{"id":26730,"date":"2020-05-12T16:46:23","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T15:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/?p=26730"},"modified":"2020-05-14T06:27:34","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T05:27:34","slug":"paper-screens-book-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/12\/paper-screens-book-recommendations\/","title":{"rendered":"Paper Screens: Book Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">So<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0many wonderful books have been written to help us better understand the Japanese people.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">These books<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> help us reconcile the contradiction of a culture that finds beauty in unrefined simplicity and yet feels infinitely bizarre and complex to most <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">foreigners<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Travellers<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">, scholars, and Japanophiles have written volumes about how we should perceive the country and why things are the way they are. For decades, I have loved and devoured these books\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">by outsiders \u2013\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">but the greatest insights in understanding this wonderful country have come from Japanese authors writing about everyday subjects and with no intention of helping foreigners like myself better understand their country.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Fortunately for those who\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">can\u2019t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0read Japanese, many of the country\u2019s best authors are painstakingly translated into English to accurately capture the mood, ambiguity and poetry of the original. Here are two novels that are readily available in English<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">, which\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">can help you pull back the curtain on a society that sees the world just a little bit \u2013 or perhaps a lot<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">differently than most. \u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"none\">Banana Yoshimoto \u2013\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Kitchen<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Kitchen-Banana-Yoshimoto\/dp\/0571342728\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Banana+Yoshimoto+%E2%80%93+Kitchen&amp;qid=1589389676&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-26786 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Banana_Yoshimoto%E2%80%93Kitchen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"236\" \/><\/a>Banana Yoshimoto is internationally known but her stardom is particularly far-reaching in Japan. Having such an unforgettable name\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">doesn\u2019t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0hurt<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0but what really made her a household name was her debut novel\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Kitchen<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">. It was a blockbuster when released and now\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">gained<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0the status of a classic.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">A<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0theme of loss and sadness<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0pervades the book<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">, yet Yoshimoto handles the tragedies <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">heaped upon our protagonist with an understanding of the ephemeral nature of life that Japan has become almost synonymous with (thanks in no small part to the fact that it is regularly slammed with natural devastation in the form of earthquakes, landslides, fires, typhoons, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions). I reread this novel in the aftermath of the 2011 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, and\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">now the heartaches in this book feel forever connected to the terrible suffering wrought by that <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">triple tragedy<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">. But as with life, even in a pandemic or disaster, there are moments of joy, new friendships, drag bars and, of course, a kitchen.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"none\">Natsuo<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Kirino<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Out<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/B07F9NSNVX\/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-26783 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Out-Natsuo_Kirino.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"147\" height=\"206\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Don\u2019t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0be put off by the length of this book. The 400 pages turn themselves as you experience an underside of Tokyo that takes you beyond the warm smiles and thoughtful hospitality that we all experience as\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">travellers<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0in Japan. While I\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">wouldn\u2019t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0recommend trying to infer much about Japanese culture from the gruesome violence portrayed in\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Out<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">, it does show that the country isn\u2019t all geisha, sushi and bullet trains. Though most guidebooks would have you believe otherwise,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">it\u2019s<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0a rare few who spend their time thinking about tea ceremonies and flower arrangement. The everyday problems that affect us all are the same ones that dominate most Japanese lives.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Natsuo<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Kirino<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0gives us a pe<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">e<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">k at some of the<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">m<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0and along the journey takes us into the early morning work regimes of\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">bento\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">factories<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0and opens the door\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">to\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">the<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">apartment of a\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">blue<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">collar<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0family.\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Out\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">is immediately accessible and yet there is a tone and perspective that is uniquely Japanese. If you\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">aren\u2019t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> culture-shocked, there will be plenty else in this book that is sure to shock you.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Books by Banana Yoshimoto and Natsuo Kirino are available at all good online book stores. The images are provided as links and aren&#8217;t owned by this site.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F26730\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! So\u00a0many wonderful books have been written to help us better understand the Japanese people.\u00a0These books help us reconcile the contradiction of a culture that finds beauty in unrefined simplicity and yet feels infinitely bizarre and complex to most foreigners. Travellers, scholars, and Japanophiles have written volumes about [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2525,2367],"tags":[2604,4449,4452,4458,4474,4480],"class_list":["post-26730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-arts-and-entertainment","category-japanese-culture-and-history","tag-film","tag-book-review","tag-books","tag-paper-screens","tag-japanese-books","tag-literature"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26730"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26814,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26730\/revisions\/26814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}