In 1600 Adams was the first English man to step on Japanese shores - one of only nine survivors of a Dutch trading expedition. He became the shogun's advisor and ship builder, and a samurai.... read more
The Nuremberg Trials had their counterpart in Japan. This is a thorough investigation of that process, and its significance to what happened afterwards in Asia.
Tokyo, an astonishly good cook and multiple murders. This is not a who-dunnit but a why-dunnit - and there is much to savour, both malicious and delicious.
A collection of nine essays that elaborate on the development and themes of Mingei, the Japanese art movement that found beauty in commonplace objects.
An account by a London financier of her family in Japan over the last 150 years. The huge changes they have navigated are described with sympathy and careful research.
These spirits and their bizarre manifestations are not taken straight from the Japanese but rather from the English collections of the Meiji and Taisho eras, including those of Lafcadio Hear... read more
Eight decades of Japanese architecture and design, approached chronologically. More illustrations than there are pages; the author has spent four of these decades based in Japan.
The art of imperfection: the work of the aged, self-taught hands of one of Japan's most highly regarded potters. Beautiful work, austere and anchored in ancient techniques of Japanese and Ko... read more
The great Japanese couturier, who once said that he never finished a garment - it was only complete when it had been worn for several years. His pioneering style was modern, functional yet l... read more
A preoccupation with stillness: a survey of Sugimoto's images, selected from his work over five decades. With textual contributions by many, including Edmund de Waal and Mami Kataoka.
Death, divination and a succession of murders, set in the crumbling grandeur of a once great house... Another treat for those who loved The Inugami Curse and others by this master of the gen... read more
This anthology of Japanese poetry dates from the C10th and became the basis of all later vernacular poetry including haiku. The early literary authors Shikibu and Shonagon drew from it too, ... read more
Photographs of many different subjects, by both Japanese and foreign photographers. With over 300 images, some domestic, others panoramic, this collection constitutes a unique visual record ... read more
Like all well-loved nursery creatures, Teddy has lost one of his button eyes. Surely it's somewhere in the garden? A charming picture book from Japan for ages 4-6.
Strange and serene novel from the great Hungarian writer: for centuries the grandson of Prince Genji has been searching for a mythical garden and now wanders the grounds of an ancient Kyoto ... read more
Shinichi Suzuki was a violinist who became more famous as an educator and philosopher; his ideas of language acquisition revolutionised musical training. He also did much to erode occidental... read more
These tales of cats in a Tokyo suburb weave a beguiling portrait of the local human inhabitants. What is it with cats and the Japanese literary scene? Murakami, Hiraide, Kawamura...
Bold building with timber, even in tall structures: Ban, the Japanese architect who won the Pritzker prize in 2014, also uses paper, adobe and other sustainable materials in innovative ways.... read more
The Japanese sculptor is the fourth generation of a family of bamboo masters: this is a gorgeous book on his work - some of which is huge. Delightfully, his family name means "master of the... read more
The catalogue to accompany an exhibition at Museo delle Culture di Lugano in the Villa Malpensata, home to the Montgomery Collection. Textiles, paintings, objects of quotidian use, etc.