'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.
'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.
'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.
'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.
'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."
'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.
'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.
'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.
'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.
'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.
'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."
'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.
