Life In Japan

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER When Englishman Chris Broad landed in a rural village in northern Japan he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. With no knowledge of the language and zero teaching experience, was he was about to be the most quickly fired English teacher in Japan's history? Abroad in...

Spend twenty-four hours in the vibrant, divided world of Shogun's Japan. In 1614, Japan stood at a crossroads. As the Tokugawa shogunate tightened its grip on power, samurai prepared for war, Christians faced persecution, and foreign merchants navigated a rapidly shifting political landscape. In...

Yuki Hirano is just out of high school when his parents enroll him, against his will, in a forestry training program in the remote mountain village of Kamusari. No phone, no internet, no shopping. Just a small, inviting community where the most common expression is “take it easy.” At first, Yuki is exhausted, fumbles with the tools, asks silly questions, and feels like an outcast. Kamusari is the last place a city boy from Yokohama wants to spend a year of his life. But as resistant as he might be, the scent of the cedars and the staggering beauty of the region have a pull.

"In an understated performance, Simon Vance details one of the stunning tragedies arising from the tsunami that struck Japan in 2011...Vance's steady pacing, crisp enunciation, and careful inflection enhance the weight of the story, which moves between reportage and interviews, and ultimately...

Brought to you by Penguin. Chris Harding's enormously enjoyable new book distils Japan's long, complex and fascinating history into the stories of twenty remarkable individuals. These vivid and entertaining portraits take the reader from the earliest written accounts of Japan right through to...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2023 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, NPR, TIME MAGAZINE & MORE “Masterful . . . A book of inner journeys told through extraordinary exteriors . . . One of his very best.” —Washington Post “Dazzling.” —Time Magazine, Best Books of...

Since John Hersey's Hiroshima, very few books have examined the meaning and impact of World War II through the eyes of Japanese men and women who survived that conflict. Tattered Kimonos in Japan does just that: It is an intimate journey into contemporary Japan from the perspective of the generation of Japanese soldiers and civilians who survived World War II, by a writer whose American father and Japanese father-in-law fought on opposite sides of the conflict.

Bloomsbury presents In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami read by Kenichiro Thomson A rollercoaster ride from the cult master of the psycho-thriller 'A blistering portrait of contemporary Japan, its nihilism and decadence wrapped up within one of the most savage thrillers since The Silence of the...

A riveting account of the role of Americans in the evolution of the Tokyo underworld in the years since 1945. In the ashes of postwar Japan lay a gold mine for certain opportunistic, expatriate Americans. Addicted to the volatile energy of Tokyo's freewheeling underworld, they formed...

Spend 24 hours in the vibrant, divided world of Shogun’s Japan. In 1614, Japan stood at a crossroads. As the Tokugawa shogunate tightened its grip on power, samurai prepared for war, Christians faced persecution and foreign merchants navigated a rapidly shifting political landscape. In 24...

Escape into an immersive culinary journey across Japan, where mindful everyday meals uncover deep cultural anthropology. Perfect for relaxing evening listening or soundtracking your own cooking, this atmospheric narrative follows a single, vibrant day of eating. From quiet dawn fish markets to...

Navigate the reality of relocating overseas with this essential expat guide to thriving in Japanese society. Whether you are an international student feeling overwhelmed or a professional seeking a fresh start, mastering a new culture requires more than a tourist itinerary. Prepare for your life...

Chris and Andy Fairley couldn’t be more opposite—Chris, an uptight, ever-pessimist, and Andy, a go-with-the-flow hopeful. Their glory days seemed long behind them since their moderate success as a folk-rock duo and their relationship with each other fizzled out in the mid-1980s. But when their hit song is unexpectedly chosen for a Japanese car commercial, the men are given one last shot to revive their fame and friendship. They embark on a tour across Japan, but soon find their venues are far from glamorous.

On 11 March 2011, a massive earthquake sent a 120-foot-high tsunami smashing into the coast of Northeast Japan. By the time the sea retreated, more than 18,000 people had been crushed, burned to death, or drowned. It was Japan's greatest single loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It set off a national crisis and the meltdown of a nuclear power plant. And even after the immediate emergency had abated, the trauma of the disaster continued to express itself in bizarre and mysterious ways.

'Thought-provoking and inspiring. This book is at once a fascinating insight into the little-known ways of female samurai, an inspiring guide for life and a beautiful tribute to an indomitable woman.' Beth Kempton, bestselling author of Wabi Sabi 'Rimika Tanaka's highly engaging first book makes...

For fans of Hygge and Lagom comes this inspiring guide that introduces the Japanese wisdom of chowa—the search for balance—to help us find harmony and peace in every area of our lives. The Japanese wisdom of chowa offers a fresh approach to being, showing us how to create space and symmetry...

Bloomsbury presents The Half Known Life written and read by Pico Iyer. 'Nothing less than a guided tour of the human soul ... A masterpiece' Elizabeth Gilbert 'A work of spiritual evolution [and] inner journeys told through extraordinary exteriors' Washington Post One of our most perceptive...

Available for the first time in English, an intimate look into the private lives and spiritual experiences of 30 nuns and laywomen practicing under pioneering female Zen master Sozen Nagasawa Roshi in World War II-era Japan.

Bloomsbury presents A Beginner's Guide to Japan by Pico Iyer, read by Sartaj Garewal. Winner of the Edward Stanford Travel Memoir of the Year 2020 A playful and profound guidebook full of surprising, brief, incisive glimpses into Japanese culture Pico Iyer has been living around Kyoto for more...

The Biophilia Effect celebrates our interconnection with nature and shows how to deeply engage the natural world wherever you live to dramatically improve your health. This unabridged audio presentation shares fascinating biomedical research into nature’s healing effects on our bodies...