An American woman, Page Queenan, lives and teaches in Kyoto, Japan. She meets a wealthy Japanese man, Kenji Tanaka, and quickly becomes involved with him, only to be drawn into his world- a world where money is no problem, or is it? Page suspects Kenji is being followed, and her suspicions become reality when he is kidnapped. Some quick thinking and detective work on her part helps to end the kidnapping, but the drama doesnt end there. Page and Kenjis relationship causes his family to question whether Page is only interested in Kenjis money, and if she was possibly involved in the kidnapping. His family gradually comes to realize the seriousness of Kenjis commitment to Page, but Page continues to have doubts that they will ever accept a gaijin as a suitable partner for their only son. They travel to Okinawa, London, and Boston, and their whirlwind romance becomes a strong and passionate union. Flying First class, staying in five star hotels, receiving jewelry from Cartier, and dresses from Chanel, is something Page has never experienced before, but even money cant shield her from what is to come. Page and Kenji are determined to stay together as they deal with an attempted murder, accusations of infidelity, and revenge from an unexpected source, but being accepted in Kenjis world could prove to be Pages most difficult challenge of all.

This book is an attempt to find out who Jesus Christ was. Using the best in modern scholarship this book covers all the important areas of Christianity covered by the quest to find the historical Jesus. The strength of this book is the scriptural basis for the foundation of Christianity, its growth from the death of Jesus Christ until about the year 300 A.D.

Annotation. The Moneylenders of Late Medieval Kyoto examines the large community of sake brewer -- moneylenders in Japan's capital city, focusing on their rise to prominence from the mid-1300s to 1550. Their guild tie to overlords, notably the great monastery Enryakuji, was forged early in the medieval period, giving them a protected monopoly and allowing them to flourish. Demand for credit was strong in medieval Kyoto, and brewers profitably recirculated capital for loans.As the medieval period progressed, the brewer-lenders came into their own. While maintaining overlord ties, they engaged in activities that brought them into close contact with every segment of Kyoto's population. The more socially prominent brewers served as tax agents for religious institutions, the shogunate, and the imperial court, and were actively involved in a range of cultural pursuits including tea and linked verse.Although the merchants themselves left only the faintest record, Suzanne Gay has fully and convincingly depicted this important group of medieval commoners.

A veteran writing teacher shares techniques and exercises to help anyone who struggles with written communication create effective and engaging content. In almost any career, you must know how to write—even if it’s not part of your job description. But if you are a reluctant writer, producing even the simplest memo may be a struggle. Write Better Right Now is the springboard to get you ahead in any job, passion project, or situation that requires writing skills. No matter what you are called upon to do—blog posts, speeches, web content, press releases, or more—this step-by-step manual gives you the solid techniques you need to get the task done. Write Better Right Now works because it is: —Short: It takes a concise approach, from first thoughts to final edits, and its mix-and-match structure means you only have to read the sections you need. —Practical: It is loaded with summations, short cuts, tips, cheat sheets, and hands-on exercises. —Solution-driven: Knowing where you’ve gone wrong is half the battle. Write Better Right Now offers you the tools to identify your own problem patterns and choose the quickest and most appropriate fixes. You can improve your writing today. With straightforward guidance, Write Better Right Now is the quick read for productive people who need to create clear and crisp communication—right now.

In Kiss of the Geisha, Page and Kenji Tanaka are enjoying a passionate life together following their whirlwind courtship, when they are drawn into a mysterious murder. Page is teaching part time at Kyoto University when a fellow professor dies of poisoning from the deadly puffer fish, fugu. Several other men have died in the same way, and Page begins to suspect that the professor was murdered because of his research into Japanese war crimes involving the dead men. Page is tutoring a young Japanese girl who is training to become a geisha. This young girl becomes involved in the killings when she overhears a conversation between her geisha mother and her geisha mothers patron. Page and Kenji travel to Europe, but when they return, the threat of danger still hangs over them. Page realizes that having all the money she could ever need doesnt make her immune to that danger. She knows that someone wants to silence her, possibly forever, and she must rely on Kenji and her friends to save her. Kyoto, Tokyo, Kamakura, and Osaka are the settings for Kiss of the Geisha where every day life in Japan presents some interesting challenges for Page. Some familiar characters from Kyoto Connection return in this second book in the continuing series.

This helpful Kansai travel guide explains where to find the area's best restaurants, sights, bars entertainment, shopping, and services. Opinionated entries include addresses, phone numbers, hours of operation, maps, and whether English is spoken-the complete information you need to find your way to the best and most fun places in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and environs. Whether you live in the region or you're just visiting, The Best of Kansai is the perfect companion.

Focus: Music in Contemporary Japan explores a diversity of musics performed in Japan today, ranging from folk song to classical music, the songs of geisha to the screaming of underground rock, with a specific look at the increasingly popular world of taiko (ensemble drumming). Discussion of contemporary musical practice is situated within broader frames of musical and sociopolitical history, processes of globalization and cosmopolitanism, and the continued search for Japanese identity through artistic expression. It explores how the Japanese have long negotiated cultural identity through musical practice in three parts: Part I, "Japanese Music and Culture," provides an overview of the key characteristics of Japanese culture that inform musical performance, such as the attitude towards the natural environment, changes in ruling powers, dominant religious forms, and historical processes of cultural exchange. Part II, "Sounding Japan," describes the elements that distinguish traditional Japanese music and then explores how music has changed in the modern era under the influence of Western music and ideology. Part III, "Focusing In: Identity, Meaning and Japanese Drumming in Kyoto," is based on fieldwork with musicians and explores the position of Japanese drumming within Kyoto. It focuses on four case studies that paint a vivid picture of each respective site, the music that is practiced, and the pedagogy and creative processes of each group. The downloadable resources include examples of Japanese music that illustrate specific elements and key genres introduced in the text. A companion website includes additional audio-visual sources discussed in detail in the text. Jennifer Milioto Matsue is an Associate Professor at Union College and specializes in modern Japanese music and culture.

Recognizing the importance of the Kyoto School & its influence on philosophy, politics, religion & Asian studies, this text seeks to initiate a conversation between Japanese & Western philosophers.

Assessing the grand American evangelical missionary venture to convert the world, this international group of leading scholars reveals how theological imperatives have intersected with worldly imaginaries from the nineteenth century to the present. Countering the stubborn notion that conservative Protestant groups have steadfastly maintained their distance from governmental and economic affairs, these experts show how believers' ambitious investments in missionizing and humanitarianism have connected with worldly matters of empire, the Cold War, foreign policy, and neoliberalism. They show, too, how evangelicals' international activism redefined the content and the boundaries of the movement itself. As evangelical voices from Africa, Asia, and Latin America became more vocal and assertive, U.S. evangelicals took on more pluralistic, multidirectional identities not only abroad but also back home. Applying this international perspective to the history of American evangelicalism radically changes how we understand the development and influence of evangelicalism, and of globalizing religion more broadly. In addition to a critical introduction and essays by editors John Corrigan, Melani McAlister, and Axel R. Schafer are essays by Lydia Boyd, Emily Conroy-Krutz, Christina Cecelia Davidson, Helen Jin Kim, David C. Kirkpatrick, Candace Lukasik, Sarah Miller-Davenport, Dana L. Robert, Tom Smith, Lauren F. Turek, and Gene Zubovich.

This book presents a unique systems theory approach to management information system (MIS) development. It covers an outline of the approach, providing a theoretical foundation for MIS from the systems theoretic viewpoint before presenting practical applications ranging from a transaction processing system to a solver system. The author also describes his newly developed extended Prolog programming language, which helps take full advantage of the mathematical framework employed.