At first I thought who the flying fuckque is this twit author who for a week or so, "travelled to Japan for more research" to write a novel mirroring the world's most hidden imperial household.
Turns out I read Schwarz debut book back in 1990, Bicycle Days. Well reviewed and translated into 10 languages, Bicycle Dayswas the first and one of the better gaijin-coming-of-age-at-the-height-of-the-Bubble novels (although its narrative devoid of the goofiness or gray concrete).
I also read "Bicycle Days". I don't recall anything about the story today but agree with Taro that it did seem to be one of the more interesting books out there at the time.