1. On the surface “After The Quake” consists of six short stories that are not connected to each other, except for the fact that they are set in the same period of time. What else unites them? What thematic or symbolic connections do you see between the stories? In this answer, make specific reference to at least three of the stories in the text.
2. In the first story in the text, “UFO in Kushiro,” Komura’s wife leaves him because she says that “living with you is like living with a chunk of air” (6). What do you think she means by this? Is she right? Are there characters in the other stories who seem to have similar problems? Do any of the stories suggest a way to stop being like “a chunk of air”?
3. Many of the stories contain surreal elements, but none more than “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo.” What is your impression of Frog and his battle against Worm? Are we meant to take what happens in the story as being true, or is Katagiri simply delusional? How can fantastic elements like these be used to reflect upon the reality of life?
4. Many of the characters in these stories go on journeys, but Satsuki, in “Thailand,” is the only one to leave Japan. Is this significant? What does she learn in leaving Japan and then coming back?
5. How is “Honey Pie,” the last story in the book, different than the others? Why do you think it was chosen to close the volume?
6. The book is called “After the Quake,” and the Kobe earthquake is at least mentioned in every story, but none of the characters experience directly and we never actually see it. What part does the the earthquake play in these stories? Why is it important to our understanding of them?