The Briefcase

Hiromi Kawakami’s moving story “The Briefcase” is set in Tokyo. The focal point of the narrative is the relationship between 38-year-old Tsukiko, an office worker, and “Sensei,” her former high school teacher. Their relationship develops from casual friendship to connection and ultimately into a very passionate love affair, despite Sensei being a widower and their age difference of thirty years. The story gently alludes to the changing of the seasons and the food and drinks they share signifying the passing of time and their mutual loneliness.