse themselves in the two cultures, discovering some of the significant differences that distinguish them, including, first and foremost, the relationship between parents and grandparents when their children and grandchildren marry and go off to live on their own.

 

In Japan, when this happens, parents and grandparents respect the young couple's privacy, are not regularly present in their lives, do not interfere in their personal affairs, and are not accustomed to raising grandchildren or great-grandchildren. In contrast, in Chinese culture, the involvement of parents and grandparents is constant in the lives of young people even after marriage and continues to be so in the lives of their grandchildren.

 

Another Japanese peculiarity, mentioned in the novel, is that restaurants allow their customers to pay their bills at the end of each month. This custom continues to be preserved, for example, in a small town like Yukitani, while in the capital, Tokyo, it has been lost.

The novel's central theme is the romantic relationship between Kyoko and Spades, two gay women who live in a small town like Yukitani, where people have always strived to respect and preserve the cultural heritage passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, they adhere to lifestyle and behavioral choices designed to avoid offending the collectively accepted perception of what is ethical and moral, or at least "normal," and what is not.

 

This situation, in a town that we might define—at least by our Western standards—as "provincial," is further complicated by the fact that Kyoko comes from a family that owns a restaurant, Moon Sushi. According to Japanese culture, women, precisely because they are subject to their monthly menstrual cycle, which impacts their body temperature and thus also affects the preparation of traditional raw dishes, are prohibited from preparing sushi, onigiri (or rice balls), or any other food that is eaten raw.

 

Despite being aware of the limitations imposed by her culture in this area, Kyoko, the youngest daughter of Sayoko and her husband, who had shown no desire to marry, had quit her job after working at Nagoya University as a physical education teacher, without telling her parents, and moved to Yukitani to learn the trade of cooking and work in the family restaurant.

 

Moon sushi had, in fact, been inherited from her mother, Sayoko, whose family, in turn, had no sons, only daughters. For three generations, therefore, it had always been the sons-in-law who worked in the kitchen and ensured that the restaurant continued to operate by ancient culinary traditions.

 

Fate had it that Sayoko and her sisters had not had any sons either, a fact Sayoko would complain about for years. This led her, before Kyoko's birth, to delude herself that she would give birth to a boy and, afterward, to repeat like a mantra for years, "How wonderful it would have been if you had been a boy."

 

Without going into whether homosexuality is acquired from birth or is instead the result of a conscious choice that occurs at a certain age, the desire to please, above all, her mother, who had always wanted to have a son, and her desire to be able to work as a chef and prepare traditional Japanese dishes eaten raw, certainly had an effect on Kyoko's thinking and psyche and, subsequently, on the choices she would make.

 

In explaining the various dynamics within family relationships and the mechanisms that may have led the novel's protagonists and multiple characters to make confident choices and adopt certain behaviors, the narrative focuses on several specific aspects. First, it examines the relationship between a young gay couple, highlighting not so much the sexual aspects as the emotional ones. It then discusses the transgender element in light of the current scientific findings in this field and the potential health consequences that a person who undergoes this gender reassignment procedure will have to contend with for the rest of their life. A third aspect, which nevertheless plays a fundamental role, is the consideration of the pros and cons that this process, if undertaken, will have on any children born to a gay couple through assisted reproduction, according to the legislation currently in force in Japan.

 

Masako, with her balanced perspective and her ability to analyze the situation from every angle, will help Kyoko and Spades make the right decision, one that takes their preferences into account while also reducing the risk of hasty and equally risky choices.

 

Moon Sushi: Woman-Man is, in fact, from this perspective, also a novel of awareness, as it encourages the reader, whatever the choice and whatever its context, to analyze a situation carefully and thoroughly, approaching it from multiple perspectives. Only in this way is it possible to examine the benefits, potential risks, and the potential repercussions our actions could have on others. Throwing oneself headlong into an undertaking simply because one wants to achieve a particular result without carefully evaluating the consequences, for oneself and others, is unwise and absolutely to be avoided.

 

Author Satoko Motoyama deserves credit for having introduced us, through a fluid and enjoyable narrative, not only to some issues still considered 'burning' today, but, thanks to Masako's simple yet elegant and graceful conduct and manner, for having given us an emblematic representation of a fascinating and ancient culture, the Japanese one, allowing us to savor and enjoy it through the reading of this publication.