books in advance of Japan trip?
September 18, 2018 11:46 AM Subscribe
I need readable novels or popular history to help me prepare for a trip to Japan.
I don't know where exactly in Japan yet. I know so little about it! Tokyo, Kyoto I guess; and I'm hoping that some of the reading I do will help me choose where to go, as well as help me understand what I'm seeing.
Doesn't have to be highfalutin'. Doesn't have to be limited to any particular time period. Hoping to find a few different things with different points of view and areas of focus. I'm interested in history, social history, political figures, religion, food, etc.
Right now I probably need to err on the more-approachable side of things... I know about Shogun but a 1000 page tome isn't realistic right now. I just borrowed the Tale of Murasaki and am getting ready to read it.
(nb For the love of God, please no Memoirs of a Geisha, which remains one of my most singularly unpleasant reading memories to date.)
Thx!
I don't know where exactly in Japan yet. I know so little about it! Tokyo, Kyoto I guess; and I'm hoping that some of the reading I do will help me choose where to go, as well as help me understand what I'm seeing.
Doesn't have to be highfalutin'. Doesn't have to be limited to any particular time period. Hoping to find a few different things with different points of view and areas of focus. I'm interested in history, social history, political figures, religion, food, etc.
Right now I probably need to err on the more-approachable side of things... I know about Shogun but a 1000 page tome isn't realistic right now. I just borrowed the Tale of Murasaki and am getting ready to read it.
(nb For the love of God, please no Memoirs of a Geisha, which remains one of my most singularly unpleasant reading memories to date.)
Thx!
Best answer: My husband and I listened to Understanding Japan, which is one of the Great Courses offered on Audible. It's an overview of Japanese history from antiquity to present day and also dabbles in culture (arts, religion, food). It's like sitting in on a survey course in college and the professor tells the history in a very engaging way. It really heightened our trip!
posted by topophilia at 12:48 PM on September 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by topophilia at 12:48 PM on September 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
If you're into graphic novels, I highly recommend Showa by Shigeru Mizuki, an author whose works are considered a national treasure.
posted by Jon_Evil at 12:54 PM on September 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Jon_Evil at 12:54 PM on September 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Not a book, but you might like this episode of the BBC wireless series In Our Time about Japan's Sakoku Period. There's also an episode about Shinto.
posted by paduasoy at 1:26 PM on September 18, 2018
posted by paduasoy at 1:26 PM on September 18, 2018
It is very old-fashioned (the author died in the 1970s!), but an enjoyable read: Ivan Morris's The World of the Shining Prince, which is about Heian Japan, when The Tale of Genji was written.
posted by praemunire at 1:30 PM on September 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 1:30 PM on September 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
I really enjoyed (re)reading Murakami while being in Tokyo earier this year.
You might also like the Roads to Sata
posted by Kosmob0t at 2:04 PM on September 18, 2018
You might also like the Roads to Sata
posted by Kosmob0t at 2:04 PM on September 18, 2018
Oishinbo are a series of manga about different Japanese foods. Free trial pages at the link.
This might be too highfalutin, but Kazuo Ishiguro's novel An Artist of the Floating World covers a man looking back on his painting career, principally his role in promoting nationalism and war with China. It touches on Japanese art history and etiquette / historic marriage customs as well. It's not long, but I wouldn't call it a beach read.
posted by momus_window at 2:04 PM on September 18, 2018
This might be too highfalutin, but Kazuo Ishiguro's novel An Artist of the Floating World covers a man looking back on his painting career, principally his role in promoting nationalism and war with China. It touches on Japanese art history and etiquette / historic marriage customs as well. It's not long, but I wouldn't call it a beach read.
posted by momus_window at 2:04 PM on September 18, 2018
I've suggested these before, but Edward Seidensticker's Low City, High City and Tokyo Rising are excellent, readable social histories of early modern through modern (well, 1980s) Tokyo.
posted by huimangm at 2:48 PM on September 18, 2018
posted by huimangm at 2:48 PM on September 18, 2018
Best answer: I also think Low City, High City is a great recommendation (I haven't read Tokyo Rising).
I'm not a huge fan of English-language writers writing about Japan. Alan Booth is probably the best of the lot, although I find his outlook slightly cynical, and his books are talking about a Japan that existed thirty or forty years ago.
Personally, my favourite writer of popular Japanese history would have to be Shiba Ryotaro. The Clouds Above the Hill is a looong but interesting transformation post-contact to the Russo-Japanese war.
Juliet Winters Carpenter managed the translation of that 4-volume series, and I think she is a fine Japanese-English literary translator. So you could maybe pick and choose from her body of work.
posted by JamesBay at 3:19 PM on September 18, 2018
I'm not a huge fan of English-language writers writing about Japan. Alan Booth is probably the best of the lot, although I find his outlook slightly cynical, and his books are talking about a Japan that existed thirty or forty years ago.
Personally, my favourite writer of popular Japanese history would have to be Shiba Ryotaro. The Clouds Above the Hill is a looong but interesting transformation post-contact to the Russo-Japanese war.
Juliet Winters Carpenter managed the translation of that 4-volume series, and I think she is a fine Japanese-English literary translator. So you could maybe pick and choose from her body of work.
posted by JamesBay at 3:19 PM on September 18, 2018
It hasn't arrived yet so don't know what it is like but I just ordered the Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories. It has an intro by Haruki Murakami.
posted by iamsuper at 3:43 PM on September 18, 2018
posted by iamsuper at 3:43 PM on September 18, 2018
Best answer: My go-to Japan recommendation is Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo, by Matthew Amster-Burton. It's just what it says on the tin; and a light, engaging, humorous read.
posted by Carouselle at 5:30 PM on September 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Carouselle at 5:30 PM on September 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. Basically The Toast for 10th-century Japan.
posted by scyllary at 6:53 PM on September 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by scyllary at 6:53 PM on September 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Some fiction ideas:
Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee (who is Korean-American), is fairly recent & critically acclaimed. It follows multiple generations of a Korean family - starts in Korea in the 1910s but mostly takes place in Japan.
The Makioka Sisters, by Jun'ichirÅ Tanizaki is a sprawling novel that was published in serial in Japan in the 1940s & is set in the 1930s. It's about a family in Osaka that is going through social decline. Most of the plot revolves around various unfruitful marriage negotiations for one of the sisters. Tons of fascinating details about day to day life in Japan mid-century.
posted by yarrow at 7:29 PM on September 18, 2018
Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee (who is Korean-American), is fairly recent & critically acclaimed. It follows multiple generations of a Korean family - starts in Korea in the 1910s but mostly takes place in Japan.
The Makioka Sisters, by Jun'ichirÅ Tanizaki is a sprawling novel that was published in serial in Japan in the 1940s & is set in the 1930s. It's about a family in Osaka that is going through social decline. Most of the plot revolves around various unfruitful marriage negotiations for one of the sisters. Tons of fascinating details about day to day life in Japan mid-century.
posted by yarrow at 7:29 PM on September 18, 2018
Some oldies but goodies - John Dower's post-war histories (Embracing Defeat is the one I know) are great and readable and Ian Buruma also has written some enjoyable books. They lean more academic than not, if I recall, but definitely accessible.
posted by spamandkimchi at 7:56 PM on September 18, 2018
posted by spamandkimchi at 7:56 PM on September 18, 2018
Best answer: Ooh we just traveled to Japan and I did a ton of reading beforehand.
Second on An Artist of the Floating World. That is quite a lovely read.
I also recommend:
Record of a Night too Brief by Hiromi Kawakami
I know it has mixed reviews on Amazon but I'm pretty sure those reviewers just weren't prepared at how trippy the short stories were going to be.
The Budding Tree: Six Stories of Love in Edo by Aiko Kitahara
This is really great historical fiction. It great for getting a better handle on what life was like in the Edo period which will give you some context when you visit museums.
Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
This one's a heckuva book. It's humongous but I was riveted by the story the whole time.
The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
This is the first book in a detective series that is really detailed and nuanced. The pacing is great.
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
This book was by far my favorite out of all the ones I read. It's realistic fiction and her characters have such amazing interior worlds. It's a really wonderful look at characters and relationships in a metropolitan setting.
What I do not recommend:
-Oxford book of Japanese Short Stories (it was kind of a slog)
-The Guest Cat (unless you want to feel really depressed about a cat)
-Lafcadio Hearn stuff (the folktales are neat but most of the books ramble)
In terms of general culture:
I actually really recommend Mango Languages Japanese in audiobook format if your local library has it on overdrive. You pick up some handy phrases that you will recognize when there and they are really good at throwing in cultural tidbits throughout the lessons.
In terms of history:
Ok so I can't recommend a comprehensive and not too long book for this. However! I can recommend this fairly comprehensive youtube video that will give you a basic outline to work from.
Lastly- I know this isn't intrinsically a part of your question but I want to give you a heads up that the head of APA hotels stores publications in every hotel room denying the existence of comfort women and the Nanking Massacre so ummm if that's a viewpoint you don't agree with, you may want to be aware of that before booking hotels.
posted by donut_princess at 7:20 PM on September 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Second on An Artist of the Floating World. That is quite a lovely read.
I also recommend:
Record of a Night too Brief by Hiromi Kawakami
I know it has mixed reviews on Amazon but I'm pretty sure those reviewers just weren't prepared at how trippy the short stories were going to be.
The Budding Tree: Six Stories of Love in Edo by Aiko Kitahara
This is really great historical fiction. It great for getting a better handle on what life was like in the Edo period which will give you some context when you visit museums.
Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
This one's a heckuva book. It's humongous but I was riveted by the story the whole time.
The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
This is the first book in a detective series that is really detailed and nuanced. The pacing is great.
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
This book was by far my favorite out of all the ones I read. It's realistic fiction and her characters have such amazing interior worlds. It's a really wonderful look at characters and relationships in a metropolitan setting.
What I do not recommend:
-Oxford book of Japanese Short Stories (it was kind of a slog)
-The Guest Cat (unless you want to feel really depressed about a cat)
-Lafcadio Hearn stuff (the folktales are neat but most of the books ramble)
In terms of general culture:
I actually really recommend Mango Languages Japanese in audiobook format if your local library has it on overdrive. You pick up some handy phrases that you will recognize when there and they are really good at throwing in cultural tidbits throughout the lessons.
In terms of history:
Ok so I can't recommend a comprehensive and not too long book for this. However! I can recommend this fairly comprehensive youtube video that will give you a basic outline to work from.
Lastly- I know this isn't intrinsically a part of your question but I want to give you a heads up that the head of APA hotels stores publications in every hotel room denying the existence of comfort women and the Nanking Massacre so ummm if that's a viewpoint you don't agree with, you may want to be aware of that before booking hotels.
posted by donut_princess at 7:20 PM on September 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
May I also recommend The Gary Snyder Reader (which has sections on his travels and stays in Japan while studying Buddhism, and Sake and Satori by Joseph Campbell. Reading about his struggles with learning the language made me feel much better about my own. And if you like haiku, I absolutely adore Kobayashi Issa. This is a good collection of his work, in addition to a nice little biography.
posted by ikahime at 8:48 AM on September 20, 2018
posted by ikahime at 8:48 AM on September 20, 2018
Best answer: "I Am A Cat" is a fun and quick read. There are 3 books in the series, but you don't have to read all three.
It's about life in old Japan told from the point of view of a cat.
posted by SookieLogan at 10:25 AM on September 20, 2018
It's about life in old Japan told from the point of view of a cat.
posted by SookieLogan at 10:25 AM on September 20, 2018
Came back to link this list from the Guardian: Top 10 books about Japan.
posted by paduasoy at 2:18 PM on November 28, 2018
posted by paduasoy at 2:18 PM on November 28, 2018
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posted by rube goldberg at 11:58 AM on September 18, 2018 [1 favorite]