Books

Ben-Ari, Eyal.  Unwrapping Japan.  (Reading soon.) An anthropological study of Japan:  essays on tourism and nostalgia, marginality, art, and writing genres.  (1990)

Booth, Alan  Looking for the Lost.  (Reading soon.) Like Elder's book, this is a more thorough travelogue (a genre I've avoided for years) of his walks through the Japanese countryside. (1995) 

Cherry, Kittredge.  Womansword.  (Reference.) Fascinating word by word examination of the Japanese language particular to vocabulary about women and what it might mean to consciousness and politics  (i.e. ofukuro means "honorable bags"--guess what it refers to!).  (2002)

Davidson, Cathy.  36 Views of Mount Fuji.  (Completed.) Another travelogue, this one appealed to me for its reviews and more introspective approach of the author. (1993) 

Elder, John.  Following the Brush.  (Completed.) Story of an American family that lives in Japan for a year, experiencing culture and education.  Essays show mostly the traditional methods and the gaijin's ability and inability to fit in.  Recommended by the Toyota program.  (1993)

Kerr, Alex.  Dogs and Demons: The Fall of Modern Japan.  (Compelted.) Kerr's second and more thorough examination of the politics of Japan and how it destroys culture and environment. (2002)

Kerr, Alex.  Lost Japan.  (Completed.) This is the study of rural vs. modern Japan.  I met with the author during the trip.  Recommended by the Toyota program.

McClain, James.  A Modern History of Japan.  (Reading Now.) Pretty thorough history and cultural overview of the last 400 years.  I suspect I'll read bits and pieces over the next few years (!) unless I decide to tackle it in late summer. (2002)

Miura, Isshu.  The Zen Koan.  (Completed.) This is the only book I've found which traces the nature and history of the study of the koan, the puzzle statement designed to bring a student to an intuitive realization of Reality. (1965)

Suzuki, D. T.  Introduction to Zen Buddhism.  (Completed.) Suzuki died in 1966 after writing more than 100 books on Zen, most designed for the Western reader. (1964)

Suzuki, D. T.  Essays in Zen Buddhism.  (Completed.) Suzuki, one of the most famous authors on Zen, influences Western writers like Huxley and Kerouac. This is a pretty thick collection of essays on history and thinking of Buddhism.  "One in all / All in one--" (1949)

Tanizaki, Jun'ichiro.  In Praise of Shadows.  (Completed.) Recommended by Alex Kerr, this long essay examines the Japanese sense of beauty, in particular the traditional views. (1933)

Unno, Taitetsu.  River of Fire, River of Water.  (Reading next.) An orientation to Shin Buddhism, the Pure Land tradition.  (1998)

Van Wolferen, Karel.  The Enigma of Japanese Power.  (Reading soon.) I get the impression that van Wolferen is out to provoke, subtitling his work "People and Politics in a Stateless Nation."  An analysis of the Japanese political system.  (1990)