In a story set in this city, a woman says “I guess it’s better to be husband and wife than all alone in the world!” while having two bowls of sweet beans with her good-for-nothing lover, who has spent her fortune. For 10 points each:
[10h] Name this city in which a woman uses the euphemism “going to Suma” to refer to her affair. A family from this city is given a dog, some scarves, and a copy of the Arabian Nights.
ANSWER: Osaka (The story in the lead-in is from Oda Sakunosuke’s collection Stories of Osaka Life.)
[10m] In this novel about an Osaka family, a local newspaper mistakenly reports that Taeko’s sister has run away with Okubata, complicating that sister’s attempts to find a husband.
ANSWER: The Makioka Sisters [or Sasameyuki]
[10e] Misako goes to Suma in Some Prefer Nettles, a novel by this author who also wrote The Makioka Sisters.
ANSWER: Jun’ichirō Tanizaki [or Tanizaki Jun'ichirō]
<Kanyon Beck, World Literature>