The Japan Society
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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.

Splendours of Japan: Highlights from the Bodleian Library

Books

Splendours of Japan: Highlights from the Bodleian Library

By various contributors The Bodleian Library’s Japanese rare books and manuscripts, among Europe’s oldest institutional collections, are explored by leading scholars in a celebration of five centuries of collecting. Review by Sanae Inagaki

Embodied Performance: Warriors, Dancers, and the Origins of Noh Theater

Books

Embodied Performance: Warriors, Dancers, and the Origins of Noh Theater

By Matsuoka Shinpei In this book renowned Noh scholar Matsuoka Shinpei reimagines the origins of Japan’s iconic theater tradition, not as an elite pastime, but as a vibrant fusion of popular culture, religious ritual, and bodily expression. Review by Laurence Green

Tokyo Swindlers

Books

Tokyo Swindlers

By Shinjo Ko This contemporary Japanese crime thriller weaves a complex tale of deception and greed, drawing inspiration from recent land-fraud scandals. Review by Shaun English

A Man of Resolve: Richard Henry Brunton

Books

A Man of Resolve: Richard Henry Brunton

By Geoff Goolnik A detailed biography of Richard Henry Brunton (1841-1901) that traces his professional achievements and the transnational scope of his engineering career in Great Britain, Japan and Ireland. Review by Graham J. Ironside

A Guide to Jazz in Japan

Books

A Guide to Jazz in Japan

By Michael Pronko The book maps out the complex, pulsing scene of Japanese jazz with detailed entries on clubs, musicians, jam spots, and the culture that surrounds them. Review by Laurence Green

The Night of Baba Yaga

Books

The Night of Baba Yaga

By Otani Akira In this no-holds-barred queer thriller, a fierce mixed-race fighter develops a powerful attachment to the yakuza princess she's been forced to kill. Review by Alex Russell

A Hundred Years and a Day: 34 Stories

Books

A Hundred Years and a Day: 34 Stories

By Shibasaki Tomoka This collection is a finely wrought tapestry of life in Japan and abroad, imbued with universal themes of family, memory, resilience, and change. Review by Renae Lucas-Hall

What You Are Looking for is in the Library

Books

What You Are Looking for is in the Library

By Aoyama Michiko This novel a quietly profound work that invites us to listen more closely — to others, to books, and to ourselves. Review by Vittorio Cimino

Masks

Books

Masks

By Enchi Fumiko Written by one of the greats of postwar Japanese literature, Enchi Fumiko, Masks is a masterfully layered dismantling of conventional ideas of female forgiveness and love. Review by Tara Jones

Competition Law, Regulation, and Digital Platforms: Japan, China, UK, EU, and USA

Books

Competition Law, Regulation, and Digital Platforms: Japan, China, UK, EU, and USA

Edited by Ruth Taplin and Fuchikawa Kazuhiko This volume addresses the regulatory challenges posed by digital platforms, whose rapid rise has led to new forms of market dominance. Review by Kenneth S. Friedman