The Japan Society Review

Edited by Paul Griffith and Rachel Payne The revenge of the 47 ronin is the most famous vendetta in Japanese history and it continues to inspire the popular imagination today. Written between 1934 and 1941, Mayama Seika's ten-play cycle Genroku Chūshingura is a unique retelling of the incident. Review by Trevor Skingle

By Jannette Cheong and Richard Emmert Featuring breathtaking photographs of masks created by a renowned twenty-first-century craftsman, this book provides a unique perspective into Noh and Kyogen, two of the oldest surviving forms of theater in the world. Review by Margaret Coldiron

By Tsujimura Mizuki From the Japanese bestselling author of Lonely Castle in the Mirror, this book explores our relationship with the memories of deceased loved ones and what gives our lives meaning. Review by Laurence Green

By Yagisawa Satoshi Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and its sequel, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, are combined in this publication creating a richer, more profound appreciation of its characters and plot. Review by Renae Lucas-Hall

Edited by Yano Akiko This book was published in summer 2024 to accompany the special display of a selection of works from the British Museum’s collection of Japanese art, Review by Arichi Meri

By Eleanor Burkett This unique book offers an important record of a bygone era of Japanese papermaking in the Fukushima province of Japan, in particular the work of families in the village of Kamikawasaki. Review by Philip Meredith

By Lesley Downer In The Shortest History of Japan, Lesley Downer brings an expert storyteller’s eye to the sweep of Japanese history. Here are the emperors and warlords, the samurai and women warriors, the merchants and geisha who shaped this extraordinary modern society. Review by Laurence Green

By Kanai Mieko Mild Vertigo is a short, slim novel containing both multitudes, and a whole lot of nothing. The paradoxical fascination of the everyday mundane - the busy-body clutter and utter banal domesticity of a very particular kind of middle-class hum-drum existence. Review by Laurence Green

By Susan Kiyo Ito An account of love and one writer’s quest for the missing pieces that might make her feel whole, I Would Meet You Anywhere is the stirring culmination of Ito’s decision to embrace her right to know and tell her own story. Review by Shehrazade Zafar-Arif

By Natalie Leon This treasure trove of folktales, recipes and activities is an invitation to celebrate each day, for increased creativity, harmony and happiness. Review by Renae Lucas-Hall