A true Edokko (child of Tokyo), born in the low-lying merchant areas of the metropolis, Tanizaki lived his later years in the Kansai region and immersed himself in the traditions of the court culture of ancient Japan. He was also widely read in Western literature. A superb storyteller whose characters delight in the sensual, Tanizaki's tales often combine the erotic with details of traditional Japanese arts. He spent three years translating the eleventh-century novel The Tale of Genji into modern Japanese.