Japan: People and Culture

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An introduction to Japanese and Japanese American culture through fiction & non-fiction. Fiction is shelved alphabetically by author.

• One Hundred Million Hearts
  Kerri Sakamoto
  After the death of her father, a young woman raised in Toronto travels to Tokyo with her step-mother to meet the half-sister she never knew. The two sisters bond through the exploration of theirs father hidden past as a Kamikaze pilot during World War II.
  
  


• The Letters
  Kazumi Yumoto
  A woman reflects on a painful period in her life while traveling to the funeral of the landlady who cared for her during a childhood sickness. Years earlier, the woman told the child that she plans to deliver letters to the departed when she dies, prompting the girl to compose a letter to her recently deceased father.
  
  


• South of the Border, West of the Sun
  Haruki Murakami
  This story follows a man's life through school, college, marriage and his career as a successful bar owner after he loses touch with his first love in elementary school. He is forced to confront the nature of love when the childhood sweetheart re-enters his life.
  
  


• Tea with Milk
  Allen Say
  A Japanese-American teen experiences culture shock when her family relocates to Japan. She shirks the restrictions of the traditional woman's role by moving to Osaka to reclaim her independence. Beautifully illustrated in ink and watercolor
  
  


• Grandfather's Journey
  Allen Say
  "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other." This statement hints at the feelings of the narrator and his grandfather explored through the telling of their shared history in America and Japan. Beautifully illustrated in a family album format.
  



• The Food of Japan: Authentic Recipes from the Land of the Rising Sun
  Takayuki Kosaki
  TX724.5.J3 F66 1995
  This is an informative guide illustrated with stylish photographs for each recipe. Includes sections on Japan's culture and cuisine, specialized cooking techniques, and an illustrated glossary.
  
  


• Imaging Japanese America: The Visual Construction of Citizenship, Nation, and the Body
  Elena Tajima Creef
  NX652.J37 C74 2004
  Creef examines the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in 1941, and its effect on the popular image of today's Japanese Americans. Photos, dramatic cartoons, and film depicting the Japanese-American perspective of the internment are also used in exploring the enduring ramifications of this period.
  
  


• Barefoot Gen
  Keiji Nakazawa
  This is the story of a family that survives the bombing of Hiroshima written and illustrated by a survivor of the bombing, told in the manga (Japanese comics) style. The conventions of this style are used to great effect in portraying the personal and emotional aspects of this story as well as the purely historical. Episodes of self-sacrifice and humor add richness and optimism to this tragic tale.
  
  


• Street Graphics Tokyo
  Barry Dawson
  NC998.6.J3 D38 2002x
  Tokyo's street graphics combine ancient tradition, and a modern urban vision that is uniquely Japanese. This collection of 150 photographs includes eye-catching images used in advertising, instruction, and direction, and provides a unique look at a frequently used yet often overlooked art form.
  
  


• Creating a Japanese Garden
  Peter Chan
  q SB458.C4495 2003x
  Color photographs illustrate the process of constructing a unique courtyard, strolling, or Zen garden. A plethora of traditional Japanese garden elements are offered, including rocks, water, plants, fences, ladders, stepping stones, lanterns, and gates.