The Japan Society Review

By Michaela Nettell et al. This book documents a research project by London-based artist filmmaker Michaela Nettell, bringing together contemporary responses specially commissioned from 20 international contributors on the Umbrella House, designed by the Japanese architect Shinohara Kazuo in 1961. Review by Andrew Nishiyama Taylor

By Meg Tanaka Featuring 80 accessible recipes made for sharing, this is modern Japanese cooking at its best: thoughtful, nourishing and full of joy. Review by Laurence Green

By Kohjo Koh Translated for the first time into English there are ten stories of night club hostesses, yakuza, pan-pan girls and private-eyes, which reveal a post-war Japan still reeling from defeat, told in a deadpan style echoing Hemingway and Hammett. Review by Irina Karpukova

By Qudan Rie Partly inspired by conversations with an artificial intelligence, it offers an extraordinary defence of the power of language written by humans, and an often hilarious send up of our modern world's unrelenting conformity. Review by Rio Julian

By Abe Kobo Part historical fiction, part detective story, ​this novel is a remarkable work about navigating changing political landscapes. Review by Tyriq Baker

By Kawamura Genki The novel adaptation of the celebrated video game Exit 8 follows a lost man as he tries to escape the labyrinthine corridors of a subway station. Review by Conor Hodges

By Luc Jorgart A coming-of-age novel following Nagata Ryuji, a teen boy outcasted by his friends, family and peers, as he finds his place amongst a feared bosozoku motorbike gang in Kumamoto. Review by Isabel Bratt

By Natsuki Shizuko This mistery novel opens on a storm-lashed night in a secluded French hotel, where travelling businessman Daigo Kohei encounters the mysterious and magnetic Fumiko - a strange woman whose face remains hidden in the shadows. Review by Laurence Green

The first retrospective outside Japan of this muti-talented Japanese designer, from a small street-fashion shop in the backstreet of Harajuku in Tokyo and to become a global trend setter collaborating with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Kenzo Paris.

The June issue of The Japan Society Review brings together works that explore Japan through history, literature, biography, landscape, and cultural encounters.