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.
Books
Glorious Misadventures: Nikolai Rezanov and the Dream of a Russian AmericaBy Owen Matthews This well researched and well written book traces the career of Nikolai Rezanov who sought to establish and develop Russian settlements in North America from Alaska to modern day California. It covers his [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Books
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering: Japan in the Modern WorldBy John W. Dower The book is a penetrating analysis of Japan in the immediate post-war years. In this collection of essays Professor Dower concentrates on perceptions in Japan and the United States of the war and its aftermath. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Books
Japan and the Shackles of the PastBy R. Taggart Murphy In the book, Professor Richard Taggart Murphy brings to bear a customarily wide-ranging and charismatic argument to the conundrum of modern Japanese History. The chronology traverses from before [...] Review by Richard Coxford
Books
Taiko Boom – Japanese drumming in place and motionBy Shawn Bender In this book, the author charts the journey of taiko out of the temples and festivals and on to the international stage. He also uses taiko as a prism through which many aspects of Japanese society can be viewed. Review by Mary Murata
Books
The English-Language Press Networks of East AsiaBy Peter O’Connor While newspapers in Japan were published from the middle of the 19th century onwards, the first major strides towards an organized industry were taken in 1891. The global press in those days was [...] Review by Ian Nish
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China’s War With Japan, 1937-1945: The Struggle for SurvivalBy Rana Mitter As the title implies Mitter looks at the conflict from a Chinese perspective and his main focus is understandably on China and the impact of events elsewhere on China. He has put together a [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Books
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of PilgrimageBy Haruki Murakami The book reads more like a fleshed-out short story than a true novel. This is giving the work a refreshing simplicity and leanness that Murakami hasn’t adopted since his early works such as [...] Review by Chris Corker
Books
Tales from a Mountain CaveBy Inoue Hisashi The structure of the book involves a tale within a tale, a jigsaw compilation of the mysterious story-teller’s persona, an old man living in the mountain cave of the title, and that of his avid listener the narrator. Review by Jack Cooke
Books
Granta 127: JapanEdited by Yuka Igarashi Granta Literary Magazine has released an edition focusing exclusively on Japan and its culture. Combining fiction and photo exhibitions, this volume offers something exciting and unfamiliar for those [...] Review by Chris Corker
Books
The Early Cases of Akechi KogoroBy Edogawa Rampo The detective, Akechi Kogorō is very much moulded in the image of Sherlock Holmes, on the one hand quick and ingenious, on the other eccentric and haughty. When taken to an extreme, Kogorō’s lack of humility [...] Review by Chris Corker