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
The Boy and The HeronDirected by Miyazaki Hayao Released in Japan as How Do You Live? (Kimitachi wa do ikiru ka), the film might not be Miyazaki’s final film, but it certainly feels like a swan song and an homage to his illustrious career. Review by Shehrazade Zafar-Arif
Books
The Japanese House Since 1945By Naomi Pollock The Japanese House Since 1945 is a large format 400 page book that takes us on a journey through architect-designed houses built in Japan from 1945 to the present. Review by David Tonge
Films & Series
Lonely Castle in the Mirror (film)Directed by Hara Keiichi Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a brilliant animated adaptation of Tsujimura’s Mizuki’s popular novel of the same name title. Review by Eleanor Garrett
Films & Series
Plan 75Directed by Hayakawa Chie Plan 75 focuses on the issues related to the ageing population, and the policies brought in to remedy it. What is most harrowing about the film is its feeling of imminent reality. Review by Chris Corker
Books
100 tales from the Tokyo Ghost CaféBy Julian Sedgwick A ghostly journey through Northern Japan in search of yokai monsters and the Otherworld, told equally in manga and prose. Review by Hananircia Tchinhenha
Books
The Martyr and the Red KimonoBy Abe Naoko The winning charm of Abe’s book is the epic scale of its historical lens, which draws so much of its power from human subjects that lived through the full panoply of change our world underwent through the 20th century. Review by Laurence Green
Books
Off the beaten Tracks in JapanBy John Dougill In "Off the beaten Tracks in Japan", John Dougill provides an excellent account of his journey by train from the Northern most point of Japan in Hokkaido to the Southern tip of Kyushu. Review by George Mullins
Issues (PDF)
Issue 103 (December 2023, Volume 18, Number 3)Welcome to the December issue of The Japan Society Review! We are finishing 2023 with a great selection of literary works, from classic authors to new voices, from short stories to long historical novels, and the comeback of the iconic Godzilla.
Books
SasayamaBy Nadifa Mohamed Sasayama, published in Granta in 2014, details the young writer’s experience of a summer in Sasayama, a rural city in Hyogo prefecture, and her reflections as a black woman. Review by Azmina Sohail
Books
Trinity, Trinity, TrinityBy Kobayashi Erika Trinity, Trinity, Trinity takes place during the run up to the 2020 Olympics and centres on a grandmother suffering from dementia, in addition to her daughter, who seems to be on the verge of her own form of physical and mental breakdow. Review by Chris Corker