Stories of the Mobile: Women, Micro-Narratives, and Mobile Novels in Japan

Abstract

Drawing on case studies of mobile phone novels in Japan, Keitai shosetsu, sales of which far exceed the sale of print text books in the West, this chapter looks at the role that user-created content plays in the creation of these cell-phone novels. In Japan, these mobile-phone novels are read, written, and commented on by thousands on their daily train rides to and from work. By employing user-created content, the readers/writers of these 'micro-narratives' reflect a sense of place that is not just a geographic, spatial notion but also is a social, political, and emotional space. These cell-phone novels, the majority of which are written by women and for women, demonstrate how mobile media is undoubtedly transforming what it means to be creative and intimate while circumnavigating public and private spaces and places. Through keitai shosetsu, women can bring intimate and private stories into public spaces, proffering new ways to experience storytelling in public places.