金閣寺

Is it our actions that change the world, or our perception of it? Mishima Yukio takes us on a journey through the mind of a young Buddhist monk and his obsession with beauty. The enchanting imagery and intellectual ponderings make for a challenging, but rewarding read.

I highly recommend using an edition with annotated footnotes, as there is heavy usage of Buddhist terminology and customs as well as references to historical places. Mishima uses 漢検一級 kanji and 四字熟語 liberally, so there is both difficulty and learning opportunity on every page. That being said, the vocabulary and phrases learned are quite niche, so its usefulness depends on the reader's goals.