Yokohama Station SF is a deep and expansive delve into Japanese sci-fi, mythology, and horror that any reader can enjoy. Isukari and Tanaka have created a new science fiction mythos that is truly memorable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Another futuristic Sci-fi Japanese dystopia with a train station this time as the main cause of all the chaos. After reading the description I was so curious to read more and to see how it's going to end. I learnt that the story started on twitter where the author posted this theory of Yokohama Station as a living organism, yep!

I liked it, it has this dystobian vibes that you only find in the Japanese Sci-fi books, mangas or animé. The plot was interesting, the only thing, and it might be crazy, is that I was waiting for more dramas, more misadventures and some complicated developments. For me, it should have been more longer with a less easy ending like "just push the button you layman!" Also, Hiroto's character needed more development and Toshiro's wasn't that interesting as a mad character that hated humanity. All in all, I found it a little bit tame for a Japanese dystopia.

Anyway, I enjoyed it and I would be happy to see it as an anime movie that's for sure. I'm gonna check the manga that the author mentioned it in his afterword if I could find it.

Reading Yuba Isukari's "Yokohama SF Station", I was often reminded of Nick Bradley's "The Cat and the City" which I finished recently. In both we have a set of interconnected stories with a large cast, set in Japan. Oh, and both of them are or at least deal with science fiction - one in a more quaint and hopeful manner, while the other is more dystopian. As such, I couldn't but constantly compare "Yokohama SF Station" with the spectacular "The Cat and the City". And surprisingly, while it doesn't come as near to the former in writing, style, and content, "Yokohama SF Station" manages to be a very engaging and at times thought provoking SF light novel that has an okay world building. It's nothing more than that and that's okay.

Truly compelling and interesting. This is a great chance to get out of the confort zone and read some quality Science Fiction.

This might be due to the translation, but I didn't quite catch on with this short novel. The description and concepts that take place in Yokohama Station SF are incredibly cool and compelling, but I found myself lost more often than not. Hiroto is a decent lead character to follow along with, but the dense concepts and heavy use of exposition through weird technology vocabulary that I had a hard time tracking made the book a tough read. This is a book that heavy sci-fi readers will probably love, and I can see the appeal to a Japanese market, but for an English language reader I would think most would find it disappointing.

The mark of a good novel is whenever you think about it long after you’ve finished reading it. Yokohama Station SF is a great example of this, and weeks after putting it down, I still love to think of the implications surrounding its world and would love to see the Japanese-only sequel be localized.

Hiroto is a normal man who gets the opportunity to travel to the mysterious Yokohama Station, an ever-expanding behemoth of a structure that is ravaging Japan by assimilating the nation into its mechanical grip. He only has a few days to explore the place, but he has a mission: to find the leader of an unknown organization.

While the story is straightforward in its premise, a lot of the appeal comes from the horrific implications as to how a place like this operates. It automatically takes over natural resources and landmarks, and in order to live there, its people are implanted with a Suika, a kind of digital wallet that’s used for everything. What if you don’t have one or disrupt the peace? Turnstiles (gargantuan robotic gatekeepers) are more than happy to throw you out, and in this world, it basically spells death.

There are a few themes explored in the novel, specifically the conflicts of class and rebellion, and it’s all done in a way that makes you wonder about what’s truly going on while keeping the pace quick and snappy. There are a handful of characters introduced within the novel (including a POV shift in the middle), and they all have vibrant personalities that shine through their dialogue. While not every question is answered and the end is a tad ambiguous, it’s a wonderful tale that had me yearning for more of this universe.

I really enjoyed this book, the storyline is fast paced, but for me, it was the imagery that this book conjured up that really did it for me.

The way it was written allowed me to easily envision what the characters were seeing. Absolutely excellent, it’s my often I’m that utterly immersed in the visual side of a book.

My thanks to Netgalley and Yen Press for the copy.

I loved this book. I've been very into scifi lately and this just hit the spot! Hiroto was an incredible character, the writing was incredible and the world building was stunning. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my collection!

So many mixed feelings about this narrative and hard to start from one place!

Those who love metro stations and train cars, stay tight - it will blow your mind! In far future, Yokohama station in Japan had started to expand and cover the whole of Honshu island and it's been expanding since then to cover the whole Japan till Mount Fuji. People living in those parts of Japan are part of Yokohama Station now and those who don't afford to buy Suikanet access are being removed from the station and put into the holes to die there.

Hiroto, the main protagonist, is an outsider who survived this expansion and gets 5-day access ticket to find the guerilla leader within Yokohama station who will help him to find the answer to questions around this station. We mainly read 5-day journey of Hiroto within the station, his adventure with Northern Japanese Coalition spies, mysteries within the station and the route cause of this expansion.

Loved this story so much and this idea had so much potential to get expanded - I adored the robots he met, the Kyushu island's politics, and the whole concept of this expansion and fight against this mega power. However, the characters were not deeply developed and I found myself hard to emphasize with them no matter how much I wanted.

Would be a wonderful manga - this is how it was read anyway and good news - the manga is published in Japan, but not licensed anywhere else yet. Would definitely like to go back to discovery of this cyber world!

*This book has been provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review of mine

This story was nothing like I have ever read before.

Incredibly dark, gut wrenching and sadness seeping through the pages. I went in blindly just by looking at the cover art work that is stunning and continues to amaze within the book. I recommend you do the same. The only thing you should know before you delve in, is that your emotions will be overwhelmed and you will remember this story for a while.

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fun to read and had a solid world-building and interesting plot. I honestly didn’t think that I will like it that much at the beginning, but it was so good! I am glad that I picked it up, and I feel lucky that my request for this book was approved!

Long story short, the concept was fascinating, the main idea was strong and compelling. I liked all of the characters, they were well-round and felt real and live.

The map is very helpful to understand the plot, so don’t skip it and check it out!

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to everyone who likes fast-paced sci-fi stories.

Yokohama Station is a dystopian novel set in the far future. In length it would probably count more as a novella. In content it would count as almost more of a set of short stories set in a shared universe. Each chapter pretty much contains an interaction with our main character and one other person who seems to exist only to further the main characters goal and disappears at the end of the chapter. There is very little backstory, depth of character, or growth of character. The whole book felt like a shadow puppet play - extremely two dimensional. I think the story had potential but maybe would have presented better as a manga. While I found the premise of the book interesting and enjoyed the Japanese references, I just couldn't bring myself to care about anyone in the book.

This was a fun little read. Straightforward science fiction with little backstory explanation to move you forward - essentially, a train station on Honshu, built with AI to be a self-maintaining, self-caretaking station, takes its purpose quite literally, and over the span of decades begins to restore what it can to the point of self-replication. The turnstiles are automatic, sentient, and mobile, and very much not something to be messed with. As the size of the station grows (covering all of the island of Honshu), the Japanese government - which has been completely ineffective in stopping the station's growth and "self defense" - is concerned for the fate of the other islands, but most importantly, Tokyo itself.

There are two main characters, both trying to get into the station for their own reasons. Their presence is pivotal in moving the story forward, but they are far more than just cogs in the author's writing wheel. The station is inhabited by those with wealth, and are fiercely protected by the station's machinery; the have-nots are the people living on the island but outside the station - residents are chip-tracked by the station's omnipresent database, and those living outside who somehow gain entry or access are dealt with. Hiroto is one of the outsiders, looking for purpose in life - his village is just outside the station, and he sees that the village lives off of the refuse cast out from the station, and thereby obviating the need for the villagers to work. So when an opportunity to do something more presents itself, Hiroyuki seizes it (and a seven day pass inside the station) and embarks inside Yokohama Station to see what it’s like and try to find a mysterious place known as Exit 42.

Another outsider - living on an entirely different island - is Toshiru, working on the government's behest to reconnoiter the workings of the station if he can somehow slip inside and stay alive.

The characters are vibrant, their tasks are fraught, and the whole thing just works. A fun book, well worth my time (which wasn't much, given that it is a slim tome). Four stars, take a ride at Yokohama Station.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free advance reader copy. This in no way affected my rating or review.

This was a fun, quick read, made up of connected stories/vignettes set in the mysterious world of Yokohama Station- a Tokyo subway station that has replicated and grown until it fills all of Honshu. The characters really exist to propel the plot along, but it works and was very enjoyable.

Yokohama Station SF a “light novel” by Yoba Isukari. However, it’s much more of a science-fiction novel than it is a “light novel”. I think “light novel” was used because it falls under Yen Press’s light novel and Japanese novel imprint, Yen On. However, this definitely is definitely a solid piece of Japanese SFF, and y’all? Yokohama Station SF is really good.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty of Yokohama Station SF, I’d like to tell you a bit about the folks behind it. Yokohama Station SF was written by Isukari Yuba, with cover art by Tatsuyuki Tanaka. Isukari, the author, was originally a research biologist born in Fukushima Prefecture, where I actually previously lived for four years before the pandemic.

Isukari took to writing stories on his weekends to relax from his work, only to end up winning the 1st Kakuyomu Web Novel Award for Science Fiction with Yokohama Station SF. After that, he became a commercially published writer, and continues to write other work in his native Japanese. Additionally, Yokohama Station SF features some illustrated inserts, which were drawn by Tanaka as well. Translation for Yokohama Station SF was done by Stephen Paul, a translator known for his work on the One Piece manga, as well as his work with Sword Art Online and Vinland Saga.

Now, let me take you into the world of Yokohama Station SF, or well… I’ll at least give you a summary of the world. Yokohama Station SF follows Hiroto, a man whose existence can be summed up by a tiny spit of land in coastal Japan. In fact, that’s the only land he’s ever known. Why? Well, most of the country of Japan has been overtaken by Yokohama Station, a mysterious, eerie series of buildings that have always been around. The few who live outside its multitude of entrances have never been inside. They only know tall tales, rumors, and legends about the station’s interior.



Yet that all changes when Hiroto is given a five-day pass to enter the massive, sprawling complex. Aimless and seeking purpose, Hiroto takes a chance. But the purpose he’s seeking might not be exactly what he asked for, especially once he meets a mysterious being named Nepshamai.

Yokohama Station SF reads less like a novel and more like a collection of interconnected stories. Really, they feel like interconnected vignettes, though you can’t read them out of order. However, the episodic nature of the novel means that you can devour each chapter and let it sit while you’re doing something else, but still keep the plot threads all aligned. I liked reading it in chunks specifically for this reason.

All the neat sci-fi elements of Yokohama Station got to marinate in the back of my mind, letting me theorize and guess at what would ultimately happen to Hiroto and the denizens of Yokohama Station that we meet during his multi-day journey around Yokohama Station. There’s a wide variety of characters and people Hiroto encounters, all of whom have been touched by the ever-growing station’s reach. Thanks to Stephen Paul’s translation work, it’s all incredibly engaging, especially if you can’t resist and decide to devour chunks of it at a time.

His localization of this text reads so smoothly, and his word choice really highlights the uneasiness Hiroto feels as he tries to understand the culture of the incredibly foreign Yokohama Station. In fact, I think Paul’s characterization of Hiroto was the strongest part of Yokohama Station SF. However, I generally found all of the characters in the novel interesting, though shout-out to my favorite character, Keiha. Additionally, the most fascinating aspect of Yokohama Station SF is Yokohama Station itself. There’s something so undeniably cool and unsettling about a train station the size of Japan. The notion of Yokohama Station, which I’ve been to, expanding to consume the country is the coolest idea. I say that even knowing that it’s probably not a great idea.

As a former resident of Japan, I found it fascinating to imagine Tokyo Station or Shinjuku station growing to the same supermassive size. It was both uneasy and thrilling at the same time, which is kind of how I felt about Yokohama Station SF’s titular station. Safe to say this novel is certainly going to stick with me for a while yet. Once again, I credit that to Stephen Paul, as well as the editor for this volume, who is unnamed.

Ultimately, Yokohama Station SF is a fascinating novel, full of neat tech, a haunting setting, and lots of quirky characters existing in and around a nation-wide train station. Fans of Serial Experiments Lain and Akudama Drive will find themselves eager to plunge into the multi-leveled halls of Yokohama Station in this sci-fi treat.

When it comes to finding new light novels to read I go for two things: title and cover. I find that much like starting a new anime, it’s fun to dive in blind and be taken along for the ride and light novels are much the same way for me. I picked up Yokohama Station SF on the basis that it had “Yokohama” in the title – one of the main places I have a deep-seated desire to visit when I eventually make it to Japan – and the stand-alone science fiction aspect.

Yokohama Station SF is a futuristic dystopian novel akin to something like Space Odyssey 2001 (which is funnily enough referenced several times throughout the novel) as it involves a self-functioning station that has taken over the majority of Japan after starting out as a system meant to be used to assist with the efficiency of subways stations constantly under construction for upgrades and the likes. The station has gotten out of control and people unable to afford the special chip implants needed in order to stay within the station are dying of starvation or otherwise forced out of their homes by the ever-expanding station. A young boy from one of these settlements end up entering the station with a special limited pass, on a mission of someone else’s to see to stopping the expansion once and for all.

Right away, I loved the concept of this station going haywire, and appreciated the author’s note in the back of the book that mentioned it was inspired by constant construction in large cities, referencing Yokohama subway station specifically. Being from Southern Ontario, it reminded me of the horrors that are the construction closures constantly effecting the Gardener Expressway as well as Union Station in Toronto. As much as I loved the concept, I felt something was lacking at times. It is a slow burn of a story that follows a few different characters but I felt each of them lacked the depth needed to create a sense of caring for them. I was more interested in the rest of the world building rather than the mission at hand for the cast or the stakes they were facing.

Once the climax of the book was done with, it was a bit of a dull ending. Again, though, I still enjoyed reading this book and loved the concept overall. What I will suggest though to North American readers, if you are unfamiliar with the geography of Japan, the map in the cover of the finished copies or having Google Maps open on another device will make understanding the layout of the Station a lot easier to follow.

The story mainly follows two individuals, born outside the station and their experiences going inside for the first time. Yakihara station went rogue with its technology and started doing things on its own without anyone to intervene/ stop it. That’s how it ended up covering majority of Japan. We get to see how the station makes rules/ prioritizations vs the humans choices, as they are both different beings so of course difference ideals.

This was a refreshing Science fiction read, I would to see it as an anime adaptation!



Thank you NetGalley and Yen Press for providing a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for offering me this ARC, but unfortunately due to the formatting and how small the text came out, I was unable to read for long without making myself sick.

From what I was able to read, this seems like a very interesting start. In a futuristic Japan where an ever-growing metal station has completely taken over the main island of Honshu, a man named Hiroto has been given the opportunity to enter Yokohama Station. Living in a coastal community, pushed to the edge by the station, Hiroto is given a ticket that allows him inside for five days. He has five days to find the leader of a group of people resisting the station as well as find Exit 42, where apparently all the answers will be revealed, but soon realizes there is more than meets the eye about Yokohama Station.

The premise is compelling and I loved the dry humor of the book, and I hope I'm able to finish on my own someday.

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

(Actual rating 3.5)

[This review will be posted on my blog on April 18]

Yokohama Station has a strange premise, but is a super compelling read. Basically, through genetic replication, Yokohama (train) Station has grown and taken over the entire island of Honshu. There were a lot of things about this book that I thought could have been done better, but I was completely hooked. I don't think this is going to be a hugely popular book for audiences reading it in English, and I feel like this is a real shame, because it's a fascinating book. I am somewhat familiar with Japanese forms of storytelling, and the difficulties of translating between Japanese and English due to extensive study at uni. I want to say straight up that I think the translator has done an excellent job at balancing literal translation with free translation. It's not an easy thing to achieve. So even though the writing seems kind of dry in places, I still felt excited to find out what was going to happen.

The story follows two main characters, Hiroto and Toshiro. Both have set out to explore Yokohama Station for different reasons.

I want to say straight off the bat that this is not a character driven story. The characters really only exist to further the plot. As a result they are kind of flat. Hiroto, who was born outside Yokohama Station has a fascination with it, and is fortunate enough to receive to what amounts to a visitor's pass. He just sort of bumbles his way through Yokohama Station, and through no effort of his own, manages to luck upon allies when he needs them. Toshiro isn’t introduced until 40% of the way through, so that was somewhat jarring. He hates people, and I had no idea what motivated him to do anything. Some of the side characters, such as Keiha, Nepshamai, and Haikunterke were quite fascinating, and I would have liked to read more about them. Alas, there was not enough time to do so.

The worldbuilding was probably the most interesting part of this book. Yokohama Station has, as previously mentioned, taken over all of Honshu. Most humans live inside the station, where all their needs are taken care of, provided they have a Suika - basically a little microchip that’s inserted into the body when you’re six years old (providing your parents or someone else will foot the bill for you). Using it you are able to earn points to use as currency. Order is kept by Automated Turnstiles, which enforce the basic rules of the station - don't harm other people, or cause damage to the station. Local human militia type organisations also try to enforce local rules. Some humans, like Hiroto, live outside the station on Honshu, clinging to the margins, and living off whatever the station ejects out. While others, like Toshiro, inhabit the other islands like Kyushu and Hokkaido, and actively try to repel the station’s expansion.

The writing style is very straight forward, and fairly easy to read. Sometimes there is a bit of info-dumping/exposition, and it can take a bit of effort to understand what it means, but I wasn't too worried about it because it didn't feel out of place in the context of the story. Both characters, especially Hiroto, were unfamiliar with the world inside Yokohama Station, so we learned about it as they did. While the worldbuilding can seem quite complicated, the story itself isn’t overly complex. It’s a basic narrative that explores the question of what the world would look like if technology took over.

One of the biggest difficulties I had while reading this book was I lacked a sense of geographical space. While I could recognise the islands, major cities and some of the prefectures, I didn't know the locations of smaller cities and towns. I think it would be really helpful for foreign readers to have a map included, especially considering so much ground is covered by the characters.

I think this would be really cool if it was adapted to anime, and I would be interested to read more short stories or novellas set in this world (especially a prequel of some sort).

I would recommend this to science fiction fans, especially those who like their sci-fi a bit quirky.

Thank you NetGalley and Yen Press for providing a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Yokohama Station SF lays out an interesting premise, but doesn't quite deliver. I was looking forward to reading about the station as a character unto itself, but it was often glossed over. Overall this was an interesting read, but I would have liked to see more character development and more tension (pacing was pretty quick, but things seemed to fall into place a little too easily at times).