Recommend me some great books or novels about Japan

[Crash-Man]

I'm looking for great books, fiction/non-fiction/historical...any will do, about Japan. Japanese history, Japanese society, Japanese culture...I'm just looking to read and learn more about the country, and if that knowledge is presented in compelling prose, even better.

I understand that that covers a lot of ground, so I'll list the themes in order of (my) interest:

- Classical and Feudal Japan.
- The clash between modern Japanese culture and traditional Japanese culture.
- The contemporary shape of Japanese society. Hierarchy, social classes, foreign relations and perceptions, gender/race/sexuality etc.
- The Meiji Restoration period
- World War 2 Japan.

Any recommendations?

[Roquefort Raider]

Well, Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa was immensely popular over there. I guess it's a bit linear, but I enjoyed it a lot.

The most "Japanese" of books I read were actually comics; I can't recommend the works of Jiro Taniguchi enough. Although my favorite is The summit of the gods, in terms of discovering Japan you should try A distant neighborhood and The times of Botchan. They're masterpieces, all.

[Mutate]

A book called "Angry white pyjamas" about a nerdy british guy living in japan and learning martial arts while being a teacher (sold as a martial arts biography but with just as much interesting tit bits about daily life and how a white guy survives and dates there, like how bouncers cross their arms to show a bar is not safe for you).

A blog called "Gajin chronicles" - hillarious and a must read. a black american teaching there, the kids keep trying to grope him.

[Mutate]

also GTO was a good comedy manga about normal (sort of )life.

[RyanDodd]

Solanin
http://s4.****************/cover/solanin/solanin-l0.jpg

[Bootny]

James Clavell's Shogun. Very good story about a foreigner in feudal Japan.

[Crash-Man]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I intentionally excluded manga, but I should have known better. Keep them coming.

[Aaron Kashtan]

Here are some classics of Japanese literature:

Murasaki Shikibu. The Tale of Genji
Sei Shonagon. The Pillow Book
Lady Nijo. The Confessions of Lady Nijo
Kamo no Chomei. Hojoki
Helen McCullough. Classical Japanese Prose: An Anthology
Matsuo Basho. The Narrow Road of the Interior
Hiroaki Sato. From the Country of Eight Islands: An Anthology of Japanese Poetry
Natsume Soseki. Kokoro
Junichiro Tanizaki. The Makioka Sisters
Yukio Mishima. Confessions of a Mask
Yasunari Kawabata. The Sound of the Mountain
Kobo Abe. The Woman in the Dunes
Kenzaburo Oe. The Silent Cry
Haruki Murakami. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

[jabrams007]

I would imagine that not many people have read, or even heard of this book, but the author makes a lot of points about the decline and problems with Japanese society.

Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Japan (http://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Demons-Tales-Dark-Japan/dp/0809039435/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311088336&sr=1-5) by Alex Kerr.

"Kerr (Lost Japan), a 35-year resident of Japan and the first foreigner to win that country's Shincho literary prize, contends that the Japanese miracle has become a Japanese mess. Once admired, and perhaps feared, for its spectacular economic successes, Japan, Kerr claims, has become a land of "ravaged mountains and rivers, endemic pollution, tenement cities, and skyrocketing debts." What happened? He says that ideology and bureaucracy are to blame. Japan is in effect managed by an autonomous and corrupt government bureaucracy, driven by an ethos of economic growth at any cost and a mania for control. Everywhere Japan's natural beauty is being destroyed by useless construction projects, as nature must be controlled and construction companies rewarded. The great ancient cities too representative of old, underdeveloped Japan are being replaced by monuments and hotels that are concrete monstrosities. Japan's banking system has failed, yet no one really knows the extent of the damage, as the bureaucracy keeps accurate information hidden. Meanwhile, the bureaucracy continues to pour money into older industries, while Japan falls dangerously behind in the development of new information technologies. There is popular discontent, but protest is hard to come by, because the bureaucratically controlled educational system emphasizes obedience above all else. Japan is stuck, concludes Kerr, and he sees no easy way out. While perhaps alarmist in his message, Kerr fascinates with detailed descriptions of Japan's dilemma and offers a surprising, if controversial, vision of a land in trouble."

[Shellhead]

I enjoyed The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. And while the books aren't great literature, I like the Samurai Detective series by Laura Joh Rowland.

[Aaron Kashtan]

I enjoyed The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. And while the books aren't great literature, I like the Samurai Detective series by Laura Joh Rowland.

I have yet to read the entire Pillow Book, but the excerpts I've read from it are awesome. It's the diary of an 11th-century court lady who liked to gossip and make lists.

[Shellhead]

I have yet to read the entire Pillow Book, but the excerpts I've read from it are awesome. It's the diary of an 11th-century court lady who liked to gossip and make lists.

I read the whole thing, because it was perfect for me at the time. I was already running a role-playing campaign focused on courtly intrigue in a fictional version of Tokugawa era-Japan. I had done some research before starting the game up, but the Pillow Book really brought the setting to life. The campaign ended years ago, after nearly four years of play, but the Pillow Book still sits on the same shelf as my favorite books. Hmm, maybe I will re-read it after I finish The Dance of the Dragons.