### Science Fiction Writers in Sukiyabashi, Ginza - Literary Space in the Late 1970s

### Science Fiction Writers in Sukiyabashi, Ginza - Literary Space in the Late 1970s

The year was 1977, a time when Japanese science fiction literature was beginning to take root in popular culture. The postwar period of rapid economic growth had come to an end, and society was experiencing both "affluence" and "anxiety" after the oil shocks. Science and technology were in transition from nuclear power and space exploration to computers and the information society, and the science fiction genre was taking on the role of a kind of "contemporary criticism" in the midst of people's mixed visions and anxieties about the future.

Against this backdrop, writers such as Sakyo Komatsu, Ryo Hanmura, Yasutaka Tsutsui, and the up-and-coming Ryu Murakami gathered in Ginza and Sukiyabashi. They were more than just drinking buddies; they were a "literary circle that talked about the future. Sakyo Komatsu became the voice of the times with the blockbuster hit "Sinking of Japan" (1973), Ryo Hanmura combined entertainment value with themes of historical revision with "Sengoku JSDF" (1974), and Yasutaka Tsutsui shook readers with his experimental writing style and social satire. The addition of the young Ryu Murakami (winner of the 1976 Akutagawa Prize for "Blue as Near to Transparent as Possible") created a generational tension and chemical reaction.

At the literary circle-like gatherings of the time, there was a flurry of industry rumors about the inspiration for works, behind-the-scenes stories about publishing, and even "who is writing what in what magazine. The urban spaces of Ginza and Sukiyabashi were places where the nightlife and publishing culture intersected, and editors frequented these places to network with writers. There existed a "salon of words and sake" that connected the postwar school to the new generation.

In the late 1970s, science fiction was also influenced by "New Wave Science Fiction" internationally, and the center of gravity was shifting from traditional stories of scientific universalism to criticism of human existence and social systems. Conscious of this trend, their discussions, in which they searched for unique Japanese social criticism and fantastical expression, were not only literary experiments but also a forum for discussing the "image of Japan in the future.

In other words, this gathering of writers in Ginza's Sukiyabashi district was not just a social gathering, but also a "creative site" for sharing the changes of the times and sublimating them into a story.