The Japan Society
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The Japan Society Review

The Japan Society Review is published on a quartely basis, both online and printed (members are entitled to receive a copy by post). Since the starting of the publication in 2006, each issue covers a selection of Japan-related books and films, as well as theatre and stage productions, tv series and exhibitions. Its purpose is to inform, entertain and encourage readers to explore the works for themselves.

The Japan Society Review is possible thanks to the work of volunteers who dedicated their time and expertise to help us to promote the learning and understanding of Japanese culture and society.

Tokyo Park

Films & Series

Tokyo Park

Directed by Shinji Aoyama (青山 真治), 2011, 119 minutes. Review by Susan Meehan. Tokyo Park, based on a novel by Shoji Yukiya [小路幸也], opens with university student and aspiring photographer Koji, played by rising heart-throb Haruma Miura (三浦 春馬), taking photos in a Tokyo park. He directs his lens towards a beautiful woman pushing a […]

Whisper of the Heart, Directed by Yoshifumi Kondō

Films & Series

Whisper of the Heart, Directed by Yoshifumi Kondō

Review by Michael Sullivan. This film is based on the manga by Aoi Hiiragi [柊 あおい] and was the first Studio Ghibli film to be directed by Yoshifumi Kondō [近藤 喜文]. Sadly Yoshifumi passed away in 1998 at the age of 47. This movie was number one in Japanese cinemas in 1995 and has now […]

A Gaijin’s Guide to Japan

Books

A Gaijin’s Guide to Japan

Review by Ali Muskett. A Gaijin’s Guide to Japan is a fine place to start if you have a mild interest in Japan which needs nurturing. However, if you’re already a bit of a Japanophile, it might not be the best book for you to read. It is written in an A-Z format, and doesn’t […]

Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure by Yukinobu Hoshino translated by Nicole Coolidge Rous

Books

Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure by Yukinobu Hoshino translated by Nicole Coolidge Rous

Review by: Sean Curtin. This beautifully illustrated work by the renowned Japanese artist Yukinobu Hoshino (星野 之宣) manages to perfectly capture the unique atmosphere of the British Museum. Hoshino’s meticulous artwork successfully transports the world famous institute, plus several of its curators, into the alternate reality of the manga world. Hoshino places Professor Munakata (宗像教授), […]

The Dream of Lafcadio Hearn by Roger Pulvers

Books

The Dream of Lafcadio Hearn by Roger Pulvers

Review by: Susan Meehan. Talking about The Dream of Lafcadio Hearn at the Oriental Club in London on 24 October 2011, its author, Roger Pulvers, gave a measured account of Lafcadio Hearn, crediting him for his incredibly well-written yet fairly unknown journalistic work carried out mainly in the USA, his extraordinary insights into Japan and […]

Under Eagle Eyes: Lithographs, Drawings & Photographs from the Prussian Expedition to Japan, 1860-61

Books

Under Eagle Eyes: Lithographs, Drawings & Photographs from the Prussian Expedition to Japan, 1860-61

Review by : Sir Hugh Cortazzi. This copiously illustrated book has been produced to mark 150 years of friendship between Germany and Japan. Dr. Volker Stanzel, the German ambassador in Tokyo, in his message at the beginning notes that many of the materials collected in this book were long presumed to have been lost. His […]

Strong Arm Restoration by Ichiro Ozawa, Kadokawa Shoten, 2006

Books

Strong Arm Restoration by Ichiro Ozawa, Kadokawa Shoten, 2006

Review by Fumiko Halloran. Strong Arm Restoration (Gowan Ishin) is a collection of newspaper columns written by Ichiro Ozawa that first appeared in the Evening Fuji [夕刊フジ] newspaper between 2003 and 2006. His weekly column touches on politics, the economy, foreign policy, education, and crime. As for the book’s title, “Strong Arm” [剛腕] is an […]

Confessions of a Dog

Films & Series

Confessions of a Dog

Directed by Gen Takahashi In Japan there are two things you should never try to oppose – the Emperor and the police!” Gen Takahashi’s Confessions of a Dog is a powerful, grim indictment of the Japanese police force based on Takahashi’s own experiences of the police and the work of his friend Yu Terasawa, a […] Review by Susan Meehan

Policy Entrepreneurship and Elections in Japan: A Political Biography of Ozawa Ichiro

Books

Policy Entrepreneurship and Elections in Japan: A Political Biography of Ozawa Ichiro

By Takashi Oka, Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies, 2011, 210 pages, £85.00, ISBN-10: 0415587522 and ISBN-13: 978-0415587525. Review by Sean Curtin. Love him or loathe him, but you certainly cannot ignore Ichiro Ozawa, one of Japan’s most enduring and influential politicians of the last few decades. Takashi Ota, veteran journalist and former Ozawa aid, has produced […]

Reform Plans for Japan [日本改造計画]

Books

Reform Plans for Japan [日本改造計画]

By Ichiro Ozawa [小沢一郎], Kodansha[講談社], May 1993 (23rd printing as of May 2006), 258 pages, 1500 yen, ISBN-10: 4062064820 and ISBN-13: 978-4062064828. Review by Fumiko Halloran. Ichiro Ozawa is a controversial figure with great political skills and strong leadership ability. He once presided over the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as its powerful Secretary General whose […]