Best books about Japan
Ranked #1,235 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #50,019 overall
My best Japan and Japanese culture related book recommendations
I have studied Japanese history, culture, society, politics, and not least the Japanese language at university, and now lived and worked in Japan for nearly five years. But I do not think that is necessary for gaining an understanding of Japan. Nor is Japanese language fluency necessary either — in fact I think the books written by non-Japanese authors in English are often much better than the ones written in Japanese by Japanese authors, which tend to be too introspective, and are, almost by definition, more subjective.
Being able to read books in Japanese is a great experience
Best, brief and accurate Japanese history book
written by one of my favorite scholars on Japan and Japanese
A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower
Amazon Price: $10.00 (as of 02/17/2012)
Henshall is a professor of Japanese studies and one of my favorite authors. I am also very fond of his Japanese language-related books... This book is a complete overview of Japanese history from stone age to the present, with a more focus on modern history. The book does not deal with individual events in great detail (but does provide references to sources of more information on particular events), but provides a broad overview with great, insightful commentary. This book is not as thick as some other Japanese history books and the language is easily digestible, which makes it the perfect introductory book to Japanese history. Once you've read through this overview you'll have a good grasp of the timelines involved, and which periods interests you the most so that you know what to look for next.
Understanding Japanese society
this book will give you a fundamental understanding of what it is
An Introduction to Japanese Society, Second Edition
Amazon Price: $0.99 (as of 02/17/2012)
This is a serious, scholarly introductory textbook to understanding Japanese society that I was fortunate to have as course material in my Japan studies classes. Each of the ten chapters focuses on a particular aspect of Japanese society, such as economic classes, work and labor force, education, ethnic groups and gender, etc. This book manages to balance between the fundamental, historical aspects and more modern aspects such as manga and karaoke - all of which is important for understanding modern Japan. While the book takes an academic, serious, unbiased approach to each topic, it also manages to be easy to read and very much to the point, which is what makes this book the best when it comes to understanding modern Japanese society.
Spirituality, social function, and design of the Japanese garden
the most impressive book about Japanese gardens out there
Japanese Gardens: Right Angle and Natural Form (Taschen 25th Anniversary)
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 02/17/2012)
This book takes a more academic approach than most other books about Japanese gardens, focusing on the philosophical, spiritual, and socio-economical aspects of garden design and construction. I used this as reference material when writing my Japanese studies paper on the historical development of Japanese architecture, of which garden design is a most important part. Japanese garden design is more than just "gardening" - it is an expression of religion, social status, and function. This book manages to capture these aspects better than your average gardening book - and boasts some awesome pictures too.
Japanese architecture - temples, houses, castles, tea houses
this book is the bible on historical Japanese architecture
What is Japanese Architecture?: A Survey of Traditional Japanese Architecture
Amazon Price: $23.26 (as of 02/17/2012)
I used this book as reference material when writing my Japan studies paper on the historical development of Japanese cities. This is an amazing reference book and guide to understanding how traditional Japanese has evolved over many centuries, and the function architecture has played in society in history. The book focuses on four parts: Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, residential and urban life, castles, and finally tea houses and gardens. The book is full of illustrations that make architectural concepts easy to understand even if this is your first contact with architectural concepts and vocabulary. I truly learned a lot from reading this book, and I still have it and read through it when I need to brush up on my understanding of Japanese architecture. I assure you that this knowledge has impressed many Japanese people too!
One of the more interesting books on contemporary Japan...
offers an overview of a common but inaccessible phenomenon
Pink Box: Inside Japan's Sex Clubs
Amazon Price: $18.74 (as of 02/17/2012)
Fuzoku commercial sex clubs are quite a common occurrence in Japan, even though paying for sex is technically illegal. They cater to any kind of fantasy imaginable, and this book documents these establishments without passing any kind of judgement. A quite revealing book that offers a lot of commentary about Japanese society in a professional way.
Comments and feedback
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xdavis1990
Sep 26, 2011 @ 7:41 pm | delete
- You by far have the best lenses for anyone interested in learning about Japan. Thanks so much! I've read A History of Japan, but do you have any recommendations for more detailed history. More specifically pre-1900 stuff?
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WordCustard
Mar 17, 2010 @ 4:07 am | delete
- Sounds like some interesting reads -- thanks for the recommendations!
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hefa
Mar 17, 2010 @ 9:42 pm | delete
- I'm glad it could be of some inspiration!
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by hefa
Hi! I'm Henrik. I'm from Sweden but moved to Japan five years ago to work in the mobile software industry, and I'm loving it here and plan on staying.... more »
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