Books by Watanabe Hiroshi
“The book was very much written to appeal to people who don’t have a background in Japanese history or Japanese political thought. It’s really wonderful. It tackles the early modern period, all the way across the Meiji transformation into the early twentieth century. There’s something about this book that really gets at a lot of unspoken assumptions, that tries to think about the common sense of this particular era in a way that transports you into the past.” Read more...
The best books on Japanese History
Adam P. Bronson, Historian
Interviews where books by Watanabe Hiroshi were recommended
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1
Convenience Store Woman: A Novel
by Sayaka Murata -
2
The Memory Police
by Yōko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder -
3
All She Was Worth
by Alfred Birnbaum (translator) & Miyuki Miyabe -
4
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Haruki Murakami -
5
The City and Its Uncertain Walls: A Novel
by Haruki Murakami -
6
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
by Hayao Miyazaki
Books By Japanese Authors
Books By Japanese Authors
Japanese literature has always performed strongly on Five Books, so we’ve put together an overview of some of the books on our site by Japanese authors that have previously been recommended by our expert interviewees—from contemporary novels shortlisted for the International Booker Prize to classic works of literature, and everything in between.
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1
A History of Japanese Political Thought, 1600-1901
by Watanabe Hiroshi -
2
As We Saw Them: The First Japanese Embassy to the United States
by Masao Miyoshi -
3
Rearranging the Landscape of the Gods: The Politics of a Pilgrimage Site in Japan, 1573-1912
by Sarah Thal -
4
Japan’s Total Empire: Manchuria and the Culture of Wartime Imperialism
by Louise Young -
5
Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen, and the West
by Shoji Yamada
The best books on Japanese History, recommended by Adam P. Bronson
The best books on Japanese History, recommended by Adam P. Bronson
From myths about Zen and spiritual fulfilment to the reality of Japan’s religious pluralism, from the impact of Confucian political philosophy to the occupation of Manchuria, historian Adam P. Bronson recommends books to get started on Japanese history.
