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Japan
Adult Non-Fiction |
Page Two of Five |
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 by Page Smith
Democracy on Trial: The Japanese American Evacuation and Relocation in World War II
Published 1995 by Simon & Schuster
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 by Alex Kerr
Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Modern Japan
Published 2001 by Hill & Wang
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Kerr (Lost Japan), a 35-year resident of Japan and the first foreigner to win that country's Shincho literary prize, contends that the Japanese miracle has become a Japanese mess. Once admired, and perhaps feared, for its spectacular economic successes, Japan, Kerr claims, has become a land of "ravaged mountains and rivers, endemic pollution, tenement cities, and skyrocketing debts." What happened? He says that ideology and bureaucracy are to blame. Japan is in effect managed by an autonomous and corrupt government bureaucracy, driven by an ethos of economic growth at any cost and a mania for control. Everywhere Japan's natural beauty is being destroyed by useless construction projects, as nature must be controlled and construction companies rewarded. The great ancient cities too representative of old, underdeveloped Japan are being replaced by monuments and hotels that are concrete monstrosities. Japan's banking system has failed, yet no one really knows the extent of the damage, as the bureaucracy keeps accurate information hidden. Meanwhile, the bureaucracy continues to pour money into older industries, while Japan falls dangerously behind in the development of new information technologies. There is popular discontent, but protest is hard to come by, because the bureaucratically controlled educational system emphasizes obedience above all else. Japan is stuck, concludes Kerr, and he sees no easy way out.
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 by Patricia Klindienst
The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans
Published 2006 by Beacon Press
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"Why have we tamed the history of gardening in America?" Patricia Klindienst asks in The Earth Knows My Name. We are a democracy of gardeners yet, with few exceptions, the garden is presented as the province of the privileged and the white. Garden writing tends to exclude the stories of the ethnic peoples who have shaped our landscape for centuries. As a result, the idea of the garden has been stripped of its cultural weight.
The Earth Knows My Name speaks directly to this gap in our understanding, exploring the deeper implications of what it means to cultivate a garden and to grow one's own food.
The fifteen gardens presented in The Earth Knows My Name have all been fashioned by people usually thought of as other Americans: Native Americans, immigrants, and ethnic peoples who were here long before our national boundaries were drawn, including Hispanics of the Southwest, descended from the Conquistadors, and Gullah gardeners of South Carolina, descendants of West African slaves. All of these gardeners straddle two cultures--mainstream America and their culture of origin. Their stewardship of the land is an expression of the desire to preserve their heritage against all that threatens it. And so each garden becomes an island of hope and offers a model, on a truly sustainable scale, of a restorative ecology that renders justice to both the land and the people who cultivate it.
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 by Reiko Takenaka
Easy Ikebana: Floral Accents for the Home
Published 2001 by Japan Publications Trading Company
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This book includes simple step-by-step directions for constructing fifty-five of your own ikebana creations.
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 by Donald Keene
Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852-1912
Published 2005 by Columbia University Press
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When Emperor Meiji began his rule, in 1867, Japan was a splintered empire, dominated by the shogun and the daimyos, who ruled over the country's more than 250 decentralized domains and who were, in the main, cut off from the outside world, staunchly antiforeign, and committed to the traditions of the past. Before long, the shogun surrendered to the emperor, a new constitution was adopted, and Japan emerged as a modern, industrialized state. Despite the length of his reign, little has been written about the strangely obscured figure of Meiji himself, the first emperor ever to meet a European. Most historians discuss the period that takes his name while barely mentioning the man, assuming that he had no real involvement in affairs of state. Even Japanese who believe Meiji to have been their nation's greatest ruler may have trouble recalling a single personal accomplishment that might account for such a glorious reputation. Renowned Japan scholar Donald Keene sifts the available evidence to present a rich portrait not only of Meiji but also of rapid and sometimes violent change during this pivotal period in Japan's history. In this vivid and engrossing biography, we move with the emperor through his early, traditional education; join in the formal processions that acquainted the young emperor with his country and its people; observe his behavior in court, his marriage, and his relationships with various consorts; and follow his maturation into a "Confucian" sovereign dedicated to simplicity, frugality, and hard work. Later, during Japan's wars with China and Russia, we witness Meiji's struggle to reconcile his personal commitment to peace and his nation's increasingly militarizedexperience of modernization. Emperor of Japan conveys in sparkling prose the complexity of the man and offers an unrivaled portrait of Japan in a period of unique interest.
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 by Mari Fujii
The Enlightened Kitchen: Fresh Vegetable Dishes from the Temples of Japan
Published 2005 by Kodansha International (JPN)
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Nourish body and soul with simple, delicious food from Japan's temples.
The Enlightened Kitchen introduces readers to shojin ryori, the traditional vegetarian cooking of Japan's Buddhist temples. Shojin food, with its emphasis on fresh, seasonal vegetables, staples such as seaweed, grains and tofu, and natural flavorings rather than chemical additives, is a highly
nutritious and delicious alternative to the many unhealthy eating habits of Western society. In addition to its health benefits, the preparation and eating of shojin food in Buddhist temples has great spiritual significance. After spending their days in rigorous selfdiscipline, the monks welcome
mealtimes as a soothing respite, both for those preparing the food with loving care and for those eating it with relaxed enjoyment. Stunning color photographs accompany more than sixty recipes for soups, salads, tofu and bean dishes, vegetables, rice and desserts.
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 by Lynne Strugnell
Berlitz Japanese Essential
Published 2005 by Berlitz Guides
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This comprehensive study guide allows beginning students to master and reinforce critical language skills at their own pace, offering a quick, practical, and simple approach to learning. Berlitz Essential Japanese features interesting dialogs and entertaining illustrations that provide a thorough introduction to the language within its cultural context. Grammar basics are taught through phrases and illustrations, with no complicated rules to memorize. Extensive practice exercises, self-tests, a pronunciation guide, and a helpful bilingual glossary make this lively guide perfect for anyone looking to tackle the basics.
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 by Molly Hakes
The Everything Conversational Japanese Book
Published 2004 by Adams Media Corporation
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Readers learn how to:
- Converse in Japanese in a variety of cultural settings
- Refine greetings and salutations for basic conversation
- Listen for tone and inflection
- Practice pronunciation with helpful exercises
- Appreciate Japanese culture
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 by Josh McIlvain
Fodor's Japan
Published 2007 by Fodor's Travel Publications
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 by Christopher Alan Bayly
Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia, 1941-1945
Published 2005 by Belknap Press
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In the early stages of the Second World War, the vast crescent of British-ruled territories stretching from India to Singapore appeared as a massive Allied asset. It provided scores of soldiers and great quantities of raw materials and helped present a seemingly impregnable global defense against the Axis. Yet, within a few weeks in 1941-42, a Japanese invasion had destroyed all this, sweeping suddenly and decisively through south and southeast Asia to the Indian frontier, and provoking the extraordinary revolutionary struggles which would mark the beginning of the end of British dominion in the East and the rise of today's Asian world. More than a military history, this gripping account of groundbreaking battles and guerrilla campaigns creates a panoramic view of British Asia as it was ravaged by warfare, nationalist insurgency, disease, and famine. It breathes life into the armies of soldiers, civilians, laborers, businessmen, comfort women, doctors, and nurses who confronted the daily brutalities of a combat zone which extended from metropolitan cities to remote jungles, from tropical plantations to the Himalayas. Drawing upon a vast range of Indian, Burmese, Chinese, and Malay as well as British, American, and Japanese voices, the authors make vivid one of the central dramas of the twentieth century: the birth of modern south and southeast Asia and the death of British rule.
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 by Beth Reiber
Frommer's Japan
Published 2006 by Frommer's
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Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer. Frommer's. The best trips start here. Insider tips on the best Japanese culinary experiences, from indulging in an exquisite kaiseki feast to plucking plates off a conveyor belt at a kaiten sushi shop. Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not. Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget. Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.
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 by Harumi Kurihara
Harumi's Japanese Cooking
Published 2006 by HP Books
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Cooking expert and lifestyle guru Kurihara has won over the hearts of Japanese home cooks with her simple, delicious dishes. Now, this charismatic former housewife brings her award-winning kitchen secrets to America, in this collection of more than 75 authentic recipes.
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 by Geisha: a Life
Mineko Iwasaki
Published 2003 by Thorndike Press
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Now in her 50s, Mineko Iwasaki was one of the most famed geishas of her generation (and the chief informant for Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha). Her ascent was difficult, not merely because of the hard, endless training she had to undergo--learning how to speak a hyper-elevated dialect of Japanese and how to sing and dance gracefully while wearing a 44-pound kimono atop six-inch wooden sandals--but also because many of the elaborate, self-effacing rules of the art went against her grain. A geisha "is an exquisite willow tree who bends to the service of others," she writes. "I have always been stubborn and contrary. And very, very proud." And playful, too: one of the funniest moments in this bittersweet book describes a disastrous encounter with the queen of England and her all-too-interested husband.
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 by Diane Norman
Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arranging for Today's Interiors
Published 2002 by Rizzoli Publications
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"Ikeban: Japnanese Flower Arranging for Today's Interior" equips you with the principles and techniques to begin making your own arrangements, as well as plenty of beautiful photographs for inspiration. These illustrations will teach you to incorporate the elements that surround you in your designs, while addressing such practical considerations as the placement of the flowers, the time of the year, and the changing seasons. In addition to the incomparable satisfaction of creating beauty in your home, the contemplative art of ikebana will prove a perfect escape from the stresses of everydaylife.
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 by Reiko Takenaka
Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arrangement
Published 1995 by Japan Publications Trading Company
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Ikebana is hospitality from the heart, using various plant materials. It is an art in which the force of life expressed in living plants and the spirit of the person arranging them speak deeply to each other and unite to create new beauty and form.This book has been produced to acquaint as many people as possible with the joy and delight of Ikebana. Reiko Takenaka shows the reader how new beauty can be created with originality when using only a small amount of floral material. - from the Foreword.
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 by Ichiba Ashida
Ikebana with Living Plants
Published 1998 by Japan Publications Trading Company
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It is not surprising that indoor potted plants are rapidly gaining popularity in our modern, urbanized living environments. Potted plants inside the home not only add visual appeal to the interior decor, they also help purify the air in the room. Ikebana with Living Plants is a new variation
of the traditional Japanese art of ikebana, or flower arrangement, that allows you to enhance enjoyment of your indoor potted plants by adding cut flowers or branches to the flowerpot. The addition of cut flowers to your favorite potted plant lets you change the mood or ambiance of your room in countless ways, yet your original plant remains uncut and intact. Why not try some of the easily accomplished arrangements shown here-with Ikebana with Living Plants, you can continue to enjoy the beauty of your indoor plants and delight in the variety and richness of natural foliage right at home.
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 by Richard S. Nishimoto
Inside an American Concentration Camp: Japanese American Resistance at Poston, Arizona
Published 1995 by University of Arizona Press
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Accounts of American camps housing the Japanese during World War II usually come from research circles: this examines the experiences of the internees themselves, based on Nishimoto's wartime reports for a government study of the evacuation and resettlement process. From resistance to the camps to daily life, this is essential for understanding the politics and social influences of camp experiences
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 by Toshiro Kawase
Inspired Flower Arrangements
Published 1990 by Kodansha America
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 by Ian Buruma
Inventing Japan: 1853-1964
Published 2004 by Modern Library
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In a single short book as elegant as it is wise, Ian Buruma makes sense of the most fateful span of Japan's history, the period that saw as dramatic a transformation as any country has ever known. In the course of little more than a hundred years from the day Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in his black ships, this insular, preindustrial realm mutated into an expansive military dictatorship that essentially supplanted the British, French, Dutch, and American empires in Asia before plunging to utter ruin, eventually emerging under American tutelage as a pseudo-Western-style democracy and economic dynamo.
What explains the seismic changes that thrust this small island nation so violently onto the world stage? In part, Ian Buruma argues, the story is one of a newly united nation that felt it must play catch-up to the established Western powers, just as Germany and Italy did, a process that involved, in addition to outward colonial expansion, internal cultural consolidation and the manufacturing of a shared heritage. But Japan has always been both particularly open to the importation of good ideas and particularly prickly about keeping their influence quarantined, a bipolar disorder that would have dramatic consequences and that continues to this day. If one book is to be read in order to understand why the Japanese seem so impossibly strange to many Americans, "Inventing Japan is surely it. "From the Hardcover edition.
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 by James L. McClain
Japan, a Modern History
Published 2001 by W. W. Norton & Company
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McClain takes a multifaceted, nuanced look at Japan's last four centuries. A professor of history at Brown University, McClain begins with the investiture of Tokugawa Ieyasu as shogun in 1603, then leads the reader from daimyo castles of the 17th and 18th centuries to the filthy barracks of mine workers in the 19th century, to the refined, "cultured houses" of the emerging urban middle class in the 20th century. Equally adept at describing religious and intellectual currents, economic development, political maneuverings and the special problems faced by women and marginalized groups like Koreans and the Ainu, McClain draws on the most current studies of Japanese history. Throughout, he is evenhanded in his choice of subject matter and source. He acknowledges the contributions of the industrial giants, but gives voice to the rural poor, factory workers and victims of industrial pollution. He describes the geopolitical realities that drove Japan to empire but also unflinchingly details the horrors of war. More than a mere description of how Japan became a leading nation of the 20th century, this is a story with room for the pronouncements of emperors, the poetry of Basho and the demands of labor leaders. A newcomer to the subject may be daunted at first by the sheer volume of information, but McClain soon puts the reader at ease with his mastery of the subject and his clear, precise prose. Some readers may wonder at his decision to overlook events such as the Ako incident in the chapters on the Tokugawa era or Aum Shinrikyo's gassing of the Tokyo subway in his discussion of contemporary Japan, but overall this is a remarkable achievement.
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