Tamao

Akiko Tanahata liked her normal life in Japan, with a clerical job and a serious boyfriend. Shinto shrines were just places to visit at New Year. But that all changed when she sought shelter from a sudden downpour, and found herself in an impossible space, confronted by a great serpent. Now the serpent will not leave her alone, and she can see the pollution that is slowly corrupting Kawasaki. As her normal life is taken apart by forces beyond her control, Akiko must learn about the kami, and take control of her own future if she is to save her city.

David Chart is a Japanese practitioner of Shinto living with his wife and daughter in Kawasaki, where he works for Jinja Honcho, the largest Shinto organisation in Japan. He is the author of An Introduction to Shinto.