The mixing of gender, food, and labor in Yūma Midori’s Kakuriyo : bed and breakfast for spirits

This thesis offers an analysis of the intertwined dynamics of labor, gender, and food in volume one of the Japanese light novel series Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits (Kakuriyo no yadomeshi) by Yūma Midori, which began publication in 2015. Grounded in close reading analysis, the thesis details types of labor and their relationships to family structures in post-war and contemporary Japan. It also briefly explores previous scholarship on the isekai or “other world” genre of light novels as well as food literature. Ultimately, this thesis argues that Kakuriyo does not simply reflect but actively mediates and attempts to “solve” the modern problems of economic precarity through its representations of food – only to ironically reiterate the very same ideologies of gendered labor and care that precipitated that economic precarity in the first place. The close reading analysis consists of excerpts from volume one of Kakuriyo. Through these excerpts, the thesis examines the female protagonist’s relationship to food and cooking and how this relationship influences the work that she performs. The first body chapter argues that Kakuriyo juxtaposes different modes of work in its narrative to produce a fantasy of economic security and emotional well-being for its readers. The second body chapter builds on this analysis to analyze gendered labor representations in Kakuriyo. It compares the protagonist and another female character in the novel to understand how gender operates in the construction of dependency work and identity work. Both characters present complex, layered versions of these ideas in the work that they perform and the choices that they make. Furthermore, it argues that the restaurant the protagonist operates is a liminal space, which can only be realized in the fantasy world she finds herself in. This liminal space is a place where ideologies of gender and labor can be overcome in a tempting solution to the problems of contemporary capitalism. Finally, the conclusion summarizes how the light novel produces an alternative (albeit limited) model of care and gendered labor through its story and characters and explores directions for future research.