GENERAL INTERESTS

Japanese swords, particularly those wielded by famous samurai warriors, hold a continuing fascination for collectors of fine arts and historical military weapons.
This book is designed to enhance one's appreciation for the wide variety of Japanese swords (as well as their related polearms), their manufacture and their preservation.

A History of the Samurai tells the complete story of Japan's legendary warrior class from beginning to end—an epic tale of intrigue, bloodshed, and bravery that offers deep insight into a pivotal era of Japanese history and culture. With renewed global fascination fueled by popular shows like SHOGUN and other feudal Japan dramas, this book offers timely insight into the real warriors behind the legend.

**Winner of the North American Travel Journalists Association Silver Medal Prize**

Take a colorful tour of Japan's capital with this alternative Japan travel guide that explores Tokyo's distinctive architecture, fashion, food, and so much more.

Tokyo - Capital of Cool delves into Tokyo's Edo-era roots, its thirst to modernize while retaining its traditions, its amazing culinary heritage, and the impact of its creative youth population.

From the chic streets of Omotesando to the Tosho-gu shrine complex in Nikko, award-winning travel and fiction writer Rob Goss takes readers to the patchwork of districts and sights that comprise Tokyo and its neighboring towns.

With instructive drawings and step-by-step techniques, Inside Your Japanese Garden walks you through designing and creating your very own Japanese garden.
This book also features 19 gardens that author Sadao Yasumoro has designed and built in Japan, and some—like those at Visvim shop in Tokyo and at Yushima Tenjin in Tokyo—are open to the public. From small tsuboniwa courtyard gardens to a large backyard stroll garden with water features, stairs and walls, these real-life inspirations will help spark your own garden plan.

Japan's World Heritage Sites presents the exquisite temples, shrines, gardens, castles and natural wonders found throughout Japan which have now been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This new edition has more convenient size and includes many newly-designated UNESCO sites including:

Christian Sites in Nagasaki that tell the extraordinary story of Japan's Christians who continued to practice their faith in secret under penalty of death during Japan's feudal era
Meiji Industrial Sites which tell of the nation's rapid modernization during the Meiji period
The Munakata Shrine to seafaring deities on a forbidding island
The Tomioka Silk Mill which became a leader in Japan's export drive
The National Museum of Western Art, an architectural gem designed by Le Corbusier

100 Japanese Gardens is an ambitious attempt to profile the finest gardens in Japan, while also highlighting lesser known, but equally accomplished landscapes in less-visited parts of the country. A celebration of Japanese landscape design, this book features gardens from Kyoto and Tokyo, as well as from the sub-arctic island of Hokkaido and the semi-tropical islands of Okinawa.

This stunning guide covers all the places and experiences that foreign and Japanese visitors alike find so fascinating about Hokkaido—including the island's spectacular volcanic landscapes, the world's best powder skiing and some of Japan's most incredible ramen and sushI.

Small enough to carry while traveling in Japan, this book is an ideal travel companion for a Tokyo experience, whether you're planning a trip, already on your way, or merely dream of going.

A series of 50 informative mini essays are organized into four chapters:

Tokyo's Edo Legacy
Tokyo Towns
City Perspectives
Spirit of Tokyo

It weaves a tapestry of the city's many unique idiosyncrasies, offering strategies for exploring the High City to the Low City, Tokyo Bay to the top of Tokyo Skytree, and the most critical places and happenings in between, including architecture, festivals, and landmarks. It also beautifully captures the many inhabitants of Tokyo, painting a rich and multi-faceted picture of this capital city.

A History of Tea tells the compelling story of the rise of tea in Asia and its eventual spread to the West and beyond. From the Chinese tea houses of the ancient Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Japanese tea ceremonies developed by Zen Buddhist monks, and the current social issues faced by tea growers in India and Sri Lanka—this fascinating book explores the complex history of this universal drink.
This in-depth look illuminates the industries and traditions that have developed as tea spread throughout the world and it explains how tea is transformed into the many varieties that people drink each day.

**Winner of the American Horticultural Society Book Award**

The Art of the Japanese Garden is a comprehensive collection of the most notable gardens in Japan—including graveled courtyards, early aristocratic villas, palace gardens, esoteric and paradise gardens, Zen gardens, warrior gardens, tea gardens, and stroll gardens. With an impressive amount of new content, including more than 30 images, this updated edition offers inspiring ideas for your own trip to Japan. If you're just dreaming of traveling to Japan, there is also a section on Japanese gardens in other countries—get a taste of Japanese culture and tradition closer to home.

This book is a labor of love from master photographer Ben Simmons and longtime Kyoto-based writer Judith Clancy. It contains lyrical images and poetic essays describing Kyoto's most famous gardens—most of them now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including:
-Kyoto's Old Imperial Palace Garden
-Heian Jingu Shrine Garden
-Ginkaku-ji Pure Land Garden
-Kinkaku-ji Estate Garden
-Ryoan-ji Zen Rock Garden...

Japanese gardens are found throughout the world today—their unique forms now considered a universal art form. This stunning Japanese gardening book examines the work of five leading landscape architects in North America who are exploring the extraordinary power of Japanese-style garden design to create an immersive experience promoting personal and social well-being.

First revealed to Westerners in the chronicles of Marco Polo, Japan was a legendary faraway land defended by a fearsome Kamikaze storm and ruled by a divine sovereign. It was the terminus of the Silk Road, the furthest end of the known world, a fertile source of inspiration for European artists, and an enduring symbol of the mysterious East. In recent times, it has become a powerhouse of global industry, a nexus of popular culture, and a harbinger of post-industrial decline.

The Way of the Gods: Prehistoric and Mythical Japan
A Game of Thrones: Minamoto vs. Taira
Time Warp: 200 Years of Isolation
The Stench of Butter: Restoration and Modernization
The New Breed: The Japanese Miracle

*Top 10 Nominee of the Spirited Award from the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation*

Authors and experts Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay personally undertook the challenge of visiting 35 artisanal sake breweries in Japan, the US, and Canada to interview makers and document every stage of the sake brewing process.

With over 300 color photos and a lively narrative, this fascinating book provides:

A comprehensive introduction to the science and history of sake brewing in Japan
A look at how fine craft sakes are brewed today using traditional methods and no additives—only rice, water, koji, and yeast
Histories of Japan's venerable breweries, some of them over 300 years old!
An answer to why some breweries are able to turn out a superior quality of sake
A discussion of rice varieties and the contentious topic of terroir in the context of sake making.

Focusing on Tokyo and its surrounding areas, photojournalist Stephen Mansfield brings this buzzing place to life within these pages. He presents all the well-established sights along with many new ones that are not "discovered" yet. This book will provide inspiration for every traveler—whether your interests are J-culture, fashion, food, traditional crafts, gardens or nature trails.