The Crimson Labyrinth

Some horror gets their scares by making you forget you are reading horror, then sneak up behind you with the big scare. Movies like “Ringu” and “Audition” are good examples. A book like The Prestige is another. Other times we are dropped into the horror right from the get-go. For example, “Tomie” and “Ju-on” don’t give the viewers much time to get settled before the scares begin.

The Crimson Labyrinth succeeds in employing both these techniques. From the opening page we know unemployed businessman turned, Fujiki, has been transported to a faraway strange and unfriendly place as he awakes from a heavy sleep.

 “He felt something hard against his spine and shoulder blades, and realized he was lying on the bare ground…
Where am I?
It was a reasonable question, but no answer came to mind.” (p5)

We soon learn that Fujiki, along with a woman he meets, Ai, are two of nine participants in an evil and deadly game. These nine Japanese participants, seemingly selected randomly, are trapped in a maze of red rock valleys. Initially they only have handheld game devices that give them instructions on how to proceed. Initially the idea is for everyone to work together, but this is a game and in a game there can be only one winner. The evil individual or group that put this game together did not have cooperation in mind…

The Crimson Labyrinth has been compared to a host of other stories – Battle Royale meets “The Running Man” meets “Lost” meets Lord of the Flies – and all of them do have factors recognizable. Like most of the stories it is compared to, the author seems to be making a statement about the state of society today. Within the manageable group of nine (easier to keep track of than Battle Royale’s forty combatants) we see different parts of society, and how decisions and promises are made and broken makes the reader think of what he or she would do if found in this seemingly impossible situation. Because of the Japanese nature to tend to create harmony rather than conflict, the game masters (and the author) have to come up with a few ingenious ways to put kinks in the already unstable trust the group builds. (Is it any wonder that the Japanese version of “Survivor" was a total bust, while the American series is still going strong? I understand there just wasn’t the fun-to-watch conflict in the Japanese version.)

The way the game plays out, through cryptic messages from the game machines keeps the story very mental and heady. But let us not forget that this is still a horror novel...

Difficult to put down, The Crimson Labrynth isn’t the deepest reading from Japan, but it is both thoughtful and frightening, a fun combination not to be missed.

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Coffin: The Art of Vampire Hunter D

There are reasons a title can stay on the lips of readers for decades without losing momentum, only to increase its growing legions of fans. In the case of Vampire Hunter D, it's because of it compelling writing and striking original artwork. Coffin: The Art of Vampire Hunter D gives us a definitive look into the second reason this series of manga, anime and fiction of has a vampire-like lifespan.

This book is massive. With almost 200 full page illustrations and paintings in a large format you can really get up close to, this will be a book that is treasured by longtime fans, and studied by students of Yoshitaka Amano. From pen and ink to full-on paintings, a range of styles can be seen.

Included among the opening pages is an original piece of short fiction by creator Hideyuki Kikuchi (presented in both Japanese and English). It sets a nice mood for the rest of the book, and it's easy to see what a great match Kikichi and Amano make.

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Plastic Culture: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World

Why does growing up mean you have to grow out of your favorite toys? According to author Woodrow Phoenix, you don’t have to. Plastic Culture: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World is a colorful exploration in the world of plastic toys in both the US and in Japan.

Now that those lovers of the very first plastic toys are all grown-up there is a new breed of designers, artists, and fans on both sides of the Pacific. Plastic Culture opens with a brief history of American and Japanese plastic playthings from post-WWII to the present day. How both toy cultures influenced each other through cartoons, movies, and comic books is reflected on the toys created. For example, we can see how not only Godzilla had an impact on the west, but how American army shows, like “Combat!” influenced the modeling business in Japan.

Plastic Culture is divided into short chapters, each featuring an influential force on the culture of toys. Godzilla, Fast-Food Toys, Event Promotions…all these cultural influences lead to the meat of the book – the modern phenomenon of Urban Vinyl Toys.

Urban vinyl is the natural evolution of toys, as the adults who played with plastic toys in their youth want to recreate the experience, but from a grown-up angle. Several influences and artists are featured. More modern roots are explored, like the explosion of the toy industry with the introduction of Kenner’s Star Wars line in 1978, and Pee-Wee Herman in the mid-80s.  We meet artists from the US, Japan and other parts of Asia and can see how this history of trans-Pacific borrowing and expanding hasn’t stopped.

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Twinkle Twinkle

Twinkle Twinkle is the charming first book by the award-winning novelist Kaori Ekuni. Between its covers are both a very modern Japanese tale and a story that crosses cultural boundaries with issues that are human, not exclusively Japanese.

Shoko and Mutsuki were victims of ambitious parents looking to make an arranged marriage for their respective children. Neither Shoko nor Mutsuki had an interest in marriage, and once they realized that, they realized they would be perfect for each other. Or so it would seem. Mutsuki is a gay doctor and Shoko is emotionally unstable and has a fancy for the liquid pleasures in life. By satisfying their parents’ desire to see them married they can “get them off their backs” and live their lives how they desire.

The fact is that the respective parents knew of their own child’s hurdles to marriage, but not of the other child's. This leads to more instability in the virtual fort Shoko and Mutsuki have built for themselves. Another source of both pleasure and strife in is Mutsuki’s lifetime lover, Kon. Although Shoko and Mutsuki live a “sexless" marriage (a popular English term in Japan), the only one without sexual desires is Shoko. Their “business relationship” grows into one of mutual dependence as Shoko and Mutsuki’s secrets start to leak out. More is complicated as Shoko develops a friendship with her husband’s lover as her own father learns of his existence. Keeping the parents happy, a desire for children, alcohol, love, and a husband who tries to set up his wife… all enough to drive anyone over the edge.

Twinkle Twinkle is written from both the husband’s and the wife’s perspective, alternating voices each chapter. What is revealed is less differing perspectives, and more a mutual desire to support their struggling partners, however they can. The book is written with a real sense of honesty and realism. Some aspects of the story are very obviously Japanese, as in the idea of an arranged marriage, but there are also some more deep rooted Japanese themes. The idea of modern Tokyoites having to create elaborate lies just to fulfill their own personal desires, when honesty is obviously the faster, but more embarrassing path, has a certain Japanese charm to it.

Certain other aspects have internationally recognizable themes. Themes of honesty and betrayal run throughout. Being gay, and fitting into society is certainly an issue people deal with all around the world. Also, where there is alcohol there is alcoholism. However, Ekuni gives us her characters without judgment or opinion. In one scene Shoko thinks to herself, "Before I got married I used to often soak in the tub with a glass of whiskey. It’s a great feeling. The alcohol goes straight to your head…I could feel all the blood in my body fizzing like soda water…” (p60). Ekuni never tries to lead the reader’s opinion, and, in turn, the idea of judgment never calls into play for the audience.

Twinkle Twinkle is a quick read and a satisfying book. It shows the struggles of two unique individuals, but the themes addressed apply to all of us. It’s hard not to feel like you are a close part of Shoko and Mutuski’s lives, maybe even sleeping between them on their steam-ironed sheets.

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In the Pool

In the Pool was a huge success upon its original Japanese release in 2002. The stories here have gone on to appear in movies and on TV since its release. In the Pool is a collection of episodes about one eccentric psychiatrist, Dr. Ichiro Irabu, the sole doctor in the lonely Neurology Dept. located in the basement of the Irabu Hospital (say, that's the same name as the doctor...). This is clever and rather hilarious collection is by former magazine editor Hideo Okuda, who credits manga as a major influence.

Five tales are told here, each one about a patient with a condition that cannot be treated by conventional methods, and each one a line on a laundry list of "ailments" that plague not only Japan, but human beings in general. Among the poor souls that find themselves consulting Dr. Irabu are a magazine editor who becomes obsessed with swimming, sacrificing work and family time to get in a few more laps; a just-over-the-hill car-show model who starts to believe every man she sees is stalking her; and high school student so obsessed with text messaging on his cell phone, even a few moments of separation create panic and cold sweats.

Although each character begins as almost a caricature of him or herself, they develop into people we may recognize in our own lives, or even aspects of our own personality.' The fun and humor of each story comes from not the ailment, but Dr. Irabus unorthodox and unexpected avenues of treatment. Often the reader wonders if what Dr. Irabu is doing is even intended for the patients benefit, and simply his own. (The dubious injections given to each patient on each visit by Dr. Irabu's sexy female nurse give us a clue.) Though in the end of each tale some sort of resolution or recovery path is reached, whether this is by accident or by design becomes clearer as the reader finishes each story. Although each tale is written from the perspective of the patient, we get more and more hints as to what kind of person Dr. Irabu really is.

Translating humor from Japanese to English is one of the most difficult undertakings a translator can expect to take. Comedy is so different culture to culture, and having it make sense and seem natural in the translated language requires real talent, and that talent shows here is the seamless English creation by Giles Murray.

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The Embedded Corporation

What is the best way to run a business corporation? What is the appropriate balance between shareholders, executives and employees? Are employees best thought of as short-term costs, or long-term assets? What impact is globalization having on distinctive national approaches to corporate organization and on the social responsibilities of employers? These are just a few of the questions Sanford M. Jacoby tries to tackle in his extensive and thorough research presented in The Embedded Corporation.

Despite globalization, the expectation that one universal system of corporate organization would rise to the top and become the standard hasn't taken place. American corporations tend to follow the lead of the shareholders, where Japanese corporations tend to look internally, and follow the lead of employees. In this book Jacoby looks beyond corporate realities into the culture and history of both the United States and Japan, finding grounds for certain corporate practices. Unlike some publications that feign legitimacy with a lot of theory, The Embedded Corporations conclusions are based in fact. Jacoby's research is clearly tracked and presented. We can see the how, what and why of corporate governance in the US and Japan.

Sanford M. Jacoby is the Howard Noble Professor of Management, Policy Studies, and History at the University of California, Los Angeles. His books include Modern Manors: Welfare Capitalism since the New Deal (Princeton) and Employing Bureaucracy: Managers, Unions, and the Transformation of the Workplace in the 20th Century (Erlbaum).

Table of Contents:

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Outlet

Like some of the best Japanese movies, Randy Taguchi's Outlet dances around several different literary genres, without committing itself to any one. It starts out like a mystery novel, as our protagonist, Yuki Asakura, learns that her estranged brother was found dead and rotting in his apartment. Was it murder, suicide, or natural causes? Or was it something else? As the only anchor in her unstable family, Yuki has to deal with taking care of the clean up and making arrangements for her brother's funeral. The stress of the situation coupled with some bizarre statements made by the funeral director and corpse clean-up service man (in a scene that reads like something out of a Chuck Palahniuk novel), cause Yuki to have a break with reality. She starts hallucinating scenes with her brother, and it is here our detective mystery starts to flow into spiritual fantasy and psychological horror.

Yuki is forced to start seeing her old psychology professor for counseling, despite the fact their relationship ten years prior wasn't strictly student/teacher. The two return to their old habits almost immediately, and Yuki begins to wonder if there isn't more meaning to her sexual appetite and power over men. And why does she suddenly start to smell "death' on people she meets? Could her brother's death and her animal attraction somehow be related? Do hallucinations always seem this real?

Outlet is unlike anything out there today. Though it is set in Japan, the ideas and themes are very universal. Outlet was translated by Glynne Walley, and it is one of the best translations of a Japanese novel this reviewer has read. Sometimes in translated fiction the dialogue can sound awkward if the translator tries to do too direct a translation. That issue never comes up in what ends up as a very smooth and fluid read. Even with some of the ethereal and metaphysical themes, the language is clear and the images easy to create in the reader's mind.

Though, not every image is one that one might want to imagine again. In places Outlet can be stimulating and revolting at the same time. The nature of the journey Yuki finds herself on requires her to mentally hit rock bottom before she can complete it. This leads to a series of dream-like sequences, where both the reader and Yuki are not sure if the experiences are real, hallucinations or dreams. Sometimes these experiences are pleasant, but often there are horrific elements involved.

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The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan

The Haiku Apprentice is a memoir of Abigail Friedman, a remarkable woman who lived as a diplomat in Japan for two years. In her book, the journey of a woman in Japan writing, discovering and exploring the ancient Japanese art of Haiku poetry is laid out in a style accessible to any reader. I highly recommend this book for anyone with even a passing interest in haiku or Japan.

I was immediately drawn to this book simply by the title. The Haiku Apprentice conjures up the image of a remote sanctuary; the student living side by side with the teacher, exploring the depth of their self identity and their passion for their art. And though this romantic image is somewhat different when finally compared to Abigail Friedman's honestly scripted experience, I think that parallels can be drawn between the image and the reality.

One thing that I appreciate about this book was that Friedman could have chosen to write a fascinating memoir simply about her experience as an expatriate and a diplomat in Japan. Her life story seems to be very unique, full of travel and adventure and she could have chosen to write about her experience from any number of fascinating aspects. However, she chose to tell a story via her very specific experience with haiku. By doing so, she brings haiku to the reader in a way that doesn't feel like a textbook or a lecture on the intricacies of an archaic art form. In fact Friedman lets the reader know that Haiku is an art form very much alive in contemporary Japan.

Friedman meets a member of a haiku group who invites her to join the group to see for herself what it is like. Despite her uncertainty Abigail's adventurous spirit guides her. Traveling to a part of the country she has never been to before she meets Momoko, the group's resident haiku master, and discovers that there is more to this coveted art form then a 5-7-5 syllabic structure. She starts to see haiku differently than before, and her understanding of this art form takes shape. As she describes her struggles learning to find the perfect kigo, or seasonal word, to make her haiku just right, the reader passes through the Japanese landscape along with her.

The book is organized in what seems to be a series of separate, but related, anecdotes or journal entries. I enjoyed this style because it gave me a sense of the reality from which the book came, that these were real memories from a real person. And in that sense, it felt as though I was being brought closer to the writer.

The haiku that are strewn throughout the book are written by a variety of people, from the old, revered Japanese masters such as Basho and Issa to Mrs. Friedman herself; she even includes a wonderful anecdote about a caption she read on the side of the bus. She writes 'Well, I knew it was an advertising jingle, but still, wasn't it an advertising jingle haiku?' As she encounters more haiku and begins to learn more about it, Friedman also gains a deeper understanding of Japanese culture

It is intriguing to read how Abigail's first impression of haiku is challenged as she uncovers more about this once elusive poetic style. Her story is charming and relatable, with tales about her work and life with her family mixed into her account of private meetings with her haiku and calligraphy teachers. She tells us about her experiences; her joys and frustrations while living in the foreign land and her personal relationship with haiku seems to thread through all aspects of her life, grounding her experience in Japan.

Anyone can appreciate this book, having traveled to Japan or not. So, order a copy today, and then be the first one in the neighborhood to start your own haiku group!

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Scary Book Volume 1: Reflections

Kazuo Umezo, the 'Stephen King' of Japanese manga has a unique and engaging style unlike the 'traditional' look we associate with Japanese manga and anime. Initially from looking at the art of Scary Book, I expected the original to have been published in Japan a few decades ago. The cherub-cheeked characters reminded me of children from Chinese herbal medicine advertisements. They seem to hark from a more innocent time, which makes the sinister images that much more unsettling. (It turns out these stories were originally published in 2003.) Umezu's drawing style is unique, and like some traditional Japanese dolls, it is disarming in its seemingly innocent surface.

Scary Book Volume I contains two complete stories, but the title story, "Reflections' takes up over 3/4 of the whole book. 'Reflections' tells the tale of Emi, a doll-faced beauty of a young girl who grows up in a house known as the 'Mirror Mansion', named for its giant mirror, a mirror Emi has been gazing into for years. But as time goes on Emi starts getting the paranoid feeling that she is being watched. One night Emi searches for the source of the paranoia, and finds it staring back at her in the reflection in the mirror. And her reflection is not happy with her...

Emi's reflection has built up resentment for her vanity, and a crack in the mirror seems to allow the reflection to escape from the mirror, and into the real world. Her reflection takes over Emi's life, and is always one step ahead of Emi while she attempts to replace the real girl, leaving Emi without a home, friends, or family.

It is at this time we are introduced to Emi's love-stricken classmate, Wakatano, and his younger sister, Mitsuko. The brother and sister are constantly bickering for Emi's attention, and they seem to be the only people that acknowledge the real Emi's existence. Their competitive nature escalates to violent levels as they try to help and distract Emi. Wakatano and Mitsuko are a kind of comic relief, and their gestures and actions recall the humorous violence of comics and cartoons of previous generations. This brother and sister are probably the most bizarre pair of characters seen in comics, and their introduction in this story gives the reader an insight to Umezu's way-out way of thinking.

The creepiness in 'Reflections' comes from extreme contrasts of beautiful versus ugly, and vanity versus humility, in a world that is more than a bit off-center. Its frantic nature keeps the reader's blood pumping and the story's pages turning.

'Demon of Vengeance' is also a story of conflict, a good versus evil tale. However, the story is a more of a fast-paced downward spiral. Just when you think things can't get worse for our hero, Muso Kondo, another gate to Hell seems to open up and a whole new world of pain it introduced.

Like some of the other Dark Horse manga we have looked at (ex. Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner), 'Demon of Vengeance' is a revenge tale set in the days of the samurai. A vassal of shogun Uda is assigned to protect the shogun's son, Mitsutada, during a raid on Uda Castle. Muso's son, Shogo, accompanies him on the mission. Food is scarce and tempers short as the spoiled Mitsutada harasses the young, but stoic, Shogo (who might remind the reader of another quiet but steel-eyed youngster, Daigoro from Lone Wolf and Cub). Muso tries to be patient with Mitsutada, but a father can watch only so much abuse of his son, and one day he snaps...

This is actually a tale of double revenge, as the shogun dedicates his life to making Muso's and Shogo's lives a living hell, after what happened to his son. In turn, Muso does everything he can to destroy the shogun and free his son. Powerful Uda makes things harder and harder for Muso in some rather gruesome scenes, and although usually in samurai stories good defeats evil, we must remember this isn't a samurai story, it's a horror story, and the surprising ending is sure to shock and satisfy.

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Scary Book Volume 2: Insects

Kazuo Umezu continues the frights in the book-length story "Insects", (or more literally "Grave of the Butterfly"). This story is about a young girl, Megumi, (who looks a lot like Emi from Volume 1), and her irrational fear. Megumi lives with her widowed father in a large mansion. Since birth Megumi has been afraid of butterflies, but doesnft know why or what happened to inspire this fear. One day the housekeeper tells the family that her dead mother's grave has been damaged. Compelled to visit the grave at night, Megumi has a frightening experience. Ever since that night she begins seeing a black butterfly here and there. The difference between this mysterious black butterfly and other butterflies is that no one else can seem to see this black one. And on top of that, every time the black butterfly shows up...well, we don't want to reveal too much, as Umezu's story leads to some interesting twists and turns, and an ending that Alfred Hitchcock would be jealous of.

"Insects" is much like a classic horror/thriller. It has many of the elements of older scary movies or monster comics, and yet is unique in its use of the butterfly as the symbol of fear and angst, and the butterfly is usually considered a thing of beauty. Umezu writes in the Afterward, "I was writing with the idea that even if I focused on an insect like the butterfly, which people think is beautiful, there might still be something disturbing about it simply by the fact of it being an insect." This certainly is the case in this story, although the insectoid features of the butterfly are not the source of the horror. Like Volume 1, Volume 2 is fast paced, this time without the elements of humor. There is little relief for Megumi's escalating horror...especially when we find out the source of her fear!

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Scary Book Volume 3: Faces

Each installment of the Scary Book series explores the horror in its title theme.  The first book, Reflections, explored what happens on the other side of the looking glass, and what happens when a young girl’s reflection breaks into our world. The second book, Insects, dug into a girl’s irrational fear of butterflies, and revealed a twisted tale of abuse and murder. This is the third installment in the Scary Book series and the title theme is Faces.

Two full-length stories are included in this volume, and both explore society’s attitudes about physical beauty. “Fear” is the first story and opens with the tale of two sisters. Momoko is worshipped as a natural cutie by anyone who lays eyes on her. Her plainer younger sister, Aiko, is summarily ignored into almost non-existence as they grew up. (Though, in fact, it’s hard to distinguish much difference in the two, besides hair-styles, thanks to Umezu’s art work.  All his female leads tend to look alike, which adds an interesting twist to this story.)  Just as the sisters enter high school and Momoko starts a relationship with the dreamy Takaya, Momoko trips and falls down the stairs, scarring her perfect face to an unrecognizable state. How the story plays out is shocking and sad, and it shows a richer exploration of the societal pressures (both real and created in Momoko’s head) than we have seen in earlier volumes. The extremes the sisters go to fix Momoko’s mangled mug are horrifying, but the ending is the most unsettling.

The second story, which takes up about 2/3 of the volume, is titled “The Coincidental Letter”. This story opens with the story of another young girl, Yoko, waking up late to school.  (Does Umezu ever have boys as the lead characters?) This leads to a downward spiral of a terrible day for the Yoko, and she proceeds to air all her frustrations in a letter addressed to her target of frustration, her teacher.  She writes things like “A woman like you will never get married…”, “Your legs are crippled…”, and "You’ll fall off a cliff…” among other comments of her ugliness and lack of popularity. But instead of sending the letter to the teacher, she makes up a random address in Hokkaido and tosses it in the mailbox. This leads to a series of coincidences, as the address was a real address, and the recipient, Suzuko Yamada, was actually crippled, but about to be married.  The letter throws Yamada into a suicidal depression, and her sudden disappearance becomes a national news item.  The country wants to know where Suzuko Yamada is, and who wrote that horrible letter. “The Coincidental Letter” has elements of horror, but isn’t a horror story in the same way as the earlier Umezu stories are. Like “Fear” it explores elements of the human condition we don’t often see in horror manga.

Umezu goes in a slightly different direction with Scary Book: Faces, and I think it is to the reader’s benefit. The artwork maintains Umezu’s distinctive style. He has a way of turning the cute into the grotesque with a few pen strokes, and the distinct faces of the main characters are kept under wraps for just the right amount of time, so that turn of the page will elicit a gasp as big as if each girl were standing right in front of you.

This is the third book in the Scary Book series, and, at this point, there are no future volumes scheduled to publish. We do enjoy this series, and hope Dark Horse continues bring us Umezu in English, even if just as a yearly Halloween treat.

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The Japan Journals, 1947-2004

Any English-speaking Japanophile certainly knows the name Donald Ritchie. Well known for his translations and analyses of Japanese cinema, Ritchie opened the door for Japanese movies to the Western world. He was not only able to analyze the films, understanding both Eastern and Western sensibilities, but also befriended the filmmakers, and could often speak of the film's production from a first-person perspective. However, Ritchie didn't write only about movies. He has written numerous essays and books on Japan and the Japanese people.

Now PDI is happy to present, in commemoration of over 50 years of writing on Japan, Donald Ritchie's latest offering, The Japan Journals: 1947-2004. This is a collection of writing which spans Ritchie's entire life in Japan, and how shows both the man and the country changed, grew, and adapted over the last half century.

As numerous as memoirs are in popular literature today, none can compare to the close reality of a journal done in real time. We can be assured that not only are the accounts accurate in content, but also in the perspective of the writer at the time of the writing. Even in the briefest of entries Ritchie is able to describe not only what is going on around him, but his personal take on the situation, often with a humor that is never disrespectful. Here is a portion of the entry from September 26, 1955:

'In the morning Beppu looks less garish, but also less attractive. It looks, in the new light, like a town with a hangover...When I look out I see the steamer coming in from Osaka, right on time. It will dock precisely when it is supposed to.

'The boat is crowded with school children, all leaving Beppu... to exotic Kansai. Yes, I have been there, I say when asked. I saw Kyoto live. No, the golden Pavilion is not made of real gold (this in answer to a first-year student), but it looks like it. No, I do now know how much a geisha costs (this in answer to a high school junior)-his chances of acquiring one are, in any event, slight.'

The book is wonderfully edited by Leza Lowitz. Her biographical notes add to the big picture the journal entries create, and her organization is refreshing. For example, instead of putting the entries strictly in chronological order, she sometimes orders them by other criteria. Early in the book there is a section where, thanks to his film writing which had appeared in Western publications, he was tapped to host many famous Western visitors to Japan in the late 1950s. How timely it was reading the entry about Truman Capote.

Over 70 black and white pictures are scattered throughout the text. Many of the photographs capture Ritchie with the famous names he worked and socialized with, such Akira Kurosawa, but there are also pictures of the close friends he describes in the stories he tells. Ritchi's talent as a photographer is apparant, and the pictures of writer Yukio Mishima are especially haunting.

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Japan's Business Renaissance: How the World's Greatest Economy Revived, Renewed, and Reinvented Itself

Authors Mark B. Fuller and John C. Beck want to let you in on a little secret: Japan is not an economic black hole. On the contrary, Japanese business has been slowly recovering since the burst of the bubble economy in 1989, and is stronger now than it has been in 15 years. The authors call this the 'rebirth of Japan', and in this book they delve deep into Japan's ability to renew itself and the unique methods Japan employs.

Looking at the traditions of the samurai as a model for modern Japanese business isn't necessarily a new idea, but Fuller and Beck attack this idea with the same fervor as the bushido they describe. Surveys have been given to both Japanese and American businesspeople that help mold the points they are trying to prove, often with surprising results.

The authors state the argument clearly on page 31. 'To understand Japanese attitudes and behaviors around change, we need to understand Japanese history. To understand Japanese history it is important to understand the notion of bushido, or the Way of the Samurai.'

After giving a succinct and informative history of the samurai, the authors show us how this is important to how Japanese do business in the modern world (and the connection is vital). The samurai warriors were the constant in a country of consistent flux. From war to peace and war again, the samurai was a bastion of The Japanese Spirit. Even as the needs of the samurai changed and were reduced, most famously with the arrival of Admiral Perry in 1853, the samurai adapted and adjusted, even when becoming ronin, or masterless samurai, and offering services to the highest bidder. It's not only this warrior spirit, this Sprit of Japan, that enamors the modern Japanese businessman, but his flexibility and ability to change when needed, or strengthen up and attack when appropriate. This is what the authors call 'fit or fight' and is an essential part of the Japanese business model. This technique should be a part of any savvy businessperson's cache.

And this covers only part one of this very informative book.

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Coin Locker Babies

Where can you start when describing a book like Coin Locker Babies? Ryu Murakami has been called the Chuck Palahniuk of Japanese fiction, though it's probably more appropriate to say Chuck Palahniuk is the Ryu Murakami of American fiction. Gritty and unyielding, this story pulls no punches beginning at its very first sentence. This is the third Ryu Murakami book to be translated into English, and despite his shared namesake with popular author Haruki Murakami (yet no relation), Ryu Murakami has been slowly making a name for himself in the West beyond 'the other Murakami'. With books like Coin Locker Babies this attention is well deserved. Though it is certainly taking long for his 30+ novels to find their way into English.

Though a relatively new name to Westerners, Murakami first received the Akutagawa Literary Reward for his first novel, Almost Transparent Blue in 1976. Presently only a handful of Murakami's novels are in print, the longest and deepest being Coin Locker Babies.

Coin Locker Babies is about two young boys, Kiku and Hayashi, who become brothers after being put together as babies in an orphanage. Both boys shared the same experience of being born and then abandoned in Tokyo train station coin lockers. The boys experience some unconventional therapy during their stay to keep down their rebellious manner, yet there are some strange aftereffects they are forced to deal with. As they grow older their mutual goal of finding their respective mothers is not forgotten, and, rest assured, they are not looking for their mothers to rekindle relationships. Kiku and Hayashi paths are split dramatically as a media-worthy event rocks their lives.

The book is set in a Tokyo of the near future, a dark and dangerous if not unfriendly place. A variety of interesting and bizarre characters are sprinkled throughout the book they push and pull the boys different directions as they make the transition from boyhood to manhood. The episodes Kiku and Hayashi experience are often brash and the writing is makes the surreal world they live in seem more real. Credit must be given not only to Murakami and his deep vision for this novel, but also to the unparalleled translation by Stephen Snyder. Often translating fiction from Japanese to English can be a nearly impossible task. The translator must find ways to carry over the culture imbedded in the Japanese language, but also not distract the reader. The audience should be tricked into forgetting they are reading translation and not the author's original word. Stephen Snyder achieves this goal with a skill rarely seen.

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The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film

For those not familiar with Midnight Eye, it is the premier English-language website covering Japanese film (www.midnighteye.com). The writers have not only spent over four years researching, watching and writing about Japanese film and the film industry, but have performed amazing interviews with a variety of directors, actors, writers, and other players in the Japanese film industry.

Although this book is spawned from the efforts of Mes and Sharp, these is not simply a paper version of what is on their incredibly thorough website. This guide is made up of entirely expanded and original material and is truly a useful and fascinating guide for anyone with any interest in modern Japanese cinema. Ringu director Hideo Nakata wrote the foreword.

Like the deconstruction of the studio system in the US in the late sixties to seventies, Japan experienced a similar reconstruction in the 1990s. The Guide to New Japanese Film introduces us to the directors who have gained more and more exposure in the west since this revolution has begun. Although some of the directors started their work many decades ago (i.e. Seijun Suzuki and Kinji Fukasaku) their work continues into this new era.

The guide is intelligently divided into sections by director. Each director receives an in-depth introduction with filmography, and then close-up looks at selected titles are presented. This is a perfect organizational system for both new fans and longtime viewers. Readers just getting introduced to Japanese cinema can read some interesting introductions which don't require a degree from film school to understand, and more seasoned cinemaphiles can get caught up on their most admired directors as well as learning interesting stories about their favorite Japanese movies of the last fifteen years and beyond.

The final chapter is titled "The Other Players" and has an exhaustive list of other directors and works who have not built up a large enough library to merit a chapter of their own. Many of these are the up-and-comers we will surely be hearing more and more in the years to come, and will likely have their own chapters in the next installment of this guide.

It appears that nothing gets past the editors of Midnight Eye. A few pages are even dedicated to a personal favorite, 1983's The Family Game, staring Juzo Itami and Yusaku Matsuda. This book is written for a western audience, not translated from Japanese, and essential information like DVD availability of titles are presented by country. (One of this writer's frustrations with the otherwise finely-detailed Eros Plus Massacre by David Desser was never knowing if it was possible to actually see the films so richly described.)

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The Guide to Translation & Localization: Preparing for the Global Marketplace

This is the fifth edition of this award winning publication. The Guide to Translation and Localization is useful for everyone from rookies to veterans in translation and localization. The guide opens with an introduction and essential terms list. Among other things, these terms help differentiate the difference between localization and globalization. From there the guide explains the different options when tackling a translation job. It looks at the advantages and disadvantages of everything from asking a family member or friend to hiring a multi-language translation company. The guide then goes through the step-by-step process of a translation or localization project. Specific issues are addressed and lots of examples are given making this a very easy guide to use. The case studies give the reader specific examples of challenging issues (i.e. localizing taglines in advertisements), and how the staff at Lingo Systems tackled the problems.

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The Way of Taiko

This terrific book is a thorough introduction to taiko and everything involved with discovering and practicing taiko drumming.

Don't miss the forward written by Seiichi Tanaka, founder and director of San Francisco Taiko Dojo, and the man who is credited with the introduction of taiko drumming to the U.S. This, along with the author's preface, sets the stage for understanding the book's inception, and gives the reader a more personal view of the presence of taiko in the U.S.

In an inspiring introductory section, Varian discusses the original use of taiko in Japan. She tells of how the drum came to be regarded as a manifestation of the gods. And how the drum was used in spiritual practices and in times of celebration of harvest, seasonal changes, ancestor worship, the New Year, and much more. For all of these occasions the drum was there to represent the gods or otherwise call them to the celebration. The origin of the drum and drumming in Japan is closely tied into its indigenous form of worship, Shinto. And the author makes a point of tying in the root spiritual aspect of taiko with the present day practice.

Varian goes into detail regarding the equipment used in taiko, from the different types of drums themselves to the traditional regalia worn when performing. Photos serve as great visual examples of these traditional elements. Other instruments seen and heard at a taiko performance are also introduced. And the instruments' history, as well as methods of creating these intruments and playing them, is expressed.

The most fascinating and meaty part of the book is the section on training in taiko. The physical requirements are detailed, including specifics about the importance of stance and how to properly hold bachi (drumsticks). The mental and spiritual aspects of taiko are also well covered, with emphasis on practice permeating life. This is the 'way' that the title suggests. Integral concepts, such as waza (action), karada (body) and rei (etiquette) are explained in depth with kanji characters included for those who have a concurrent interest in Japanese language. The author highlights the proper way to interact with your taiko sensei and fellow drummers, especially in regard to joining a dojo for the first time.

A glossary by David Leong is included in the end, making this excellent introductory text to taiko a wonderful reference text as well.

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The Anatomy of Dependence

The discovery that a major concept of human feeling -- easily expressed in everyday Japanese -- totally resisted translation into a Western language led Dr. Takeo Doi to explore and define an area of the psyche which has previously received little attention. The resulting essay, The Anatomy of Dependence, is one of the most penetrating analyses of the Japanese mind ever written, as well as an important original contribution to psychology that transcends the boundaries of cultures and nations.

Published in Japan as Amae no Kozo (The Structure of Amae), Dr. Doi's work is focused upon the word "amae" (indulgence) and its related vocabulary. Expressive of an emotion central to the Japanese experience, "amae" refers to the indulging, passive love that surrounds and supports the individual in a group, whether family, neighborhood, or the world at large. Considering the lack of such words in Western languages, Dr. Doi suggests inherent differences between the two cultures -- contrasting the ideal of self-reliance with those of interdependence and the indulgence of weaknesses. Yet, he finds that Western audiences have no difficulty in recognizing and identifying with the emotions he describes, and are even searching for a way to express this need.

While there is no doubt that the concept of "amae" is more developed in Japan and the feelings it engenders more profound, Dr. Doi's work is widely recognized as having a universal application. This translation of his most important essay has now been long welcomed as a major contribution -- not only as an insight into the Japanese mind, but into the minds of men everywhere.

About the Author:
Takeo Doi (b. 1920), M.D., has served as a professor at the University of Tokyo and International Christian University, Tokyo, and is one of Japan's leading psychiatrists. Born in Tokyo, he graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1942. He held a number of posts at American institutes and universities, including fellowships at the Menninger School of Psychiatry and the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, and was visiting scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland. He also headed the psychiatric department at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo. Doi has published a number of works and contributed to many more, including The Anatomy of Dependence. (Source: publisher.)

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The Anatomy of Self: The Individual Versus Society

Like Doi's renowned Anatomy of Dependence, The Anatomy of Self addresses the question of the Japanese individual and his or her integration into Japanese society. Its approach is based on an analysis of the Japanese perception of public and private. What kind of society is made up of individuals capable of a constant traversing between behavior based on two simultaneously held, mutually contradictory modes of perception? Doi discusses this feature of the Japanese psyche, often referring to Western psychology. He compares the individual trauma that classic Western psychology believes to result from such a split, to the Japanese sense that adulthood is only achieved by acknowledging and accommodating the difference. Finally, the wide-ranging references to history and psychology serve to provoke thought on Freudian notions of the unconscious.

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A Rabbit's Eyes

A well known tale in Japan, and a favorite among teachers, only recently has A Rabbit's Eyes been translated into English. The basic story is not new: a young new teacher cuts her teeth and learns more than she teaches from her rag-tag class of elementary school students. However, the story goes much deeper and in different directions than other stories of this type. Our young teacher, Ms. Kotani, has found herself in a rather interesting first teaching position, as among the students she teaches is a small group of 'disposal plant children'. The parents of these children work at the nearby disposal plant, and their students are shunned and made fun of by their classmates. In particular is Tetsuzo, a student in Ms. Kotani's homeroom, who seems to almost be handicapped in his abilities to speak and write, but has hidden talents that Ms. Kotani slowly begins to appreciate.

Themes of insects are not new in Japanese literature (Kobe Abe's The Woman in the Dunes comes to mind), and here Haitani puts an interesting twist on a story that could have been all too typical. There is nothing surprising about children's fascination with insects (the present beetle boom in Japan aside), but the disposal plant children don't have access (or interest, for that matter) to the traditional bugs kids tend to raise, but the bugs which occupy the disposal plant, namely flies.

The use of flies by Haitani is an interesting story-telling tool, as the reader cannot help but sympathize with the young teacher's disgust at the pets these boys have chosen. However, acting on her dedication to her students, the teacher (as well as the reader) learns interesting and useful facts about a variety of species of flies, many contradicting the ideas that non-experts have held as true for generations. Despite their reputation, we learn how clean certain species of flies really are, for example.

The flies that one boy in particular, Tetsuzo, raise become a metaphor for the children themselves. As Ms. Kotani becomes more accustomed and accepting of her students and their habits she becomes an advocate for them, attempting to educate the other students, teachers, and parents about how special and important these children really are, as her students educate her about flies. As her passion and circle of influence increase, so does the level of the problems that arise. New teacher Kotani has to find strength in places she didn't know she had to help her students, but this comes with its own problems and sacrifices...

A Rabbit's Eyes starts out episodic. Each chapter is a small tale of a teacher and her students, often with some lesson learned or misunderstanding introduced and resolved. In a rather touching series of chapters, Ms. Kotani accepts a mentally challenged student named Minako into her class, and comes up with some clever ways to have her presence become an educational rather than distracting experience. The stories of Minako become some of the most touching ones in the book.

The prerequisite rebel teacher, Mr. Adachi, becomes a sort of mentor to Ms. Kotani. Loved by his students, but seen as a loose cannon by his colleagues, Mr. Adachi could have turned into a Mr. Kotter-type character, but Haitani doesn't allow him to stay simple and shallow. The author expands this character slowly as the book progresses to a very emotional and satisfying end. Despite Mr. Kotani's apparent aloofness, we see how much he really cares for his students, to a degree we all would wish we could imitate.

Despite the relatively light nature of the book, and the sometimes too-direct translations I found that the characters of A Rabbit's Eyes stick around long after the last page was read. Despite my initial expectations, through seeming simple anecdotes and episodes Haitani has created a very rich and moving book populated by a very worthy group of characters.

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The Method Actors

The Method Actors is not written by a Japanese author, but by a New Zealander, Carl Shuker, and is his first novel. In a sentence, The Method Actors accounts the story of a missing young historian in Tokyo, and the search to find him by his friends and family. But The Method Actors' near 500 pages contains much more, and in a way much less than that. Shuker writes scenes with such rich detail that it is hard for the reader not feel like he is actually there, even if nothing particularly happens in that scene. The chapters are broken up by character names, and we see sometimes the same scene from different perspectives in different parts of the book. These are written sometimes in the first-person, sometimes in third-person. Because the story is laid out non-chronologically, with close to a dozen main characters, a lot is required of the reader, which makes this book not exactly fit for casual reading, but readers that enjoy challenging and rich prose should be sucked in.

Most of the characters are well-off twenty-somethings who live and play in Tokyo. For the most part these friends and acquaintances of the missing Michael, are unlikable. Some have more redeeming qualities than others, and the stories and situations they get into are believable, if not a little disgusting. Several of the alcohol and drug-fueled scenes could have come from Bret Easton Ellis' Less Than Zero. The most interesting parts of the book are not during the lackluster search for the missing Michael, but the fascinating research Michael does about historical events and hallucinatory mushrooms. Also the solo Japanese character, former University student Yasuhiko, and his mushroom growing activities are surprisingly engaging, and his character becomes maybe the most fascinating as his story slowly unfolds. The meeting of Michael and Yasuhiko is fantastic, if not partially because it is one of the few truly meaningful events in the story.

Like a Gus Van Sant film, Shuker tries to paint a more complete picture than other authors, including sections with little more than just description. This is a risky technique, but Shuker has enough talent in his writing to pull it off, and the reader can feel like he is there, seeing, smelling, and hearing the surroundings. Choosing Tokyo as the set of this novel makes for an entire world of rich backgrounds worth exploring.

The reoccurring theme throughout the novel is mushrooms and their effects. One of the more interesting contentions in the book is the missing Michael's theory that certain events in history may have been created or distorted by rare strains of hallucinogenic fungus finding it's way into the food supplies of the participant populations. This idea is expanded into exploring the meaning of "history" itself, and the validity of what we as a society accept as givens. Overlaying this concept with the generally unmotivated attitudes of many of Michael's friends, who are more interested in scoring legal magic mushrooms and other cheap thrills, makes the reader wonder about the anti-history (reality-escaping) life choices the main characters tend to make. Shuker does a good job of recreating the survivalist-but-cool composure of mostly non-Japanese speaking ex-pats in Tokyo. Limited by language, they are also limited in the shops, bars and restaurants they can feel comfortable in. They begrudgingly depend on each other to expand their own experiences. It's unfortunate that too many of these experiences are in altered states of consciousness, but one can't feel bad about an embarrassing incident if one can't remember it. That makes their "history" questionable as well, and Michael's friends are for the most part too worried about their social status in their group, connected only by their gaijin status, than experiencing Japan or creating or remembering their own stories. Many of them are running away from something at home, and, as Michael proves, Tokyo is a perfect place to hide. This is not true of all of Michael's friends, but it is a recurring theme. Of course Tokyo being Tokyo, it can't help but seep into every part of the story, and makes for many interesting references to anyone who has been there.

Often when reading fiction I wonder who the intended audience is. It is a bit harder to tell with The Method Actors. Despite the rich descriptions, I wonder if someone who has never been to Japan would be able to appreciate the locations described without having a background there. In some places the author seems to assume the reader knows what he is talking about, mentions of Japanese retail department stores, train stations and darker dirtier districts that the uninitiated would be forced to gloss over. On the other hand, it could be this sense of disorientation is part of the author's intention. The book also contains a lot of romanized Japanese, translated when necessary, and not when not. There are even some mistakes in the translations ("se ga takai" cannot also mean "you are expensive"), but that may be on purpose to show the naivete of the character speaking.

This is a very ambitious effort, which goes in as many directions as there are characters. Some of these directions come to satisfying ends, and some do not. However, the parts that do work make the long read worthwhile. Shukar's writing is rich without being too dense, and the reader is carried along slowly, only to make sure nothing is missed. I look forward to his next work, especially if it is set again in Japan.

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Naoko

Keigo Higashino's genre-bending tale sometimes reads like a Stephen King thriller, and at other times a social satire of Japanese life. As the story opens, graveyard-shift employee Heisuke Sugita comes home from work to find his world turned upside down when watching the news he discovers his wife and daughter were in a bus accident. His wife is killed and his daughter survives...or does she? By some strange phenomenon his living daughter Monami's body contains the spirit and essence of his deceased wife, Naoko.

It is after all this is established that Higashino's novel really begins to shine. The reader cannot help but try to imagine what he would do if put in the same bittersweet situation; not knowing whether to celebrate the return of his dead wife, or mourn the sudden loss of his living daughter. Heisuke's problems do not end here, and at this point is where the dark humor of Naoko comes through. How do you interact with your adult wife when she lives in the body of your eleven-year-old daughter? Although the story initially focuses on Heisuke and his struggle with this new life, ample time is given to the even more confounding struggles of the second coming of junior high school life for the middle-aged Naoko. It is here, too, that the reader can see Japanese school and home life through the new eyes that Naoko sees them through. Treated as a child with the experience and intelligence of a grown woman creates more than a little frustration for Naoko. This makes for interesting social commentary, but at points the reader might get frustrated at Naoko's inability to "act her age".

Despite the richness of the situation, Higashino doesn't stop here and adds an interesting mystery to the story involving the driver of the bus which Monami and Naoko were riding. (The Japanese language version of the book won the Japanese Mystery Writers Award when it was released.) Just when we think Heisuke and Naoko have solved all their problems, the largest problem of all arises to a very satisfying finish. Naoko is not a complicated book, but it gives much food for thought as the everyman, Heisuke, deals with his unthinkable dilemma in a very real and human way. It's the realness of the characters (Heisuke more than Naoko/Monami) that makes the fantastic story more believable and harder to put down. As of this writing an English language film production of Naoko is in post-production and is scheduled to be in theaters some time this year under the title The Secret. The film version starts David Duchovny and Lili Taylor and is directed by Vincent Perez.

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The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture

Westerners who come to Japan for the first time know immediately that everything is different, but understanding how it is different is far more difficult. This book offers Westerners an invaluable key to understanding Japanese culture from the inside out. The book is a collection of twenty-eight essays that offer an informative, accessible look at the values, attitudes, behavior patterns, and communication styles of modern Japan from the unique perspective of the Japanese themselves.

A noted academic who teaches in Japan, Roger Davies explores the intellectual, spiritual, and behavioral cornerstones of Japanese culture that can help foreigners understand the people, the politics, and the lifestyle. He holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Wales, Bangor. He is Professor of Applied Linguistics at Ehime University in Matsuyama, Japan, and is Academic Director of Ehime Universtiy's English Education Center.

Osamu Ikeno holds master's degrees in linguistics and ESL from Kobe University and the University of Hawaii. He is Associate Professor of English Education in the Faculty of Education at Ehime University.

The Japanese Mind is an illuminating book for travelers, students, and anyone interested in building a familiarity with Japan.

Selections from the 28 chapter titles include:

• Aimai: Ambiguity and the Japanese
• Chinmoku: Silence in Japanese Communication
• Danjyo Kankei: Male and Female Relationships in Japan
• Giri: Japanese Social Obligations
• Sempai/Kouhai: Seniority Rules in Japanese Relations
• Soushiki: Japanese Funerals
• Uchi to Soto: Dual Meanings in Japanese Human Relations
• Wabi-Sabi: Simplicity and Elegance as Japanese Ideals of Beauty.

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Japan Unmasked: The Character & Culture of the Japanese

Despite the fact that Japan has had close relations with the West for over a hundred years, the amount of actual knowledge about Japan--as opposed to stereotypes or assumptions--is quite low. In Japan Unmasked, Boye Lafayette De Mente explores what it is that makes the Japanese "Japanese," and how Westerners can understand and deal with the fundamental differences in our ways of thinking and acting. Many of the points and issues brought up in the book will be interesting and enlightening even for the seasoned Japanophile, and is a good read for anyone wanting to increase their understanding of Japan and expand their cultural horizons.

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Japan's Cultural Code Words:
233 Key Terms That Explain the Attitudes and Behavior of the Japanese

In the maze of Japanese formalities, polite language, and culturally sensitive issues, it's easy for Westerners to become lost and confused about what exactly is "going on," and what Japanese people really mean when they say certain things. Japan's Cultural Code Words is an excellent guide to the meaning and connotation of many Japanese words that could potentially elude even Japanese-speaking Westerners. With Boye Lafayette De Mente's engaging writing style, precise definitions, and connotational background, this book is indispensable for those hoping to "decipher" the Japanese cultural and linguistic code.

Author Boye Lafayette De Mente is legend among students of Japanese culture. He published the very first book on doing business with the Japanese entitled Japanese Etiquette & Ethics in Business in 1959. He has written over 30 books on Japan, Korea, and China, with more constantly on the way. Many of his books fall into the category of tour guides and language guides (The Pocket Tokyo Subway Guide, for example), and are generally for those with little experience in Japan. Other books like culture and etiquette guides are for those with some foundation to build upon for example, Kata: The Key to Understanding and Dealing with the Japanese. He also writes at a level for those with a solid understanding of Japanese language and culture can learn from and enjoy as in Japan's Cultural Code Words: 233 Key terms That Explain the Attitudes and Behavior of the Japanese.

The structure of Japan's Cultural Code Words is made up of a collection of short essays on the nuances of the Japanese language and culture. De Mente gives definitions, the historical context, and usually an explanation as to "what this means for you" for non-native Japanese readers. The chapters are concise and entertaining, as well as informative. But make no mistake; this is not an introductory course in Japanese culture, but a broad look at over 200 "Japan-isms" that make the Japanese who they are. The target audience is readers (business people or otherwise) who have had some experience with Japan.,

The book covers a wide range of topics, and the use of "code words" in the title might imply that the book is limited to essays on language, when in reality there is much more. Some of the topics covered are more broad, like Bukkyo, or Buddhism, and Bushido, or "the way of the warrior", and some are very specific, like Kanban, the "just-in-time" parts delivery system developed at Toyota Motor Corporation.

Japan's Cultural Code Words opens with a too-brief introduction on the value of silence in Japanese communication (certainl