Hanatsumi Nikki—The Flowers of Italy ANESAKI Masaharu translated by Susanna Fessler Masaharu Anesaki (1873-1949) was a leading member of Japan’s most interesting generation: the second generation of Meiji scholars, who lived in a highly-educated if not rarefied world that blended Japanese and Western traditions in a way that made them unique in their country’s long […]

Rivers MIYAMOTO Teru translated by Roger K. Thomas and Ralph McCarthy Miyamoto Teru has established a considerable and devoted following in Japan, and is rapidly building a devoted readership in other Asian countries and parts of Europe as his fiction is translated into various languages. With only a few of his works currently available in […]

Edogawa Rampo: The Early Cases of Akechi Kogorō EDOGAWA Rampo translated by William Varteresian Akechi Kogorō, detective extraordinaire. In Japan, this is a name that fires the hearts and imaginations of readers young at heart. Cool and sophisticated, Akechi moves effortlessly through the world of Japan in the golden era between the wars, defeating masterminds […]

Teiunshū: Wandering Clouds ANESAKI Masaharu translated by Susanna Fessler Masaharu Anesaki (1873-1949) was a leading member of Japan’s most interesting generation: the second generation of Meiji scholars, who lived in a highly-educated if not rarefied world that blended Japanese and Western traditions in a way that made them unique in their country’s long history. Following […]

On the Brink: The Inside Story of Fukushima Daiichi KADOTA Ryūshō translated by Simon Varnam technical supervision by Akira Tokuhiro March 11, 2011. The Tōhoku earthquake struck just before three on a Friday afternoon. Massive earthquake damage was followed by tsunami rising to heights of 40 meters that swept 10km inland, scouring the land of […]

Yamato Andrew Clare Yamato is a tense alternative-history thriller set in 1953 during the American occupation of Japan. Lieutenant Harvey Brice, an army intelligence officer, is found in his apartment with a bullet in his head. But was it suicide or homicide? World-weary CIA agent Ralph Carnaby, together with his Japanese-American sidekick, Dan Morita, are unwittingly […]

Oh, Tama! KANAI Mieko translated by Tomoko Aoyama and Paul McCarthy Oh, Tama! takes the reader deep into the haphazard lives of Natsuyuki, the protagonist, and his loosely connected circle of dysfunctional acquaintances and family. Trying to keep some semblance of order and decency in his life, working as an occasional freelance photographer, Natsuyuki is […]

Blue Bamboo: Tales by Dazai Osamu DAZAI Osamu translated by Ralph McCarthy Scholars and fans often divide the career of Dazai Osamu (1909–1948) into three periods: early, middle, and late. The early and late periods tend to get all the attention, but in fact Dazai was at his very best in the middle period, which […]

The Nobility of Failure Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan Ivan Morris preface by Juliet Winters Carpenter Alexander, Robin Hood, Wellington, George Washington… The Western literatures are packed with the stories—real and otherwise—of diverse heroes, but most of them share the common element of victory. Many of them died heroically to achieve their goals. […]

Citadel in Spring —A Novel of Youth Spent at War— AGAWA Hiroyuki translated by Lawrence Rogers Published in Japanese in 1949, Citadel in Spring is, at its heart, an autobiographical novel of the author’s life from university through induction into the Imperial Japan Navy, assignment to intelligence service in China, and Japan’s final defeat. In […]