The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker
by Isaka Kotaro
Book Club Date:March 2026
📖 Book Summary
"The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker" is a pinnacle masterpiece by Japanese literary genius Kotaro Isaka. The story is intertwined with two parallel timelines: "two years ago" and the "present." In the present, college freshman Shiina moves into a new apartment and is inexplicably invited by his mysterious neighbor Kawasaki to "rob a bookstore together," simply to gift a dictionary to another neighbor, Dorje. In the past, it tells a story from two years ago about the chivalrous Kotomi, the innocent Bhutanese youth Dorje, and the cynical Kawasaki, three people trying to protect each other in a malice-filled society. The "foreign duck" and "native duck" in the title accurately metaphorize locals and outsiders in society. Isaka uses his signature foreshadowing magic and multi-thread narrative to transform an absurd robbery into a heavy questioning of "collective apathy" and "identity."
✍️ Reading Notes
This work cleverly uses the interlacing of "two years ago" and the "present" to weave a web of regret and apathy. The story starts from Shiina's perspective; his simple yet slightly withdrawn personality is the epitome of every ordinary person. In the past timeline, Dorje from Bhutan embraces Japanese culture with immense goodwill, even saying "I wish Bhutan could be like Japan sooner." This sincerity is particularly ironic and heartbreaking against the backdrop of the xenophobic atmosphere he later encounters. The "foreign duck" and "native duck" in the title accurately metaphorize the opposition between domestic and foreign, mainstream and alien. The coldness towards outsiders often doesn't stem from fierce hatred, but simply from minor selfishness, like Shiina's classmate saying "I don't know what they're thinking, it's too troublesome," which eventually converges into an unshakable collective apathy. This apathy exists not only in cultural differences but also spreads to every corner of daily life. When Shiina witnesses sexual harassment on the train, but chooses to lower his head and turn his eyes away at the moment he meets the victim's gaze, Isaka sharply and accurately reveals an embarrassing truth: the truly suffocating evil often comes from the "collective silence" of the people around. This habit of "fearing trouble" turns watching coldly into a kind of acquiescence, plunging victims into deeper despair. We feel powerless when reading because we have to admit that in the face of reality, we might not be more righteous or braver than Shiina. Ultimately, this novel explores how we should face "irretrievable" regrets and guilt. Is the act of "locking God in a coin locker" in the story meant to prevent God from seeing the cruelty of this world, or to give injured souls a moment of disguise and redemption? When the melody of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" sounds, those scars of the "foreign duck" being marginalized seem to be temporarily soothed at that moment. This isn't just a mystery story; it's more like a mirror, reflecting the apathetic inertia we develop in society for self-protection, and reminding us that behind those cold coin lockers, what is locked away is our last bit of warmth and debt to this world.
💬 Discussion Points
- 1Do you think "choosing silence because of trouble" or "direct malice" causes more harm to society? At the moment of witnessing injustice, would you be the Shiina who turns his eyes away?
- 2Is the metaphor of "native ducks" and "foreign ducks" still applicable in modern society? Besides nationality, what other characteristics might label someone a "foreign duck" and subject them to invisible marginalization?
- 3The gap between Dorje's longing for Japan and reality is lamentable. What do you think is the hardest hurdle for a society to overcome to move from "xenophobia" to "inclusion"?