A moving historical novel about the problems of Japanese hierarchy and the tenacity of the underdog.

New forms of nationalism have affected American policy in the Pacific, challenging the post-communist world order. This book explores the wars of the modern era, illuminating regional and global changes in East Asia, and underscoring the need to redefine the Cold War language that still continues to inform U.S.–East Asian relations.

Caitlin Ober, an American English instructor in Japan, tries to deal with the loss of her childhood best friend, Mei, fifteen years earlier, while developing a friendship with fourteen-year-old Naomi.

“Do what is right because it is right; and leave it alone.” That’s the credo two very different “Traitor Brothers“ live by. Brothers by thought and deed, they put people before politics when it makes life better for the average person. The Traitor Brothers is a near-historical suspense thriller with dollops of politics, sociology, diplomacy, organized crime, and intercultural friendship. ------------ Similar in family background and education, from different cultures but the same generation, working at comparable levels for their respective governments, one born in Soviet Russia, the other in Imperialist Japan, two iconoclasts dedicate their lives to improving life in their countries and not just following orders or improving their personal positions. They come together at the United Nations in New York in the 1950s, later again in Far Eastern Siberia, and finally in Japan in the early 1990s as the Soviet coup d’etat against Mikhail Gorbachev threatens to undo their efforts to improve lives in both their countries. Recent political events from around the world have shown us what happens to Foreign Service Officers, public servants and patriots when they act with integrity and dedication towards the best interests of their fellow citizens instead of their putative “superiors.” Russia has once again thrust itself onto our collective consciousnesses and it is informative for people to see how we got here and the kind of people we need to get us out!

A stimulating exploration of the haiku masterpiece. Matsuo Basho (1644-94) is considered Japan's greatest haiku poet. Narrow Road to the Interior (Oku no Hosomichi) is his masterpiece. Ostensibly a chronological account of the poet's five-month journey in 1689 into the deep country north and west of the old capital, Edo, the work is in fact artful and carefully sculpted, rich in literary and Zen allusion and filled with great insights and vital rhythms. In Basho's Narrow Road: Spring and Autumn Passages, poet and translator Hiroaki Sato presents the complete work in English and examines the threads of history, geography, philosophy, and literature that are woven into Basho's exposition. He details in particular the extent to which Basho relied on the community of writers with whom he traveled and joined in linked verse (renga) poetry sessions, an example of which, A Farewell Gift to Sora, is included in this volume. In explaining how and why Basho made the literary choices he did, Sato shows how the poet was able to transform his passing observations into words that resonate across time and culture.

One night, alone on a hilltop, a young boy is swept aboard a magical train bound for the Milky Way. A classic in Japan, this tender fable is a book of great wisdom, offering insight into the afterlife. One of Japan’s greatest storytellers, Kenji Miyazawa (1896–1933) was a teacher, author, poet, and scientist.

Delving into the complex, contradictory relationships between humans and the environment in Asian literatures

The 13 stories in this collection by Japanese writer Junzo Shono are linked by the daily life of a husband and wife and their children. The stories are like the back of a tapestry where threads seem to cross randomly. Births, weddings, school activities, a suicide attempt - all occur out of view. Readers understand crucial events through ordinary days. But these quiet tales have a cumulative power. Toys, birds, and playing cards relate to human lives as portents, parallels, parodies. The mother, with her secret sorrows, and the puzzled, bemused father savor reveries and survive unexplained misfortunes. Shono's vivid snapshot technique, the layering of images, events, and conversations, creates an effect Western readers may find more akin to an Ozu film crossed with haiku than to traditional short stories.

Mukoda's wonderful stories vividly present the strengths and sorrows of modern Japanese women.--Gail Tsukiyama "Superbly rendered into English."--Publishers Weekly