'The Art of the Japanese Garden': Green-fingered insight into Japanese garden spaces
By delving into the history, development and intricate details of Japanese gardens, "The Art of the Japanese Garden" brings new appreciation and awareness to the art form.
'Much Ado About Nothingness': Exploring the diverse philosophies of the Kyoto School — review
James Heisig's "Much Ado About Nothingness" strives to link the philosophies of Kirato Nishida and Hajime Tanabe with broader intellectual and artistic themes.
Lafcadio Hearn's 'Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan': Reveling in the remote and mystical — review
Lafcadio Hearn's "Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan" is an unmissable book offering a visceral, firsthand experience of a Japan now largely vanished.
Come face to face with human mortality in Yukio Mishima's 'The Temple of Dawn' — review
A strange and uneven novel, Yukio Mishima's "The Temple of Dawn," the third volume in the "Sea of Fertility" tetralogy, is an elegy to the loss of pureness in the Japanese national spirit.
'Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths' review: Pulling no punches when it comes to the realities of war
In "Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths," manga artist and veteran Shigeru Mizuki brings the Pacific front of World War II to life with unflinching realism and a grotesque and sardonic humor.
'The Missionary and the Libertine': Buruma's writing is incendiary, positively fizzling with ideas
"The Missionary and the Libertine," an eclectic collection of essays by Ian Buruma, remains as readable today as when it was first published in 1996.
William Gibson's 'Idoru': Tokyo sci-fi becomes full-blown reality
Satirical yet eerily plausible, William Gibson's "Idoru" is a complex sci-fi novel set in post-quake Tokyo that addresses the often negative impacts technology has on our lives.
'Japan in the World': A comprehensive analysis of Japan's international image
Published near the height of Japan's global economic power in 1993, "Japan in the World" brings together essays that reflect on the country's place in international affairs.
Kafu Nagai's 'Geisha in Rivalry' abounds with scheming, manipulation and, yes, sex
Although this edition of "Geisha in Rivalry" is a translation of a censored version of the more racy original, it represents Nagai's rediscovery of the fast-disappearing traditional culture of Japan.
Kenkichi Yamamoto's 'The Singing Heart': A window into modern Japanese poetry
Noted Japanese literary critic and writer Kenkichi Yamamoto's "The Singing Heart" provides a satisfying, thematic introduction to modern Japanese poetry.
Meet one of Japan's greatest modern philosophers in 'Nishida Kitaro: The Man and His Thought'
First published in Japanese in 1985, "Nishida Kitaro: The Man and His Thought" brings together diverse essays about both Nishida and his philosophy of "absolute nothingness" written by his former pupil Keiji Nishitani (1900-90).
'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.
