An inside look at kokeshi dolls: from the skilled woodworkers behind their design to their important cultural significance. Kokeshi are the simple and charming traditional Japanese dolls characterized by their cylindrical shape and lack of arms and legs. Historically made as children's toys in Japan's northern region of Tohoku, they have now become a popular collector's item and have even inspired famous architects and artists. In this visual guide,...

In Japan's World Heritage Sites, readers are introduced to the temples, gardens, castles and natural wonders for which Japan is so justly renowned all of those now declared to be Unesco World Heritage Sites. Author John Dougill traveled to all the sites and describes each in detail, stating why they were singled out by Unesco, the current number and types of sites, the application process, how the sites have been selected, and how difficult it is...

"The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story. There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine. Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation's imagination...

"A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets--and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop in this dream-like and enchanting fantasy novel"-- Provided by publisher.

The magic tree house takes Jack and Annie back in time to feudal Japan where the siblings learn about the ways of the Ninja.

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day
Here is the story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. In a novel where past and present confuse, she relives scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II.

A clever mathematics teacher orchestrates a cover-up after a confrontation between a violent man and his terror-stricken ex-wife results in the man's accidental death.

"When eleven-year-old Chiyo Tamura is sent from her home in a small Japanese mountain village to a girls' school in the city of Tsuchiura, she never imagines that she will soon be in Tokyo helping to welcome more than twelve thousand Friendship Dolls from America--including Emily Grace, a gift to her own school. Nor could she dream that she'd have an important role in the crafting of Miss Tokyo, one of fifty-eight Japanese dolls to be sent to America...

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day
 
In the face of the misery in his homeland, the artist Masuji Ono was unwilling to devote his art solely to the celebration of physical beauty. Instead, he put his work in the service of the imperialist movement that led Japan into World War II.
Now, as the mature Ono struggles through...

From Mount Fuji to the temples of Kyoto, "Japan Journeys" offers a unique perspective on the country's most famous travel destinations. Art historian Andreas Marks has gathered together approximately two hundred Japanese woodblock prints depicting scenic spots and cultural icons that still delight visitors today. Many of the prints are by masters such as Utagawa Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro, and Utagawa Kunisada, and currently hang in prestigious galleries...