Literature

Married to a Zen monk in training, an American woman in Japan chronicles her own year of growth and discovery.

A critical biography of a modern Japanese literary giant, whose brilliant career ended in a spectacular ritual suicide.

A stunning tapestry of everyday life.

An award-winning translation of the classic novella about the Japanese ghetto.

The first English translation of the groundbreaking 1931 graphic novel!

An exploration of the roots of beauty in Japanese aesthetics.

The true story of a half-Chinook, half-Scot adventurer who entered feudal Japan in 1848 and helped pave the way for its modernization.

The unlikely history of early cross-cultural encounters between the West and Japan...

Introducing Tatsuhiko Shibusawa—Japan’s Italo Calvino—in this fantastical tale of a Japanese prince who encounters both beauty and danger on a pilgrimage to India.

The best of an extraordinary expatriate writer.

Two women. Two cultures. One music.

The complete version of the travel writing classic with photography by Yoichi Midorikawa.

A deeply eccentric novel about lives and connections—and a cat of course—in 1980s Tokyo: witty, offbeat, and strangely profound.

Haiku and occasional essays from an eccentric personality.

A tribute to Japan's God of Manga by his long-time American friend and translator. Includes rare, full-color, original Astro Boy Astro Boy art!

The author of Wabi Sabi explores the intersection of beauty and design at an extraordinary flower shop in Vienna.

Discover the beauty of haiku in this poetic memoir of life abroad.

An American girl of Japanese ancestry is exiled in her own country after Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.

The tale of English teacher Peter Meadowes, who flees to Kyoto for a summer vacation and finds himself lusting after every woman he sees…

A unique behind-the-scenes look at Japanese business and how the animated films of Hayao Miyazaki were introduced to the world.

An affordable version of the classic 1906 essay on tea drinking and aesthetics.

A revealing look at rural lives and lifestyles that have all but disappeared today.

Joiner's second novel set in the fabled Kanazawa area is an intimate yet understated look at an American who seeks recovery after his marriage to a Japanese woman has failed.

In its day the most popular book on the culture and history of then-mysterious Japan.