Issue 101 (August 2023, Volume 18, Number 1)

The Japan Society Review is Back! After a hiatus of one year since our celebration of the 100th issue of the publication, The Japan Society Review returns full of energy and great content, featuring books on Japanese design, gardens and traditions, as well as literary fiction and contemporary music made in Japan.

 

The first review of this issue presents a survey of Japanese design as seen through the lens of Japan’s traditional colour palette. Rossella Menegazzo’s Iro: The Essence of Colour in Japanese Design provides a unique route to a deeper appreciation of the complex jigsaw of Japanese culture, colour and design cleverly contextualising the relationship of Japanese people with colour.

The following two reviews also focus on design and traditional culture, but approach them from very different perspectives. With instructive drawings and step-by-step techniques, Inside Your Japanese Garden by Sadao Yasumoro and Joseph Cali, walks us through designing and creating our very own Japanese garden. Using traditional photographic methods, Umui: A Journey Across Okinawa by Everett Kennedy Brown takes readers on an immersive exploration of Okinawa, capturing the resilient spirit of its people and unveiling the unseen world that animates the culture of the islands.

 

This issue also includes reviews of two fictional works recently translated into English, Dragon Palace by Kawakami Hiromi, a collection of short stories by the celebrated author of Strange Weather in Tokyo, and Finger Bone a war novel by award-winning author Takahashi Hiroki.

We close this 101st issue with a review of the live performance of singer Yoshioka Nao at The Jazz Cafe in London in July 2023. Known for her expressive voice and charismatic stage presence, Yoshioka has been making waves in the music industry, recently releasing her latest single “Stuck Wit U”.