The Japan Society Review

The opening review of our June issue explores the fascinating life and career of Herbert Ponting, the photographer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole.

By Imamura Natsuko Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan’s highest literary honor, Imamura Natsuko is the latest in a growing list of contemporary female authors to be introduced to the British literary scene. Review by Cameron Bassindale

By Herbert Ponting Published in 1910, In Lotus-Land Japan are the Japanese memoirs of Herbert Ponting, the British photographer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole, who offers a detailed account and several photographs of his visits to the country during the Meiji era. Review by Susan Meehan

By Bonnie Kemske Kintsugi: The Poetic Mend is a beautifully illustrated book where artist, Japanese tea ceremony student and author Bonnie Kemske guides us through the origins and techniques of kintsugi, a Japanese art form and repair method to restore broken objects using lacquer and gold. Review by Eleonora Faina

Edited by Rebecca Copeland and Linda C. Ehrlich The Yamamba – the mountain witch, crone, or hag, part of the widely recognised “old woman in the woods” folklore – can be traced back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573), a time of rapid population growth when merchants and villagers began to travel more frequently into the mountains. Review by Riyoko Shibe

By Mori Eto Originally released in 1998 in Japan, Mori Eto’s Colorful - presented now for the first time in an English translation by Jocelyne Allen - will be familiar to many readers through Hara Keiichi’s animated adaptation from 2010. Review by Laurence Green

By Kaneko Ayano Yosuga is the 6th full-length album from Kaneko Ayano, one of Japan’s best kept musical secrets. Since 2014, Kaneko has released a body of work which charts her considerable progress as a musician. Review by Cameron Bassindale

By Anne Strathie Herbert Ponting, the photographer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole (1910 to 1913), is the fascinating subject of Anne Strathie’s latest book, which also includes an account of his visits, photographs and relations to Meiji Japan. Review by Susan Meehan

By Claire Thom Ever Forward is a delightful collection of haiku poetry and watercolours dedicated to different animals. Any profit made from book sales will be given as a donation to the Guide Dogs charity in the UK. Review by Mary Ann Burrows

By Alex Dudok de Wit In the first book-length study in English of Studio’s Ghibli’s 'Grave of the Fireflies', Alex Dudok de Wit explores its themes, visual devices and groundbreaking use of animation, as well as the political context in which it was made. Review by Laurence Green