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.

Kurosawa Akira vs. Hollywood

Books

Kurosawa Akira vs. Hollywood

By Hiroshi Tasogawa Bungei Shunju, 2006, 486 pages, hardback ¥ 2476, ISBN-13: 978-4163677903 Review by Fumiko Halloran

The Diary of Charles Holme’s 1889 Visit to Japan and North America

Books

The Diary of Charles Holme’s 1889 Visit to Japan and North America

The Diary of Charles Holme’s 1889 Visit to Japan and North America with Mrs Lasenby Liberty’s Japan: A Pictorial Record Edited by Toni Huberman, Sonia Ashmore, Yasuko Suga Global Oriental, 2008, 240 pages (including 8 plates and 50 photographs by Lasenby Liberty), hardback £65.00, ISBN-13: 978-1905246397 Review by Dr Jill Raggett

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Books

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

By Haruki Murakami This book is a fascinating account of Murakami’s road to becoming a writer, tied up with his reasons for taking up running. In 1979, Murakami, young and out of University after having studied Greek drama, was at a baseball game. Review by Mikihiro Maeda

John Milne: the man who mapped the shaking earth

Books

John Milne: the man who mapped the shaking earth

By Paul Kabrna Craven and Pendle Geological Society, 2007, 120 pages, paperback £6.50, (Special offer price to Japan Society members, just £5.00 including p & p. E-mail paul_kabrna@msn.com), ISBN 978-0-9555289-0-3 Review by Paul Wignall

Nihon no Ichiban Nagai Natsu (Japan’s Longest Summer)

Books

Nihon no Ichiban Nagai Natsu (Japan’s Longest Summer)

Edited by Kazutoshi Hando Bunshun Shinsho, Bungei Shunju, October 2007, 181 pages, paperback ¥70, ISBN-13: 978-4166605941 Review by Fumiko Halloran

Hiroshige. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Books

Hiroshige. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

By Melanie Trede and Lorenz Bichler Taschen, 2008, 294 pages, Japanese binding & bookcase £80.00, ISBN: 978-3-8228-4827-2 Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Dogs and Demons: The Fall of Modern Japan

Books

Dogs and Demons: The Fall of Modern Japan

Edited by Alex Kerr Penguin Books, 2001, 432 pages, ISBN: 0141010002 Review by Hiroko Kawai (GLOCOM)

Chronicles of My Life, An American in the Heart of Japan

Books

Chronicles of My Life, An American in the Heart of Japan

By Donald Keene Columbia University Press,New York, 2008, 208 pages, including photographs and list of names of Japanese mentioned in the text. Hardback £16.50. ISBN 13: 978-0231144407 Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Jitsuroku Koizumi Gaiko (Records of Koizumi Diplomacy)

Books

Jitsuroku Koizumi Gaiko (Records of Koizumi Diplomacy)

By Isao Iijima Nihon Keizai Shimbun Shuppansha, 2007,343 pages. Hardback ¥1,890. ISBN -13: 978-4532352714 Review by Fumiko Halloran

Japanese Diplomacy in the 1950s: From Isolation to Integration

Books

Japanese Diplomacy in the 1950s: From Isolation to Integration

Edited by Iokibe Makoto, Caroline Rose, Tomaru Junko, and John Weste Routledge, 2007, 215 pages including index and notes. Hardback £75.00. ISBN13: 978-0415372961 Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi