The Japan Society Review

Edited by Axel Rüger and Marije Vellekoop Published by the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, to accompany their 2018 exhibition Van Gogh & Japan, this catalogue is a collection of enriching essays detailing Van Gogh’s relationship with Japanese [...] Review by Beau Waycott

By Murakami Haruki Murakami Haruki’s Killing Commendatore is an epic novel that fails to capture the wry poignance and fully immersive settings of his earlier works. Whilst there are passages of charming and warm prose, as [...] Review by Beau Waycott

Edited by Irene González-López and Michael Smith Working in the film industry from 1929 to the mid-1970s, Tanaka made films with all the great directors of the era including Ozu Yasujiro, Mizoguchi Kenji, Naruse Mikio, Kinoshita Keisuke, Kurosawa [...] Review by Kate Taylor-Jones

By Kawamura Genki In If Cats Disappeared From The World, Kawamura tells the story of a postman in his thirties who discovers that his days are numbered because of a brain tumour which will cause his imminent death. Review by Morgane Chinal-Dargent

By Abe Kobo The parabolic tale centres on Niki Jumpei, a disillusioned school teacher come amateur entomologist, and chronicles his deceptive imprisonment in a house surrounded by a wall of constantly flowing sand, whose [...] Review by George Mullins

By Silla Bjerrum The underlying premise of Bjerrum’s cookbook is to encourage the reader to adapt a new style of cooking, which has traditionally been the preserve of restaurants, at home using good quality seasonal [...] Review by Niraja Singh

By Ian Buruma A Tokyo Romance serves to explain the beginning of a life-long love and fascination with Japanese culture (be it low or high) and, more importantly, how this culture is manifested through art and design. Review by Beau Waycott

By Horie Toshiyuki The Bear and the Paving Stone (translated by Geraint Howells) is a collection of three works by award-winning author Horie Toshiyuki. The titular story, winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2000, consumes most [...] Review by Harry Martin

By Kameda Naoki, Sangu Yuko and Catherine Nakamichi A book which should be considered a living national treasure for its importance in the preservation of Japan’s rich cultural heritage. Here each craft, shrine, and custom is explained in both Japanese and English. Review by Holly Helt

The scholarly essays in this catalogue include ‘The beginnings of the “Japanese Dream”: Van Gogh’s acquaintance with Japan’, ‘In the light of Japan: Van Gogh’s quest for happiness and a modern identity’, [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi