Japanese English

A Paperback Original From the author of the international bestseller Butter comes a chilling and perceptive novel about obsession, female friendship, and the slow unraveling of two lives Eriko’s life looks perfect—from her prestigious job at a Japanese trading firm to her spotless apartment...

Hinduism is an ancient religion, philosophy and way of life. Unlike other great religions that are based on a small set of books, there are hundreds of texts in Hinduism, most of which are very voluminous. They span not merely centuries, but millennia. And most importantly, these ancient...

When the unnamed narrator of Marie Mutsuki Mockett’s stirring second novel returns to Carmel, California, to care for her mother, she finds herself stranded at the outset of the disease. With her husband and children back in Hong Kong, and her Japanese mother steadily declining in a care facility two hours away, she becomes preoccupied with her mother’s garden—convinced it contains a kind of visual puzzle—and the dormant cherry tree within it. She soon starts a torrid affair with an arborist who is equally fascinated by her mother’s garden, and together they embark on reviving it.

This ten-session course builds a basic understanding of the Japanese language for a visit to Japan as a tourist. The focus is on words and phrases that can be put to use on a visit to Japan as well as underlying basic vocabulary such as greetings, introductions and numbers. Topics covered include many common tourist situations including restaurants, directions, questions, shopping, hotels, travel, museums and many scenarios that are common on a trip to Japan. This is an ideal way to build the language skills you need before visiting the unique and enthralling culture of the islands of Japan.

Vampires: murderous creatures in the shape of humans, they stalk the night feeding on the blood of innocents. Seemingly immortal, they can be destroyed only by the use of a stake through the heart, severing of their heads, or exposure to sunlight. By the year AD 12,090, vampires have ruled the Earth for almost 300 years, and it is only these weaknesses that have kept these foul monsters from totally overrunning the world. But what happens when those rules no longer apply?

Wa means harmony, a central tenet at the heart of the Japanese belief that to live well is to live in balance. In this book, wellness expert Kaki Okumura shares the practices and psychology behind Wa and the Japanese health secrets that allow anyone, at any point in their life, to improve and sustain their health. Her method to bring Wa into your life is based on four pillars: nourish, move, rest, and socialize.

For those looking for the real story behind the fictionalized movie account of the 47 Ronin story, this is the definitive, fascinating account of this unforgettable tale of a band of samurai who defied the Emperor to avenge the disgrace and death of their master, and faced certain death as a result. It led to one of the bloodiest episodes in Japanese history, and in the process, created a new set of heroes in Japan.

Inspiring stories of 10 urbanites who decided to ‘the simple life’ in the rural mountains of Japan—for anyone interested in sustainable living, Japanese culture, and Eastern spirituality. “Subversive in the best possible way.” —Bill McKibben, New York Times–bestselling author...

Masuo Yasui arrived in America in 1903 with big dreams and empty pockets. He worked on the railroads, in a cannery, and as a houseboy before settling in Oregon to open a store, raise a large family, and become one of the area's most successful orchardists. But his family's life changed forever on December 7, 1941, when they were forced from their homes into vast inland camps. Although shamed and broken, the Yasui family would yet endure to claim their place as Americans.

Japanese by birth but transplanted to Europe in adulthood, Miki Sakamoto has spent a lifetime tending her garden and reflecting on its mysteries. Why do primulas bloom in snow? Do the trees really ‘talk’ to one another? What are the blackbirds saying today? And is there a mindful way to deal with an aphid infestation? From rising early to walk barefoot on the grass each morning, to afternoons and evenings spent sipping tea in her gazebo or watching fireflies as she recalls her childhood in Japan, Sakamoto shares observations from a life spent in contemplation – and cultivation – of nature.

Are you a weekend carpenter that wants to make traditional Japanese joints? Do you want to apply Japanese ingenuity of design to everyday furniture and give them a special character? For centuries before the invention of screws and fasteners, Japanese craftsmen used complex, interlocking joints to connect pieces of wood for structures and beams, helping to create a unique Japanese aesthetic that can still be seen in the works of modern masters like Shigeru Ban. Up until recent times, however, these techniques were often the carefully guarded secrets of family carpentry guilds.

In 1890, the first Japanese diplomatic delegation arrives in London to open an embassy. Cyrus Barker, private enquiry agent and occasional agent for the Foreign Service Office, is enlisted to display his personal Japanese garden to the visiting dignitaries. Later that night, Ambassador Toda is shot and killed in his office and Cyrus Barker is discovered across the street, watching the very same office, in possession of a revolver with one spent cartridge.

An epic, riveting history based on new interviews and research that elucidates the approval, construction, and fateful decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, the Japanese port city of Hiroshima was struck by the world’s first atomic bomb. Built in the US...

This history will be of interest to people who know nothing about Japan, but also full of insights for those who do. Lesley Downer takes the listener through the great sweep of Japanese history, focusing on the dramatic stories of larger-than-life individuals—from emperors descended from the Sun Goddess to warlords, samurai, merchants, court ladies, women warriors, geisha, and businessmen who shaped this extraordinary modern society.

Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji in the 11th century to entertain the other women in the court. It follows the romantic exploits of the title character, an emperor’s son, as he navigates life within aristocratic society and eventually outside of it. Praised for its psychological insight into the characters’ motivations, the book greatly influenced Japanese culture and is widely considered the world’s first novel. In 1882, Suematsu Kencho translated a condensed version of the text into English, allowing this classic tale to reach a wider audience.

Only Murders in the Building meets Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library in this “intriguing, fast-paced” (School Library Journal) novel about a girl pulled into a mysterious treasure hunt at her new boarding school. Ever since her mom passed away, twelve-year-old Megumi “Meg” Mizuno...

In Hara Hachi Bu Lifestyle, you’ll discover the timeless Japanese practice of eating until you’re 80 percent full—a powerful tradition from Okinawa, the region with one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Rooted in balance, mindfulness, and self-respect, Hara Hachi Bu is not a diet. It’s a lifestyle—one that supports gentle weight loss, improved digestion, emotional clarity, and graceful aging.

In 1995, the physical and social landscape of Japan was transformed by two events: the Kobe earthquake, in January, which destroyed thousands of lives, and the poison-gas attacks in the Tokyo subways in March, during the morning rush hour. Following these twin disasters, Haruki Murakami...

Even in hell, Bitcoin talks. This modern take on an old Japanese saying still holds true. Cryptocurrency was supposed to do for money what the internet did for information, but it didn't work out that way. Its virtual existence unleashed real-world chaos―especially in the homeland of its mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Tokyo was the center of the world's largest Bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox, until that company collapsed with nearly half a billion dollars' worth of Bitcoin gone missing. It might be the greatest heist in history. If it was a heist.

16 years of peace and prosperity have passed since Lord Otori Takeo united the Three Countries. Takeo and his beloved consort, Kaede, have three daughters and a happy family life. Their success has attracted the attention of the distant Emperor and his general, the warlord Saga Hideki, who covet the wealth of the Countries. Meanwhile, the violent acts and betrayals of the past will not lie buried, and other secrets will not stay hidden. Everything that Takeo and Kaede have achieved is threatened.