Without knowing any Japanese women, I immediately felt that Akiko's reactions were quite plausible, even when I wished for different reactions. (It was what I meant when I mention that she was "well written" in another comment.) Together with the details of Shinto (including the supernatural stuff), this is what has kept me reading.

When it comes to pacing, I keep wishing for constant escalation. I keep waiting for Akiko to take things to the next level, and the next, and the next, and so on. After I read the beginning of Clive Barker's <i>The Great and Secret Show</i> I remember feeling as if I had already read an epic novel, even though that was just the beginning! It was a lot like nodding off and dream for 20 minutes, and then wake up and realise that only a couple of minutes have passed. And this is what I wish for. A densely packed story that is dragging me along rather than making me think of missed opportunities to advance the plot.

Then again, perhaps I wouldn't feel this way if I didn't have a day between each post to think about all the possibilities? ;-)