In this episode of Reading Materials, we discuss Rie Qudan's Sympathy Tower Tokyo (released on August 21st, 2025). We enter into a deep discussion about the ins and outs of judicial systems, ponder the differences between Eastern and Western culture, and explore language and its evolution, including the use of AI in literature.

Join us for an interesting exploration of this translation of Rie Qudan's Tōkyō-to Dōjō Tō, originally published in 2024 in Japan, and winner of the Akutagawa Prize.

Thank you to Penguin for sending us advanced copies of this book!

Episode Timepoints:

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Life Updates

05:45 - A Brief Introduction to the Author

08:20 - Spoiler Alert

08:50 - The Blurb

10:10 - Our Discussion of Sympathy Tower Tokyo

01:11:10 - Next Time on the Reading Materials Podcast

01:12:06 - Outro