Find out what we’re looking forward to reading this Spring!
Category: Blog
Three Wishes for a Genie in Japan
By Renae Lucas-Hall “You know what Hana, women are the cause of all the problems in life,” Taiki said to his Siamese kitten. “They fulfill every desire in your heart and soul and then they disappear. My mother left me when I was a teenager, never to be seen again, and my wife died More…
Susan K Burton Interviews Nick Bradley about ‘The Cat and The City’
Nick Bradley masterfully weaves together seemingly disparate threads to conjure up a vivid tapestry of Tokyo; its glory, its shame, its characters, and a calico cat. -—David Peace
Interview by Susan Karen Burton I first encountered Nick Bradley in the University of East Anglia campus pub in 2015. We were both studying creative writing and a lecturer had suggested we meet because our area of interest—Japan—was, he stated, somewhat specialized. It was felt that we could use each other’s support. He was right. More…
Our podcast sponsor and new streaming options!
At Books on Asia, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes and are now ready to announce our new sponsor for our podcast! Most of our readers will be familiar with Stone Bridge Press, publisher of fine books about Asia since 1989. In addition to their expertise in publishing, Stone Bridge Press brings their More…
Review—Japan’s Quest for Stability in Southeast Asia: Navigating the Turning Points in Postwar Asia
How Japan navigated independence movements and revolutions in Southeast Asia during a fractious postwar period.
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Review by Chad Kohalyk A rising China and receding America has Japan once again focused on the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Yet the recent Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision — to promote a new regional security environment anchored by India, Australia, Japan, and the United States — is in stark contrast More…
Review—The Woman in the White Kimono
A promising debut novel by Ana Johns
A promising debut book by Ana Johns
Review—Hōjōki: A Hermit’s Hut as Metaphor
Japanese Buddhist literature is filled with the struggle to overcome the pain of transience.
The Hōjōki, written in 1212 by the Buddhist monk Kamo no Chōmei, is one of the most beloved works of medieval literature in Japan.
Review—From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia
Asian intellectuals fighting western colonialism in the 19th and early 20th centuries offer points that we can learn from today
Pankaj Mishra delivers a sweeping account of the intellectual history of anti-colonial thought in the early years of Western colonialism. He builds this narrative through mini-biographies of two lesser-known intellectuals: Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī and Liang Qichao. These early thinkers diagnosed the challenge of Western imperialism…
Review—The Forgotten Japanese
A well-known ethnographer in Japan reveals voluminous details about countryside living before WWII.
Miyamoto Tsuneichi, is author of many ethnographical books on Japanese society, but this is the only one I know of that has been translated into English (transl. Jeffrey Irish). Miyamoto is a well-known scholar and author in Japan. The Forgotten Japanese is a necessary read for anyone interested in Japanese lifestyles in the countryside from More…
Review—Japanese Death Poems
An invaluable book for anyone interested in Japanese culture as well as poetry. — Amy Chavez
Japanese Death Poems is one of those invaluable books for anyone interested in Japanese culture as well as poetry. The lengthy introduction alone is important for the plethora of information on the history of Japanese poetry and in particular, the death poem. From tanka to haiku, written by princes, court nobles, samurai, Buddhist monks and More…