Kazuo’s trademark estrangement paradoxically brings his characters closer to us.
A Tale of Two Ishiguros Review by Cody Poulton Once upon a time there were two men who shared the same surname and an interest in robots. One of them, Kazuo, left Japan and became a little Englishman, but he always felt like an outsider, which is a good thing for a writer, which is More…
A memoir and book about the dramatic growth of the megacity Tokyo
Review by Mark Schumacher Since the 1977 release of his first book The Chrysanthemum and the Bat, author Robert Whiting has remained the “go to” guy for entertaining and educating and enlightening books about Japan. His many English books and articles, once translated into Japanese, have hit the bestseller lists in Japan. Whiting resonates on More…
The true story of a world nomad who cooked Japanese Udon noodles for 5,000 people in 24 countries
“First Book” is a new 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?” Jon Tanimura: It’s an autobiography of a Japanese man who cooked Japanese Udon noodles for 5,000 people in 24 countries while traveling around the world as a nomad More…
Nakamura Tetsu’s account of his thirty-five years as a volunteer in the nebulous border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan
Reviewed by Chad Kohalyk One day in 1985, from the hills of Kunar province in northeastern Afghanistan, came three women dressed in chador, their faces covered. The two sisters and their mother were victims of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and had come to the hospital ward of Nakamura Tetsu, a volunteer doctor from Fukuoka More…
The following is an excerpt from a new release by John Burgess, Angkor’s Temples in the Modern Era: War, Pride, and Tourist Dollars (River Books, 2021). During the research for this book, the author’s fifth on Angkor, he found an abiding theme: tensions between the foreigners who came to Angkor—the capital of a great empire More…
Mountain verse from China
Translations of mountain verse from China
Simon Rowe’s second volume of short-stories on Japan and Asia
Eight short stories from Japan and eight from other countries including Hong Kong, Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, France, Austria, Australia and New Zealand
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…
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…
A promising debut novel by Ana Johns
A promising debut book by Ana Johns
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