Review—Kanazawa by David Joiner

book cover
book cover

In Kanazawa, David Joiner delivers a slow-burning family drama reminiscent of a film by Yasujirō Ozu or Hirokazu Koreeda.

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Joiner adds a layer of reading pleasure by intertwining key aspects of Izumi Kyōka’s works into his own narrative.

Review—Places, by Setouchi Jakuchō

Few authors have led as storied a life as Setouchi Jakuchō. Writer, translator, feminist, peace activist, and Buddhist nun…

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“Places” is a braid of success stories: female independence, authorial achievement, and a mind taken to the brink of suicide, and back.

Review—Heaven, by Mieko Kawakami

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book cover

A heartbreaking, yet uplifting, story of two outcasts who find and protect each other through a year of school bullying.

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A heartbreaking, yet uplifting, story of two outcasts who find and protect each other through a year of school bullying.

Excerpt—The Wedding Party, by Liu Xinwu

Set at a pivotal point after the turmoil of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Liu Xinwu’s tale weaves together a rich tapestry of characters, intertwined lives, and stories within stories.

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Set at a pivotal point after the turmoil of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Liu Xinwu’s tale weaves together a rich tapestry of characters, intertwined lives, and stories within stories

Review—Where the Wild Ladies Are

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book cover

Witty and exuberant feminist re-tellings of traditional Japanese folktales

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In Matsuda’s collection, familiar ghosts are treated as commonplace: They are neither surprising nor frightening as they comfortably situate themselves in the modern world

Review—Buddhism and Modernity: Sources from Nineteenth-Century Japan

A valuable source book for Buddhist scholars

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A valuable source book for Buddhist scholars

First Book—The Short Story Collective

A thirteen-part journey through contemporary Japan taking in themes as disparate as mental illness, Buddhism, the human drive for validation, workplace harassment, cults, tourist pollution, and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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A thirteen-part journey through contemporary Japan taking in themes as disparate as mental illness, Buddhism, the human drive for validation, workplace harassment, cults, tourist pollution, and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Review—On Haiku, by Hiroaki Sato

Hiroaki Sato reveals how the radical brevity of the haiku genre contains worlds within worlds. This is a book to cherish, and which nurtures in return.

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Hiroaki Sato reveals how the radical brevity of the haiku genre contains worlds within worlds. This is a book to cherish, and which nurtures in return.

First Book—Can Machines Bring Peace?: Hope in a Post-Apocalyptic Age

A young diplomat builds a Thinking Machine to bring peace, but instead, it discovers a plot for war.

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“First Book” is a column where we ask first-time authors what inspired them to write their debut book/novel/translation. Books on Asia: What’s your book’s elevator pitch? Floor Kist: The novel is about a young diplomat who builds a Thinking Machine to bring peace, but instead, it discovers a plot for war. BOA: Can you explain More…