Japanese Biography

Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki is the genius behind such animated classics as Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds. His bountiful imagination and compassion have earned him accolades the world over. Until the early 1990s, Miyazaki’s work was largely unfamiliar to American audiences. But that would soon change, and now fans of all ages eagerly await new material from the master.

When Ian Buruma arrived in Tokyo in 1975, Japan was little more than an idea in his mind, a fantasy of a distant land. A sensitive misfit in the world of his upper middle class youth, what he longed for wasn't so much the exotic as the raw, unfiltered humanity he had experienced in Japanese theater performances and films, witnessed in Amsterdam and Paris.

In celebration of the 75th anniversary, a riveting first-hand account of the Battle of Okinawa from the first officer ashore, who served at the front for the battle’s entire 82-day duration, heroism that earned him a Bronze Star. On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, 1,500 Allied ships and 1.5 million men gathered off the coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa and launched the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War. The first American officer ashore was Major Art Shaw, a unit commander in the US Army’s 361 Artillery Battalion of the 96th Division, often called the Deadeyes.

Immerse yourself in this compelling narrative as it unfolds through the diverse and captivating voices of our talented cast. Featuring unique voice actors, the audiobook brings to life the three intertwining plotlines that make Wounded Tiger an unforgettable experience.

子育てから老後まで、与える存在へのささやかな試み―あなたはお返しの人生を生きていますか？コロナ後の世界を生き抜く感性とバランス。子供たちに伝えたい、気づきと和の心。故郷の潤い。

The late Dr. Michihiko Hachiya was director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital when the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on the city. Though his responsibilities in the appalling chaos of a devastated city were awesome, he found time to record the story daily, with compassion and tenderness. Dr. Hachiya's compelling diary was originally published by the UNC Press in 1955, with the help of Dr. Warner Wells of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Frederick Rutland was an accomplished aviator, British WWI war hero, and real-life James Bond. He was the first pilot to take off and land a plane on a ship, a decorated warrior for his feats of bravery and rescue, was trusted by the admirals of the Royal Navy, had a succession of aeronautical inventions, and designed the first modern aircraft carrier. He was perhaps the most famous early twentieth-century naval aviator. Despite all of this, and due mostly to class politics, Rutland was not promoted in the new Royal Air Force in the wake of WWI.

Shohei Ohtani, also known as "Shotime," is widely known for his skills in both pitching and hitting. At the 2016 Japan Series, Ohtani led his team, the Fighters, to victory. He later signed to the Los Angeles Angels in 2017 and earned the title of American League Rookie of the Year in 2018. In 2021, Ohtani made Major League Baseball history with over ten homeruns, over twenty stolen bases, and over one hundred strikeouts. That same year, at only age twenty-seven, he was given the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

No Longer Human (1948, Ningen Shikkaku / A Shameful Life / Confessions of a Faulty Man) was an attack on the traditions of Japan, capturing the postwar crisis of Japanese cultural identity. Framed by an epilogue and prologue, the story is told in the form three notebooks left by Ōba Yōzō, whose calm exterior hides his tormented soul. Osamu Dazai was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th century Japan. A number of his most popular works, such as Shayō (The Setting Sun) and Ningen Shikkaku (No Longer Human), are considered modern-day classics in Japan.

人は生まれながら貴賎上下の差別ない。けれども今広くこの人間世界を見渡すと、賢い人愚かな人貧乏な人金持ちの人身分の高い人低い人とある。その違いは何だろう?それは甚だ明らかだ。賢人と愚人との別は学ぶと学ばざるとに由ってできるものなのだ。人は生まれながらにして貴賎上下の別はないけれどただ学問を勤めて物事をよく知るものは貴人となり富人となり、無学なる者は貧人となり下人となるのだ。(C)青空文庫

Since the beginning of civilization, crime and injustice has existed. At the same time, gangs in all shapes and sizes have been around, from rebels, dissidents, and rogue soldiers to the average circle of miscreants loitering in alleys and behind convenience stores. In Japan, a gang of a different breed would arise - one underscored by honor, respect, family, and a code of ethics. They are the Yakuza. The Yakuza claim to be the Robin Hoods of the Far East. While they may lean towards the other side of the law, justice is all they truly aim for.

※本タイトルの配信日・再生時間は前後する可能性があります。詳細は、後日更新予定。

「結婚式は不要不急なんかじゃない」大切な人生の節目をふたりとともに創る。どんなときも「最高の結婚式」を追求する――コロナ禍でウェディングプランナーは何を想い、新郎新婦にいかに寄り添ったのか。

2013年刊行『ウェディングプランナーになりたいきみへ　笑いと涙の結婚式』の続編。東海地方を中心に直営店型の結婚式場を展開しているブラス。

自分の好きなように生きれば、未来は選べる、変えられる！古希を迎えて、ますます意気軒昂。高校をゼロから創った元ミュージシャンの、パワフル半生記。

戦争は、忘れられたとき、再び始まる。その地を歩くことでしか見えない、悲劇の真実と平和の重さ。第三次世界大戦前夜を生きる日本人へ。太平洋戦争終結から80年。戦争の記憶が継承されなくなったとき、悲劇は繰り返される。

この仕事を「仕事」と思ってはいい仕事はできないと思うのです。結婚式までの打ち合わせも、そして結婚式が終わった後も、家族のように、時には友人のように、心から寄り添う。ゲストと同様に、ともに笑い、ともに涙する。自分の家族の結婚式なのですから。

女性皇族として初めて海外で博士号を取得された彬子女王殿下による英国留学記。待望の文庫化！

《赤と青のガウン。それは、私が博士課程を始めたときからいつか着る日を夢みてきたものだ。

芸人コンビ「かもめんたる」として活動する岩崎う大が、その半生を綴った初の自伝的エッセイ。そしてそれは、2000年代のお笑いシーンを当事者の視点で捉えた貴重な記録でもある。

離婚して名前まで変えて挑んだ潜入ルポの傑作！週刊文春連載時から話題沸騰、前代未聞の潜入ルポ。ユニクロ愛用者必読の“危険本”がついに文庫化！