Explore the literature, art, food and film of the country of Japan with these curated titles in the library’s collections.

LITERATURE
FICTION MISHIMA
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion / Mishima, Yukio
Celebrated Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima creates a haunting and vivid portrait of a young man’s obsession with idealized beauty and his destructive quest to possess it fully.

FICTION MURAKAMI
1Q84 / Murakami, Haruki
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s — 1Q84 follows the character Aomame as she realizes a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84. “Q” is for question mark—a world that bears a question. (Also available as a ebook and downloadable audio from Libby/OverDrive.)

MANGA
GRAPHIC NOVEL TEEN OTOMO
Akira / Otomo, Katsuhiro
In Neo-Tokyo, a city whose precursor was destroyed by a mysterious explosion, a streetwise teenager named Tetsuo develops paranormal abilities, making him the target of a secret agency that wants to prevent another leveling blast and fears a terrifying force called Akira.

GRAPHIC NOVEL TEEN HORIKOSHI
My Hero Academia / Horikoshi, Kohei
In this popular manga series, 80% of the population manifests superpowers called ‘Quirks’? But what would you do if you were one of the 20% who were born Quirkless?

GRAPHIC NOVEL TEEN AKUTAMI
Jujutsu Kaisen / Akutami, Gege
Yuji Itadori is resolved to save the world from cursed spirits, but he soon learns that the best way to do it is to slowly lose his humanity and become one himself!

ART

769.952 MAR
Japan Journeys: Famous Woodblock Prints of Cultural Sights in Japan / Marks, Andreas
From Mount Fuji to the temples of Kyoto, “Japan Journeys” offers a unique perspective on the country’s most famous travel destinations.

FOOD
641.5952 AND
Tokyo Stories: A Japanese Cookbook / Anderson, Tim
Explore Tokyo and discover its incredible food without leaving your home kitchen. Featuring over 90 recipes, all set to the backdrop of Tokyo location shots.

DVD JPN RASHOMON
Rashomon / Kurosawa, Akira
Set in the Middle Ages, the nature of truth and subjective reality are probed in a series of flashbacks from four viewpoints to present the case history of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife by a bandit. (Also available on hoopla.)

DVD JPN WOMAN IN T
Woman in the Dunes / Teshigahara, Hiroshi
An entomologist from Tokyo travels to a vast desert to study a rare beetle. As he misses his train back to the city, he spends the night in a hut with a young widow. What results is one of cinema’s most unnerving battle of the sexes.

DVD JPN TOKYO STOR
Tokyo Story / Ozu, Yosujiro
An elderly couple travels from rural Japan to the city of Tokyo where they are greeted less than enthusiastically by their adult children, until death quiets their conflicts.

NONFICTION
952.135 MAN
Tokyo: A Biography / Mansfield, Stephen
This comprehensive and enthralling history of Tokyo demonstrates how the turbulent events of the past became dramatic opportunities to remake this centuries-old city into what it has become today.

915.204 KAJ
Cool Japan / Kajiyama, Sumiko
Written by local expert Sumiko Kajiyama, Cool Japan explores the heart of Japanese culture and must-see places from a uniquely Japanese perspective.

299.56 FRY
The Japanese Myths: A Guide to Gods, Heroes and Spirits / Frydman, Joshua
An illustrated guide to Japanese mythology, which remains a living, evolving part of Japanese society. Not only does this book retell these ancient stories, but also considers their place within the patterns of Japanese culture, & history.

JS: May 2023