The Japan Society
Publications Books & Journals

The Japan Society Review

The Japan Society Review is an digital publication covering Japan-related books and films, as well as theatre and stage productions, tv series and exhibitions. Published since 2006, it is released now on a quarterly basis and is available online on our website and printed for members. 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.

To become a reviewer, please fill the form here and let us know a little about you, your professional or academic background, your interest, passion or expertise regarding Japan and the type of works you would like to review.

If you have any questions, please contact reviews@japansociety.org.uk.

Japan and the Illustrated London News: Complete record of Reported Events 1853-1899

Books

Japan and the Illustrated London News: Complete record of Reported Events 1853-1899

Compiled and introduced by Terry Bennett Global Oriental, 2006, 411 pages including index, fully illustrated, £125, ISBN 1-901903-26-5, Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

A Japanese Menagerie: Animal Pictures

Books

A Japanese Menagerie: Animal Pictures

By Kawanabe Kyosai, Rosina Buckland, Timothy Clark, Shigeru Oikawa British Museum Press, 2007, ISBN-13: 978-0-7141-2442-I, ISBN-10: 0-7141-2442-7, pp 112 including colour plates, £16.99. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Japanese Popular Prints – from votive slips to playing cards

Books

Japanese Popular Prints – from votive slips to playing cards

By Rebecca Salter A & C Black (London), and University of Hawaii Press (Honolulu), 2006, 208 pages; full colour throughout (221 images), ISBN: 07136 65173, Price: £30. Review by Marie-Thérèse Barrett

Pars Japonica: The First Dutch Expedition to Reach the Shores of Japan

Books

Pars Japonica: The First Dutch Expedition to Reach the Shores of Japan

By William de Lange Floating World Editions, 2006, 268 pages including index, notes, sources and17 illustrations, 21 maps & charts, ISBN 1-891640-23-2 Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Nationalism and Internationalism in Imperial Japan

Books

Nationalism and Internationalism in Imperial Japan

(Nationalism and Internationalism in Imperial Japan: Autonomy, Asian Brotherhood, or World Citizenship?) By Dick Stegewerns (ed.) Routledge, 2003, xiv + 253 pp. ISBN 0-700-71496-0 Review by Ian Nish

Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms: The Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History

Books

Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms: The Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History

By Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney The University of Chicago Press, 2002. xvii + 411 pages. Review by Professor Ben Ami Shillony (First appeared in Monumenta Nipponica, summer 2003)

Mrs Ferguson’s Tea-Set, Japan and The Second World War

Books

Mrs Ferguson’s Tea-Set, Japan and The Second World War

(Mrs Ferguson’s Tea-Set, Japan and The Second World War: The Global Consequences Following Germany’s Sinking of the SS Automedon in 1940) By Eiji Seki ISBN 978-1-905246-28-1, pp 187 including plate section, notes, bibliography and index, Global Oriental, 2006, £20 To Japan Society Members when ordered through the society. RRP £35. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Madmen in the Courtyard

Books

Madmen in the Courtyard

By the Mugensha Theatre Company, inspired by Franz Kafka’s The Knock at the Manor Gate, Director So-un Kotakebayashi Theatro Technis, London, Saturday 7 October to Saturday 21 October 2006 Review by Sean Curtin

Edo No Igirisu Netsu: Rondon-Bashi to Rondon-Dokei

Books

Edo No Igirisu Netsu: Rondon-Bashi to Rondon-Dokei

(The Image of England in the Edo Period: London Bridge and London Clocks) By Timon Screech, translated by Kazuhiro Murayama Kodansha, Tokyo, 2006, 254 pages, ISBN 4-06-258352-6 Review by Sean Curtin

The Japanese Housewife Overseas: Adapting to Change of Culture and Status

Books

The Japanese Housewife Overseas: Adapting to Change of Culture and Status

By Ruth Martin Global Oriental, 2007, 162 pages including index bibliography and endnotes, ISBN 978-1-905246-43-4, £45. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi