Point of View

Strange Weather in Tokyo is written from the main character Tsukiko’s first person point of view. Because Tsukiko is a solitary individual, the majority of the narrative tension, conflict, and propulsion originates from the distinct movements of her mind and heart. In the chapters “Twenty-two Stars” and “Karma,” Tsukiko specifically addresses the ways in which she is accustomed to occupying her time and her mind. In “Twenty-two Stars,” during a period of separation from Sensei, Tsukiko realizes that “For a while now, there hadn’t been anyone besides Sensei with whom I had sat and had a drink, or gone for a walk, or seen anything interesting . . . I had been alone. I rode the bus alone, I walked around the city alone, I did my shopping alone, and I drank alone. And even when I was with Sensei now, I didn’t feel any...