The Nose (鼻 hana), was composed in 1916 and is about a monk with a very large nose (hence the title). The story addresses jealousy, egoism, and the making fun of others all with a hint of humor here and there. Natsume Sōseki (夏目漱石) gave the story high praise.

Two young gentlemen are tired and hungry after a full day’s fruitless hunt. They happen upon an impressive Western-style restaurant right smack in the middle of the woods. But perhaps they aren’t as lucky as they first appear.

The yodaka (Nighthawk/Nightjar) is an ugly bird. Everyone knows it. The hawk (taka) is very upset the yodaka uses his name (the taka becomes daka) and demands the yodaka change his name.

Originally serialized in the Asahi Shimbun in 1908, Natsume Souseki wrote ten short “dreams” are written in a surreal, dreamlike style. Weird, disturbing, and somewhat humorous, these short stories are like haiku—they hint at a much bigger story which is left to the reader to fish out.

Kurosawa Akira based his famous movie, Rashomon, mostly on 藪の中 yabu no naka (In a Grove). He also used some elements from another Akutagawa story called… Rashomon, but the main source was In a Grove.

The opening line is well-known in Japan: 吾輩は猫である。名前はまだ無い。 I am a cat. I don’t yet have a name.

Published in 1940, Run, Melos! is a Japanese classic widely read in Japanese schools. Based on an ancient Greek legend, it is a story about a man named Melos who, despite hardships, keeps his promises and values honesty.

The Spider’s Thread by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The Buddha, while at a lotus pond of Paradise, spots a man named Kandata suffering in hell. He gives him a chance.

Akutagawa Ryuunosuke weaves a tale of a Prodigal Son.