Paralleling the life and death of Dazai himself, the weaving of fact and fiction remorselessly documents via journals the life of Yozo, a university student who spends his time in increasing isolation and debauchery. His doomed love affairs, suicide attempts, and constant fear of revealing his true self haunt the pages of the book and reveal a slow descent into madness. This dark tale nevertheless conveys something authentic about the human heart...

A little girl is determined to make perfect nigiri sushi for her grandmother, but her efforts only lead to frustration, until a surprising discovery helps her understand that cooking with love is more important than cooking perfect food.

Whether you're dreaming about your first journey, revisiting the trip of a lifetime or simply in love with all things Japan, Be More Japan will transport you to this fascinating country.

"Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told that he was a 'do-nothing' because he lacked initiative. Dispirited and unemployed, it occurred to him that if he was so good at doing nothing, perhaps he could turn it into a business. And with one tweet, he began his business of renting himself out to do nothing. Morimoto, aka Rental Person, provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. Sitting with a client undergoing surgery, accompanying...

"Born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and an American father in 1997, Christine Mari Inzer spent her early years in Japan and relocated to the United States in 2003. The summer before she turned sixteen, she returned to Tokyo, making a solo journey to get reacquainted with her birthplace. Through illustrations, photos, and musings, Inzer documented her journey. In Diary of a Tokyo Teen, Inzer explores the cutting-edge fashions of Tokyo's trendy Harajuku...

Megan explores Buddhist temples, world heritage sites, and bargains at the city's best flea market. She then learns the art of Zen meditation and visits the Gion distract, home to many of Kyoto's few hundred remaining Geisha. She then travels to bustling Osaka, and Iga-Ueno then continuing by train through the Japanese Alps and by ferry to the remote Sado Island. Finally, in Himeji, she witnesses a dramatic fighting festival.

"Set in an apartment complex on the outskirts of Tokyo, Murasaki Yamada's Talk to My Back (1981-84) explores the fraying of Japan's suburban middle-class dreams through a woman's relationship with her two daughters as they mature and assert their independence, and with her husband, who works late and sees his wife as little more than a domestic servant."--Amazon.

A Japanese family mourns the loss of a wife and mother by making origami cranes and using the Wind Telephone to communicate their feelings of loss and yearning.

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way - except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers. Kaneki meets Shu Tsukiyama, known as The Gourmet for his interesting and sadistic tastes. And Kaneki learns...

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way - except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers. Kaneki meets Shu Tsukiyama, known as The Gourmet for his interesting and sadistic tastes. And Kaneki learns...