In Zen and Ghibli, legendary producer Toshio Suzuki talks about Zen Buddhism in Studio Ghibli films with three leading Buddhist monks: Shinsuke Hosokawa, Nanrei Yokota and Sokyu Gen'yu. Their playful and enlivening conversations delve into central Buddhist ideas, such as the power of not knowing, how important it is to live in the present, and whether we can ever be original in our thoughts or actions, through reference to many Ghibli masterpieces such as Princess Mononoke

In the wee hours of a 1960s Tokyo morning, a dead body is found under the rails of a train, and the victim's face is so badly damaged that police have a hard time figuring out the victim’s identity. Only two clues surface: an old man, overheard talking in a distinctive accent to a young man, and the word “kameda.” Inspector Imanishi leaves his beloved bonsai and his haiku and goes off to investigate—and runs up against a blank wall. Months pass in fruitless questioning, in following up lea...

'An absolute classic, and a whole new world to explore ... irresistible' Lee Child'Beautiful and melancholic, Inspector Imanishi Investigates is not just an ingenious and elegant mystery, but a fascinating window into 1960s Japan' Paula HawkinsA thrilling crime classic, from the bestselling author of Tokyo ExpressTokyo, 1960. As the first rays of morning light hit the rails at Kamata Station, a man...

The central part of this book is an English version of the memoir of Masahiko Aoki that was published in Japanese in 2008 (青木昌彦『私の履歴書 人生越境ゲーム』日本経済新聞出版社). In this memoir, Aoki goes over his life as a young boy immediately after World War II, as an activist who opposed the rearmament of Japan under the US-Japan Security Alliance, as a student of Marxist economics first and then modern mathematical economics, as a graduate student at Minnesota, as a young economist at Stanford, Harvard, and t...

This acclaimed work is an extraordinary collection of letters written by a wide cross-section of Japanese citizens to one of Japan's leading newspapers, expressing their personal reminiscences and opinions of the Pacific war. "SENSO" provides the general reader and the specialist with moving, disturbing, startling insights on a subject deliberately swept under the rug, both by Japan's citizenry and its government. It is an invaluable index of Japanese public opinion about the war.

Brought to you by Penguin.A thrilling crime classic, from the bestselling author of Tokyo ExpressTokyo, 1960. As the first rays of morning light hit the rails at Kamata Station, a man’s body is found on the tracks. With only two leads – a distinctive accent and a single word, ‘kameda’ – senior inspector Imanishi Eitaro is called in to solve the puzzle.Setting aside his beloved bonsai and haikus, he must cross Japan in search...

Brought to you by Penguin.While on a business trip to Kobe, Tsuneo Asai receives the news that his wife Eiko has died of a heart attack. Eiko had a heart condition so the news of her death wasn't totally unexpected. But the circumstances of her demise left Tsuneo, a softly spoken government bureaucrat, perplexed. How did it come about that his wife, who was shy and withdrawn, and only left their house twice a week to go to haiku meetings ended up dead in a small sh...

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, is the second book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese sleuthing series for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and follows on from The Kamogawa Food Detectives.Tucked away down a Kyoto backstreet lies the extraordinary Kamogawa Diner. Running this unique establishment are a father-daughter duo who serve more than just mouth-watering feasts.The pa...

'A master class in motive and character' Alafair BurkeA taut psychological novel about trial by public opinion and how we shape the truth -- now available in English for the first timeIs she a victim or a murderer?Onizuka Kumako is a fierce woman: tall, beautiful, and not afraid to speak her mind. In Tokyo bars, she seduces customers and commits petty crime, using her connections to the local yakuza to get by. When she meet...

'I can never forget the sense of pure astonishment I felt when I first read Mieko Kawakami'– Haruki Murakami'The most exciting Japanese novelist at work today'– The TimesA heart-stopping story of teenage girls on the brink in 1990s Tokyo from the International Booker Prize-Shortlisted author of Heaven and Breasts and Eggs.Hana has nothing but she’s hopeful. S...

'THE AGATHA CHRISTIE OF JAPAN' MURDER & MAYHEM'A TREAT . . . A REDISCOVERED CLASSIC FOR US ALL TO ENJOY' THE TIMES'FULL OF UNEXPECTED TWISTS, A PERFECT MYSTERY FOR A CHILLY NIGHT' READER REVIEW'AN UNDISPUTED CLASSIC' READER REVIEWA CLASSIC COSY MYSTERY FROM JAPAN'S QUEEN OF CRIME** Pre-order MURDER AT LAKE ASHINOKO, the next classic mystery...

A classic Japanese mystery, from the author of The Honjin Murders'The Japanese Agatha Christie' Sara Cox, Between the CoversTokyo, 1947.The Pink Labyrinth is one of the bomb-scarred city's most shady neighbourhoods. There, in the dead of night a patrolling policeman catches a young Buddhist monk digging in the back yard of The Black Cat Cafe, a notorious brothel. In the shallow grave at his feet li...