'Japan Story': History enlivened at every turn with flashes of wit
Christopher Harding's comprehensive "Japan Story" is an ultra-progressive account of modern Japanese history, ushering the often-ignored maverick women, socialist thinkers and doubters of the state version of modernity to the ...
Discover new worlds beyond the 'here and now' with Nahoko Uehashi's inventive fictions
Nahoko Uehashi revolutionized the fantasy genre in Japan with her naturalistic works of fiction, using her background as a cultural anthropologist to craft realistic imaginary worlds that garnered her legions ...
'Cherry' Ingram: An homage to the British savior of Japan's cherry blossoms
Naoko Abe's "'Cherry' Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan's Blossoms," an enchanting story about an Englishman's attempts to preserve Japan's rich cherry tree heritage in the face of rapid modernization, ...
'Philosophers of Nothingness': Philosophy built on quietly gripping human dramas
Heisig's "Philosophers of Nothingness" introduces the Kyoto School's three main philosophers: Kitaro Nishida, Hajime Tanabe and Keiji Nishitani.
A new edition of popular contemporary poet Makoto Ooka's "Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets" includes the original Japanese texts of each poem, early drafts, photos from the poet's life and a new introduction by translator Janine Beichman.
How Japan unleashed Lu Xun's ferocious literary passion
Although he was poised to be a doctor, Lu Xun, the most celebrated of all modern Chinese authors, abandoned medicine for something he felt would truly enlighten and modernize his nation: literature.
'The Lone Samurai': A meticulous portrait of warrior-legend Miyamoto Musashi
William Scott Wilson's definitive 2004 biography, "The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi" stands out not only for its meticulous historical accuracy, but also for the author's expertise on samurai texts.
Familiar tropes but not much plot in Haruki Murakami's 'Killing Commendatore'
With Haruki Murakami's latest novel, "Killing Commendatore," die-hard fans might find something to enjoy in the writer's trademark, albeit under-edited, style, but one gets the feeling Murakami has gotten too comfortable with his own style.
'Murder in the Crooked House': Behind the mask of a classic Japanese murder mystery
Japanese-English translator Louise Heal Kawai reveals the challenges of sourcing translation commissions and how one text — Soji Shimada's "Murder in the Crooked House" — was more intellectually rewarding than she initially assumed.
"Kokoro," a collection of essays published in 1896 by the prolific Anglo-Irish author Lafcadio Hearn, teems with a diverse panorama of observations from a country swelling with national pride.
Androids, infertility and ethics collide in Kazufumi Shiraishi's dystopian 'Stand-in Companion'
Kazufumi Shiraishi's novella "Stand-in Companion" offers an interesting male perspective on infertility, plumbing the frustrations of a childless couple and the self-accusation and unspoken blame that can eat away at a relationship.
'The Kinship of Secrets': Heartbreak and family separation during the Korean War
Eugenia Kim's second novel, "The Kinship of Secrets," is a measuredly moving story of a girl losing and finding a home, the ways in which families grow into units and immigrants into citizens.
