I am an avid Japanophile! Pete and I have visited Japan three times but hunger for more and I’m often dreaming about, researching and planning for the next trip. I enjoy buying and reading books about Japan, and for many years, I’ve been saving a list of titles I’d like to read to an ever-growing wish-list. In this post I share a mammoth selection of over 200 books about Japan, including personal recommendations, lots of suggestions from friends, and items from that very long wish-list.
You’ll find books about Japanese food and drink; culture and history; about art, craft and architecture. There’s travel content ranging from classic guide books to travelogues by those who’ve explored extensively, or become a resident. And then there’s a wide range of fiction through the ages, much of it evocative of Japan or giving an insight into Japanese life.
100 Kyoto Sights: Discover the “Real” Japan by John Dougill (photography by Patrick Hochner)
The 1918 Shikoku Pilgrimage of Takamure Itsue by Itsue Takamure (translated by Susan Tennant)
The Adventures of Lily Huckleberry in Japan by Audrey Smit and Jackie Knapp
Angry White Pyjamas: An Oxford Poet Trains with the Tokyo Riot Police by Robert Twigger
Another Kyoto by Alex Kerr and Kathy Arlyn Sokol
The Art of Haiku: Its History Through Poems and Paintings by Japanese Masters by Stephen Addiss
The Art of Japanese Architecture: History / Culture / Design by David Young
The Art of Japanese Joinery by Kiyoshi Seike
The Art of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki
The Art of the Japanese Garden: History / Culture / Design by David Young and Michiko Young
Autumn Light: Japan’s Season of Fire and Farewells by Pico Iyer
The Bells of Old Tokyo: Travels in Japanese Time by Anna Sherman
A Beginner’s Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations by Pico Iyer
The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies Vol. 1: 1954-1982 by John LeMay
The Book of Basic Japanese Cooking by Shufunotomosha
The Book of Five Rings: The Strategy of the Samurai by Miyamoto Musashi
The Book of Tea: Beauty, Simplicity and the Zen Aesthetic by Okakura Kakuzo
Breaking Into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text by Giles Murray
Buddhist Statuary (Bilingual) by Ayako Ishii
The Charter: And Thirteen Other Stories about Japan by Roger Pulvers
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Clouds above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War by Shiba Ry Tar
Come and Sleep: The Folklore of the Japanese Fox by Christopher Kincaid
The Complete Book of Bonsai: A Practical Guide to Its Art and Cultivation by Harry Tomlinson
The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki: and the Thousand Paper Cranes by M. Sasaki
Cool Japan: A Guide to Tokyo, Kyoto, Tohoku and Japanese Culture Past and Present by Sumiko Kajiyama
Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen
Confessions of a Yakuza by Junichi Saga (translated by John Bester)
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
Deep Kyoto: Walks by multiple authors
A Dictionary of Japanese Food: Ingredients and Culture by Richard Hosking
Doctor’s Wife by Sawako Ariyoshi
Emplacing a Pilgrimage: The Oyama Cult and Regional Religion in Early Modern Japan by Barbara Ambros
The Era of Great Disasters: Japan and Its Three Major Earthquakes by Makoto Iokibe
Everyday Harumi: Simple Japanese Food for Family and Friends by Harumi Kurihara
Everyday Life in Traditional Japan by C.J. Dunn (illustrated by Laurence Broderick)
Exploring Kyoto: On Foot in the Ancient Capital by Judith Clancy
Exquisite Japan: Tokyo Sacred Shinto Shrines edited by Hidemi Takagi
For Fukui’s Sake: Two years in rural Japan by Sam Baldwin
Forms of Japan by Michael Kenna and Yvonne Meyer-Lohr
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The Furoshiki Handbook by Etsuko Yamada
A Geek in Japan: Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony by Hector Garcia
Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan by Richard Lloyd Parry
The Good Shufu: Finding Love, Self, and Home on the Far Side of the World by Tracy Slater
Granta 127: Japan (edited by Yuka Igarashi)
The Great Passage by Shion Miura (translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter)
Guide to the Gardens of Kyoto by Marc Treib and Ron Herman
Gyoza: The Ultimate Dumpling Cookbook: 50 Recipes from Tokyo’s Gyoza King by Paradise Yamamoto
Haiku Japanese Art and Poetry by Michiko Warkentyne and Barry Till
Handbook on Japanese Food: Carving Techniques for Seasonal Vegetables by Munehiro Shimatani
Handmade in Japan: The Pursuit of Perfection in Traditional Crafts (edited by Irwin Wong)
Harumi’s Japanese Kitchen by Harumi Kurihara
Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P Bix
History of Japan: A Captivating Guide to Japanese History
Hokkaido Highway Blues: Hitchhiking Japan by Will Ferguson (also published under the title Hitching Rides with Buddha)
Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave (British Museum) by Timothy Clark and Roger Keyes
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Houses and Gardens of Kyoto by Thomas Daniell (photography by Akihiko Seki)
How to Take a Japanese Bath by Leonard Koren (illustrated by Suehiro Maruo)
Ichigensan: The Newcomer by David Zoppetti (translated by Takuma Sminkey)
In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians: A Story Of Suppression, Secrecy And Survival by John Dougill
Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan by John Grant Ross
The Inland Sea by Donald Richie
Inside Japanese Ceramics: Primer of Materials, Techniques, and Traditions by Richard Wilson
The Isle of South Kamui and Other Stories by Kyotaro Nishimura (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
Japan Journeys: Famous Woodblock Prints of Cultural Sites in Japan by Andreas Marks
Japan: Season by Season by Sandrine Bailly
Japan: The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Japan: The World Vegetarian by Reiko Hashimoto
Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories by Florence Sakade
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji
Japanese Design Since 1945: A Complete Sourcebook by Naomi Pollock
The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War by S C Paine
Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Japanese Food Made Easy by Aya Nishimura
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The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives by Christopher Harding
Japanese Gardens: A Journey by Monty Don and Derry Moore
Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors by Sonoko Sakai
The Japanese Larder: Bringing Japanese Ingredients Into Your Everyday Cooking by Luiz Hara
Japanese Mind (2 Book Series) by Roger J. Davies and Osamu Ikeno,
The Japanese Pottery Handbook by Penny Simpson, Kanji Sodeoka, and Lucy Kitto
Japanese Proverbs: Wit and Wisdom: Wit and Wisdom by David Galef
Japanese Tales by Royall Tyler
Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edogawa Rampo
Japanese Tattoos: History Culture Design by Brian Ashcraft and Hori Benny
The Japanese Sake Bible by Brian Ashcroft
Japanese Visual Dictionary: A photo guide to everyday words and phrases in Japanese
Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage: The UNESCO World Heritage trek by Kat Davis
Japan’s World Heritage Sites: Unique Culture, Unique Nature by John Dougill
Kakurenbo: Or the Whereabouts of Zen Priest Ryokan by Eido Frances Carney
The Kizuna Coast: A Rei Shimura Mystery by Sujata Massey
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Kyoto: 29 Walks in Japan’s Ancient Capital by John H. Martin and Phyllis G. Martin
Kyoto: A Literary Guide (edited by John Dougill)
Kyoto: City of Zen: Visiting the Heritage Sites of Japan’s Ancient Capital by Ben Simmons
Kyoto: Seven Paths to the Heart of the City by Diane Durston
The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto by Pico Iyer
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever by Marie Kondo
Living Carelessly in Tokyo and Elsewhere: A Memoir by John Nathan
Looking for the Lost: Journeys Through a Vanishing Japan by Alan Booth
Lost Japan: Last Glimpse of Beautiful Japan by Alex Kerr
The Magic of Japan: Secret Places and Life-Changing Experiences by Hector Garcia
Making Pilgrimages: Meaning and Practice in Shikoku by Ian Reader
The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki
A Manga Lover’s Tokyo Travel Guide: My Favorite Things to See and Do In Japan by Evangeline Neo
The Meaning of Rice: And Other Tales from the Belly of Japan by Michael Booth
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
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Memories of Wind and Waves: A Self-Portrait of Lakeside Japan by Jun’ichi Saga
Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction by Christopher Goto-Jones
The Monocle Book of Japan by Tyler Brûlé
Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto (translated by Asa Yoneda)
My Awesome Japan Adventure: A Diary about the Best 4 Months Ever! by Rebecca Otowa
The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami (translated by Allison Markin Powell)
Needle-Watcher: The Will Adams Story British Samurai by Richard Blaker
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Okinawa: The History of an Island People by George Kerr
The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata (translated by J. Martin Holman
Old Kyoto: The Updated guide to Traditional Shops, Restaurants, and Inns by Diane Durston
One Love Chigusa by Soji Shimada (translated by David Warren)
Onsen of Japan: Japan’s Best Hot Springs and Bath Houses by Steve Wide
People From My Neighbourhood by Hiromi Kawakami
People Who Eat Darkness: Love, Grief and a Journey into Japan’s Shadows by Richard Lloyd Parry
A Pilgrim’s Guide to Forty-Six Temples by Shiro Usui (translated by S. Miller)
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon by Sei Shonagon (translated by Ivan Morris)
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Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo by Matthew Amster-Burton
The Printmaker’s Daughter by Katherine Govier
Recentering Globalization: Popular Culture and Japanese Transnationalism by Koichi Iwabuchi
Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan’s Food Culture by Matt Goulding
A Ride In The Neon Sun: A Gaijin in Japan by Josie Dew
The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
Samurai: An Illustrated History by Mitsuo Kure
The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama
Seeing Kyoto by Juliet Winters Carpenter
Seeing Zen: Zenga from the Kaeru-An Collection Hardcover by John Stevens and Felix Hess
Short Stories in Japanese (Bilingual) edited by Michael Emmerich
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (translated by Royall Tyler)
Through Japanese Eyes by Richard H. Minear
The Secret of the Blue Glass by Tomiko Inui (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
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Seeing Japan by Charles Whipple
The Shinto Cult by Milton S. Terry
Shoji Hamada: A Potter’s Way and Work (Ceramic Classics) by Susan Peterson
Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama (translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies)
So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
Something Wicked from Japan: Ghosts, Demons & Yokai in Ukiyo-e Masterpieces by Nakau Ei
Soul of Tokyo: A Guide to 30 Exceptional Experiences by Fany Péchiodat and Amandine Péchiodat
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (translated by Allison Markin Powell) (also published under the title The Briefcase)
Sumi-E: The Art of Japanese Brush Painting by Shozo Sato
Super Cheap Japan: Budget Travel in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima and Surrounding Areas
Sushi and Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking by Michael Booth
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa (translated by Alison Watts)
Tales of Japan: Traditional Stories of Monsters and Magic by Kotaro Chiba
Tattoos as Punishment: An Illustrated History of Tattooing in Japan by Eric Shahan
Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata (translated by Edward G. Seidensticker)
Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota
Tokyo Junkie: 60 Years of Bright Lights and Back Alleys… and Baseball by Robert Whiting
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Tokyo Kill: A Jim Brodie Thriller by Barry Lancet
Tokyo on Foot: Travels in the City’s Most Colorful Neighborhoods by Florent Chavouet
Tokyo Performance by Roger Pulvers
Tokyo Stories: A Japanese cookbook by Tim Anderson
Tokyo Style Guide: Eat Sleep Shop by Jane Lawson
Tokyo Underworld: The Fast Times and Hard Life of an American Gangster in Japan by Robert Whiting
Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri (translated by Morgan Giles)
The Tomb in the Kyoto Hills and Other Stories by Hans Brinckmann
Traces of Dreams: Landscape, Cultural Memory and the Poetry of Basho by Haruo Shirane
Traveller from Tokyo by John Morris
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella L. Bird
Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami
Vegan Japaneasy by Tim Anderson
Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton
The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi
Walking in Circles: Finding Happiness in Lost Japan by Todd Wassel
Walking the Kiso Road: A Modern-Day Exploration of Old Japan by William Scott Wilson
Washoku: Recipes From The Japanese Home Kitchen by Elizabeth Andoh
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The Way of Whisky: A Journey Around Japanese Whisky by Dave Broom
What’s What in Japanese Restaurants: A Guide to Ordering, Eating, and Enjoying by Robb Satterwhite
What Is Japanese Cinema? A History by Yomota Inuhiko
Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey by Marie Mutsuki Mockett
Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women by Kittredge Cherry
Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster’s Daughter by Shoko Tendo (translated by Louise Heal
Yubisashi Japanese Food Phrasebook by Toshiya Enomoto
Zen Gardens: The Complete Works of Shunmyo Masuno by Mira Locher
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Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!14 Comments to "Over 200 Books for Japanophiles"
Dear Kavey,
Wow! What a list!
I love how you have selected novels, short stories, history books, art, cooking, travel!
It’s a wonderfully eclectic list.
So much inspiration and food for thought here.
Thank you!
My pleasure, yes there’s a really wide range of genres!
Well, that’s my second mortgage application submitted 😉
I have deliberately not added up now much this full list might cost to buy! 😁😁😁
This is a good variety of books. I am going to read the Pico Iyer books soon. I have only been to the airport in Japan on my way to Korea, so I need to plan a trip there.
Do plan a trip when the world reopens for leisure travel again!
Only 200? Then what? LOL! All kidding aside, I would eat up that architecture book! Although I have yet to visit Japan, I absolutely love losing myself in the quiet solitude of a Japanese garden here in the US!
Haaaa, it could have been longer!
An impressive list of books for lovers of Japanese culture, customs, history, and cuisine. I’m impressed by this post.
Thank you!
That is a fantastic compilation of books about Japan, covering such a wide range of fiction and non-fiction and authors from different countries. Just by looking at this list, I can only imagine your love for Japan Kavita :-). I am familiar with the works of some of the authors on the list, like Murakami and Pico Iyer, and now I am going to add the other books and authors too on my to-read list. Thank you! 🙂
I hope you enjoy!
Oh my, this is a loooong list. It has guides of individual cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. I wonder if it would make sense to add a general travel guide for the whole country?
Great point! We do have a fair few but they have a particular focus, such as the cool japan guide. I will have a look and add a general all-Japan guide book in!