Travel to Japan in Books!
Having travelled to Japan twice in my adult life, I can easily say it is a culture shock! The biggest part of which is probably trying to understand a language that is made up of symbols which may seem meaningless to one unfamiliar with the language. When one travels to Europe, for instance, at least the same letter alphabet is used for their words, so it does not seem as foreign as Japanese. When I travel in Europe, I do not feel as if I am put into a minority category by appearance, but in Japan (or anywhere else in Asia for that matter) I most definitely am a minority. It gives you a new perspective with which to view the issue of being put into a minority category.
While gathering information for this piece, I kept coming across some of the same author names repeatedly, so I will add some background info where appropriate. The only somewhat recent movie (from 2003) I could really come up with about a Japanese cultural experience besides the book suggestions that will be listed, was The Last Samurai, (with Tom Cruise). Apparently, the movie was influenced by the story of a French Army Captain, Jules Brunet. The story of a mercenary, Frederick Townsend Ward, who helped westernize the imperial Chinese army, and the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion in which a group of disaffected Samurai revolted against the imperial government of Japan. I mention the movie because in one of my trips I visited the place in Kyoto where some scenes for the movie were shot, in a large public park near where the Golden Temple resides (Kinkaku-ji, or Rokuon-ji, a Zen Buddhist temple).
The following list contains a mix of fiction and non-fiction. For starters here are some books which feature the warrior caste, the ones who serve, or the Samurai.
A Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi (by a Samurai about Samurai strategy)
Shogun and Gai-Jin by James Clavell
Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo (Samurai manual)
Musashi and
Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan by Eiji Yoshikawa
Cloud of Sparrows and Autumn Bridge by Takashi Matsuoko
The Samurai by Shusaku Endo
47 Ronin by John Allyn
The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi by William Scott Wilson
The Samurai by Anthony J. Bryant
Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn- the first title is Across the Nightingale Floor
The Sano Ichiro Series by Laura Joh Rowland
And more suggestions…
The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa
The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio
The Sounds of Waves by Yukio Mishima
The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki
Hiroshima by John Hershey
Snow Falling on Cedars by Davis Guterson (WWII)
Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, In Ghostly Japan and several other works by Lefcadio Hearne
The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories
The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Kappa Quartet by Daryl Qilin (folklore-frogs)
The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki
The Samurai’s Garden, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama
I am a Cat by Soseki Natsume
Yasuke- The True Story of the African Samurai by Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey Girard
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden/ Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki
Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki
I have left out of this list History books about World War II and have not delved into religious philosophies. If you are interested in those subjects check some History articles for suggestions, look for works written by those who served in the military about their experiences, or talk to your local Buddhist/Shinto community. My purpose with this list is to give a bit of general history for Japan and an immersive cultural experience by reading works by Japanese authors and about the country in a broad sense.
A word about Haruki Murakami-
Murakami is a Japanese writer, who has several bestsellers in Japan and worldwide. He features themes of a surrealistic or fatalistic nature. The Japanese literary community has criticized him for being un-Japanese and too influenced by western culture. His titles include Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, After Dark, and IQ84. I have never read any of his books although I have seen them mentioned frequently in Science Fiction and Fantasy circles. I really cannot give an opinion on him in any way except to say that his books seem to be popularly mentioned in those communities.
A word about Kazuo Ishiguro-
He is another author whose works are mentioned frequently in the same Science Fiction and Fantasy circles. He was born in Japan and moved with his family to England when he was five years old. He has said that growing up in a Japanese family in the UK was crucial to his writing and it has enabled him to see things from a unique perspective. Works include The Remains of the Day, When We Were Orphans, and Never Let Me Go, of which a movie was recently made. I have read Never Let Me Go, and am sorry to say I was underwhelmed and found the story eerily creepy, but utterly lacking in so many other aspects that I am not in any hurry to read anything else by him any time soon. But he is mentioned as a big Japanese author even though he grew up in the UK.
I have a book by Marie Kondo, but realistically, I have never thanked my socks for covering my feet before getting rid of the old ones, although I have seriously tried to de-clutter my home over the past year or so.
No mention of Japanese influence could ever be made without a word about Manga or Anime, the cartooning aspect or graphic novel category. I freely admit I know nothing about it so you will have to look elsewhere for something about that subject. I will say that I watched Speed Racer as a kid, have some Hello Kitty items, a Rilakuma watch and 2 stuffed bears, and my children have enjoyed the An Pan Man (bread man) cartoon book given to them by our Japanese friends. I have read one volume of Vampire Knight, just for the experience, and that is all.
Travel to Japan, in books.
