I know it’s not a physical book, but it’s an awesome Audio-book that can be great for short or long trips. Anyone interested in Japan, or anyone wanting to expand their knowledge of Japan’s Rich History & Culture, I highly recommend the audio-book “Understanding Japan: A Cultural History” By: Mark J. Ravina (who also narrates it). Each chapter is set up like an interesting and informative mini college lecture building on each other. It includes a bit of history, legends, politics, and more all intertwined together. I Just finished it (12hr run-time, each chapter/lecture is approximately 30mins. long), and I found it was very well written and clarifies many common misconceptions about Japan. The version in the link also comes with a very detailed supplemental course guide that has many pictures and additional reference materials.
Link to Audio-book:
audible.com
Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Japan's extraordinary culture is like no other in the world, and it remains mysterious to many of us. And that's unfortunate, because to truly understand Japan's influence on the world stage, one needs … Continue reading
