"The story unfolds in a straightforward way. It's a short novel about the unpleasant yet oddly endearing sides of people—quintessential Tsumura."
— Reader Kimidaira

"It's not dramatic with a clear beginning and end, nor does it feel like a moral fable. It's a story about choosing between the lesser of two evils, taking a step in the direction you want to go. A short but remarkably powerful portrait of a reality where there's no choice but to keep moving forward."
— Reader

★ A work by Kikuko Tsumura, winner of the 140th Akutagawa Prize. A corporate election that turns everyone's daily work life upside down.
★ In the name of udon, this novel delivers a humorous yet painfully honest portrait of office politics. Anyone who has ever felt exhausted in a cubicle will see themselves in these pages.
★ Reality and comedy collide as the underdog "udon faction" fights for survival in a high-stakes corporate power struggle.

"To put it politely, both sides are trash."

The company holds a representative election every four years. After a split first round, two candidates advance to a runoff. The conservative incumbent runs on stability; the challenger pushes radical reforms—including downsizing permanent staff. In a race that was supposed to be close, both camps are now watching the supporters of the third-place candidate like hawks. Campaign teams are deployed, pressure mounts toward harassment, and higher-ups scrutinize every move…

With her signature perspective and style, Kikuko Tsumura delivers a realistic yet absurdly comic take on the mess of internal company politics.

Kikuko Tsumura
Born in Osaka in 1978. Graduated from Otani University's Faculty of Letters, Department of International Culture.
She graduated from university in 2000, right at the height of Japan's "employment ice age." At her first job, she was bullied by her boss and quit after just nine months. This experience profoundly shaped her writing and made her a voice for Japan's "Lost Generation."
She worked at a company during the day, slept briefly in the evening, and wrote from 2 AM to 4 AM, waking at 7:55 AM to rush to work—a "corporate novelist" whose workplace stories carry an unmatched authenticity.

Awards:
2005: 21st Dazai Osamu Prize – Wait for a Sunny Day
2008: 30th Noma Literary Newcomer Prize – Music, Breath, You!!
2009: 140th Akutagawa Prize – Pothos
2011: 28th Oda Sakunosuke Prize – White-Collar Memo
2013: 39th Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize – The Water Tower and the Turtle

Film & TV Adaptations:
Wait for a Sunny Day – Adapted into the 2021 film You're Still Younger Than Those Guys, starring Yui Sakuma and Nao
There's No Easy Job – Adapted into a 2017 NHK drama series, starring Meri Natsuno

Selected Works:
Wait for a Sunny Day (2005), Music, Breath, You!! (2008), Pothos (2009), White-Collar Memo (2011), The Water Tower and the Turtle (2013), Who Cares! (2016), There's No Easy Job (2017), The Udon Faction's Ordeal (2023)