Tag - essential-reading-for-japanophiles

 
 

ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES

Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jul 11, 2021
‘Tea Life, Tea Mind’: Celebrating the simple act of serving tea
Green tea began in China as a medicinal brew, and grew in Japan into an aid to wakefulness and meditation for Zen monks. In time, the ceremony of its preparation became a mode of refinement for a social elite versed in introspection and aesthetics. In the modern age, however, few Japanese have the time or opportunity to sit through the elaborate protocols of tea ceremony.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jul 11, 2021
‘Impressions of Japanese Architecture’: A sense of discovery toward the traditional arts
Ralph Adams Cramu2019s focus on traditional architecture, with design principles still relevant today, explains why his book u201cImpressions of Japanese Architecture,u201d first published in 1905, has stood the test of time.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jul 4, 2021
‘Paradise in Plain Sight’: You don't need to look far for life lessons
In Karen Maezen Milleru2019s book, the Zen garden she restores to its former beauty becomes a metaphor for life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 2, 2020
'The Book of Tea' review: Tea ceremony and all its complex subtleties
A.L. Sadler examines in minute detail the origins of tea drinking and the rich and complex components of its ritualization.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 14, 2020
'Underground': The thematic keystone to Haruki Murakami's oeuvre
In the 20 years that have passed since the publication of Haruki Murakami's nonfiction "Underground," it remains both an outlier and a springboard for the career that would follow.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 22, 2020
'Tokyo Sketches: Short Stories': A tribute to an ever-changing city
Journalist Pete Hamill's anthology of 13 Tokyo-based stories bring a cast of multicultural characters, united by their lives in the metropolis, to life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 1, 2020
'Untangling my Chopsticks': Searching for the origins of Japanese fine dining
Engagingly written and well-researched, Victoria Abbott Riccardi's culinary memoir, "Untangling My Chopsticks," traces her year immersed in Kyoto's kaiseki culture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jan 11, 2020
'Childhood Years': Junichiro Tanizaki's precious memories of Tokyo
Autobiographies tend to reveal only as much as the subject chooses to share. Here, Junichiro Tanizaki is surprisingly forthright in detailing his inner life, especially those pertaining to the germination of his sexuality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Dec 21, 2019
'Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu': Japan's Shakespeare sheds light on the common man
Unrequited love, social obligation and human nature collide — with varying results — in "The Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Dec 14, 2019
'A Mature Woman': The truth squares off against corrupt Japanese establishments
Saiichi Maruya's "A Mature Woman" takes on misogyny, power harassment and corruption with a witty, satirical touch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 26, 2019
'The Decay of the Angel': Overshadowed by the death of its author
In "The Decay of the Angel," Yukio Mishima concludes his "The Sea of Fertility" tetralogy with musings on modern Japan, the loss of beauty and old age.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 12, 2019
'Politics, Porn and Protest': The beguiling world of experimental Japanese film
Isolde Standish's "Politics, Porn and Protest" takes readers on a tour of landmark Japanese avant-garde films, including those by legendary directors Nagisa Oshima and Shohei Imamura.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 21, 2019
'Japanese Linguistics': Insightful description meets valuable instruction
"Japanese Linguistics" is a broad-spectrum primer on Japanese, covering everything from grammar to the social context of the language, for the undergraduate student or avid polyglot alike.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 7, 2019
'The Barren Zone': A POW's trauma doesn't end at home
Toyoko Yamasaki's "The Barren Zone" is a chilling portrayal of the harsh realities of being a POW and the social difficulties faced by survivors upon returning to Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Aug 31, 2019
'Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go': Wisecracking wisdom worth rereading
In his classic treatise on go, the late Toshiro Kageyama elucidates the difference between amateurs, who merely "play at the game," and professionals, who "labor at it."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Aug 3, 2019
'Mishima: A Vision of the Void': Remembering a literary giant as he would have wanted
Marguerite Yourcenar's literary biography of Yukio Mishima delves into the enigmatic author as well as the social conditions that shaped his rise and fall.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jul 27, 2019
'Pink Samurai': Resolving the paradoxes of Japan's appetite for sex
Scholarly in the depth of its research methods and the sheer scope of its coverage, Nicholas Bornoff explores the means and instruments for achieving erotic pleasure in 1991 Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jun 29, 2019
'Tokyo: City of Stories': An homage to the megacity
Cultural geographer Paul Waley adds to the slim body of academic work about Tokyo with an anthropologic take on the megacity's overlooked neighborhoods.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jun 1, 2019
'Yokai Attack!' review: The Japanese creatures that go bump in the night
"Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide" terrorizes with well-researched descriptions and powerful illustrations of Japanese yokai (supernatural monsters), but also provides helpful hints on how to evade them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jun 1, 2019
'Shoe Dog' review: A 'crazy idea,' a multibillion dollar company
For runners and nonrunners alike, "Shoe Dog" is an invaluable glimpse into one of the world's most recognizable companies and its groundbreaking founder.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world