かえるくん、東京を救う / Super Frog Saves Tokyo 
Week 5
So, this week has a few unexpected events, or happenings that I hadn’t expected! The pace is starting to pick up… will the plans be derailed? Will Tokyo be saved or is the title of the story a lie? Keep reading to find out!
Please remember that there are two versions of the book: one is a bilingual book, while the other is a short story collection. The bilingual book is only available digitally in Japan, but if you have a VPN, you can also get it outside of Japan.
| Week 5 | September 12, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Bilingual Book | Parts 22 to 27, pages 228 to 282 |
| Short Story Collection | pg. 66, para. 18-pg.68, para. 4 |
| End phrase | 手を持ち上げることすらできない。 |
| Pages | 54/2 |
| Last Week | Week 4 |
| Next week | Week 6 |
| Home Thread | かえるくん、東京を救う / Super Frog Saves Tokyo |
Vocabulary
Vocabulary list
Thank you very much to @Phryne for creating this list! For those who are reading the short story collection, please note that it includes some items from the introduction to the Bilingual Book.
Please read the guidelines on the first page before adding any words.
Discussion Guidelines
Everybody should feel free to post and ask questions–it’s what makes book clubs fun! But please do not post until you are familiar with Spoiler Courtesy!
Spoiler Courtesy
Please follow these rules to avoid inadvertent ネタバレ. If you’re unsure whether something should have a spoiler tag, err on the side of using one.
- Any potential spoiler for the current week’s reading need only be covered by a spoiler tag. Predictions and conjecture made by somebody who has not read ahead still falls into this category.
- Any potential spoilers for external sources need to be covered by a spoiler tag and include a label (outside of the spoiler tag) of what might be spoiled. These include but are not limited to: other book club picks, other books, games, movies, anime, etc. I recommend also tagging the severity of the spoiler (for example, I may still look at minor spoilers for something that I don’t intend to read soon).
- Any information from later in the book than the current week’s reading (including trigger warnings that haven’t yet manifested) needs to be hidden by spoiler tags and labeled as coming from later sections.
Instructions for Spoiler Tags
Click the cog above the text box and use either the “Hide Details” or “Blur Spoiler” options. The text which says “This text will be hidden” should be replaced with what you are wishing to write. In the case of “Hide Details”, the section in the brackets that is labelled “Summary” can be replaced with whatever you like also (i.e, [details=”Chapter 1, Pg. 1”]).
Hide Details results in the dropdown box like below:
Example
This is an example of the “Hide Details” option.
The “Blur Spoiler” option will simply blur the text it surrounds.
This is an example of the “Blur Spoiler” option.
Posting Advice
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When asking for help, please mention the page number, and check before posting that your question hasn’t already been asked. As the threads get longer, it becomes more convenient to use the Search function, which is located in the upper right corner of the forum. It is the magnifying glass which is near your profile picture! The best way to search is usually to type part of the sentence you are confused about, and select “in this topic”. This will show you all posts within the current thread which has that string of text.
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Be sure to join the conversation! It’s fun, and it’s what keeps these book clubs lively! There’s no such thing as a stupid question! We are all learning here, and if the question has crossed your mind, there’s a very good chance it has crossed somebody else’s also! Asking and answering questions is a great learning opportunity for everyone involved, so never hesitate to do so!
Proper Nouns
| Name | Reading | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 片桐 | かたぎり | Mr. Katagiri, Main character |
| かえるくん | Froggy, Main character | |
| ミミズくん | Giant worm, villain |
Discussion Questions
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What sentence/passage gave you the most difficulty? Feel free to request some help, or if you figured it out on your own break it down for the rest of us!
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What was your favorite new vocab word from this week’s reading?
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Was there any passage that you found particularly intriguing? Did it resonate with you (either positively or negatively)? Was it surprising? Offer any insight or new perspective? Was it just beautifully written?
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It’s plot twist time! How do you think Froggy will react to this unexpected event?
Why do you think Haruki Murakami chose to make Mr. Katigiri such an ‘unlikable’ or ‘unliked’ character? Do you feel the same way about him? Does this type of quest need an anti-hero in order to succeed (this label could probably apply to both main characters)?
Participation
Will you be reading along with us this week?
- I’m reading along
- I have finished this part
- I’m still reading the book but I haven’t reached this part yet
- I’m reading this book after the club has finished
- I’m no longer reading the book
If you’ve already read this book but are still going to join the discussion, please select “I have finished this part.”
It feels like reading Chinese
