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.
Books
Fashion and the Floating World: Japanese Ukiyo-e PrintsBy Anna Jackson and Yamada Masami This book explores the important role that woodblock prints played in the fashionable world of Edo-period Japan (1603-1868). Review by Carolin Becke
Events
Exhibition - The Craft of Carpentry: Drawing Life from Japan’s ForestsThis exhibition steps into the serene world of Japanese carpentry transporting visitors from the living forests that sustain the craft to the celebrated structures it has produced. Review by Sanae Inagaki
Books
Japanese Woodblock Prints 1680-1980Edited by Fiona Collins This volume brings together over 75 significant woodblock prints, spanning 300 years, from the 17th to the late 20th centuries, from the Worcester Art Museum's collection, donated by John Chandler Bancroft in 1901. Review by Joseph Rosalind-Hayat
Books
Edogawa Ranpo's Mystery StorehouseBy various authors An anthology of short stories written by authors contemporaries of Japan's master of the macabre, Edogawa Ranpo, who kept a vast book collection in an old storehouse on the grounds of his property in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Review by Shehrazade Zafar-Arif
Events
Exhibition - Hiroshige: Artist of the Open RoadThis exhibition invites us to reconsider Hiroshige not just as a celebrated printmaker, but as an artist who visually constructed ideas of travel, nature, and place — shaping perceptions within Japan and, eventually, abroad. Review by Sanae Inagaki
Books
A True and Complete Account of the Life of William Adams - The English SamuraiBy Richard Irving This revised edition of the story of William Adams, the English samurai, is now made available in two hardback volumes, with an updated text and the addition of several new illustrations. Review by Nicolas Maclean
Issues (PDF)
Issue 108 (March 2025, Volume 20, Number 1)The March issue of The Japan Society Review presents a diverse selection of reviews that explore Japan’s civil society, urban history, postwar literature, and contemporary cinema, offering new insights into both past and present.
Books
Tokyo Before TokyoBy Timon Screech This illustrated book presents important sites and features from the rich history of Edo, the former name of the city of Tokyo, drawn from contemporary sources such as diaries, guidebooks and woodblock prints. Review by Trevor Skingle
Books
Sumi-e: The Mindful Art of Japanese Ink PaintingBy Akemi Lucas In this illustrated step-by-step guide, master calligraphic artist Akemi Lucas describes the equipment, brush positioning, ink-mixing techniques and mindset needed to excel at this art form. Review by Renae Lucas-Hall
Films & Series
Black Box DiariesDirected by Ito Shiori The Oscar-nominated documentary in which Japanese journalist and filmmaker Ito Shiori seeks to expose the truth about the sexual assault she suffered in 2015. Review by Mayumi Donovan