Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss [ペーパーバック]

Some books when you read them are such a pleasure that you savor the experience. This was what I felt reading Sudden Bliss. At first, the story seems deceptively simple. An overworked man is forced to take a vacation, but on impulse, he visits a love hotel for men, giving into the forbidden side of himself for the first time.

Koji is weighed down by the responsibility of his job, but as he reveals himself to his skillful caregiver, Naoto, the pain behind his life choices opens like a camelia blossom, slowly unfolding.

In fact, I often thought of Japanese flowers while reading this and about the hidden fire under the surface. The lovemaking is incredibly sensual and healing, since both men are wounded.

Trust me, when you are feeling bad, this is the kind of story to curl up with. Like bringing a branch of cherry blossoms into your house in February and watching them bloom early, it takes you into another space.

If you liked Ms. Guillone's "Beautiful Samurai" series you'll love the first volume of "Men of Tokyo", which recounts- in delicious detail- the sexual and emotional healing of yet another depleted Tokyoite, thanks to the ministrations of the White Tiger sanctuary. This quick but engrossing read is heartily recommended for any fan of m/m romance and especially for you yaoi devotees out there, but be warned- the mere handling of such love- and passion-infused pages may cause dizziness!

If you have never had the change to work with a Japanese man, you probably couldn't believe the reason why Koji is literally forced by his boss to take a one week leave from work; Koji is spending 18 hours at work, often crashing on his desktop due to the tiredness, and still he doesn't believe to be doing enough. Koji is the IT engineer for the system network of an hospital, and he is convinced that, if he misses a day, someone will die due to his negligence. Koji developed his obsession since he was a little child with an abusive father; the feeling was enhanced when he fell in love for his stepmother (an unrequited love) and had to see her die for cancer without can do anything. Loving a forbidden woman probably pushed Koji to believe that real love is something forbid, and it is not a mistake if you think that now Koji believes to be gay simply since being in love with a man is again something forbidden, something he can't have.

When his boss forced him to take his vacation, Koji hurriedly decides to book a week in a men's hotel, the White Tiger, a notorious hotel in the gay neighborhood of Tokyo where men go to relax and enjoy a nice massage with a some side fringe benefit. On the inside the White Tiger is a place where lost men search shelter under the protection of Kiku, an ex jakuza enforcer that now professes the philosophy of the White Tiger, the healing power of sex. Naoto is one of those young men who entered the White Tiger after a shocking event in their life; for Naoto was seeing his chinese lover killed by the jakuza in front of their small market. After three years spent in the care of Kiku, and taking care for the hotel guests, Naoto is ready to love again, and Koji is the one he chooses to love. Even if Naoto and Koji have the same age, Koji seems much younger since Koji has never really loved in his life, at least not in a physical way.

The atmosphere of all the novel is really peaceful and slow; you have really the feeling to savor what Naoto professes, to try to relax and enjoy all the small pleasure of life. Truth be told, also Naoto has his own problem, but he has always a serene smile for Koji, and only when he realizes that Koji went beyond being a simple guest, only then Naoto allows himself to search shelter in his arm and not in the welcoming walls of the White Tiger. But also in this development of the story, the author respects a world where convenience and propriety rule, and Naoto is willing to play the role of the side lover for Koji, the one a married man goes to visit once a week. This is not unusual and it doesn't mean that Koji doesn't love Naoto or that Naoto doesn't really believe in their love, it means only that culture and custom are still very instilled in the mind of these men.