As Paul schrader writes in his perceptive foreword, Richie's accounting of the Japanese film "retains his sensitivity to the actual circumstances of film production (something filmmakers know very well but historians often overlook) . . . and shows the interweave of filmmaking—the contributions of directors, writers, cinematographers, actors, musicians, art directors, as well as financiers."

Of primary interest to those who would like to watch the works introduced in these pages, Richie has provided capsule reviews of the major subtitled Japanese films commercially available in DVD and VHS formats. This guide has been updated to include not only the best new movie releases, but also classic films available in these formats for the first time.

"Richie is a stupendous travel writer; the book shines with bright witticisms, deft characterizations of fisherfolk, merchants, monks and wistful adolescents, and keen comparisons of Japanes and Western culture." -San Francisco Chronicle

"A learned, beautifully paced elegy."-London Review of Books

Sheltered between Japan's major islands lies the Inland Sea, a place modernity passed by. In this classic travel memoir, Donald Richie embarks on a quest to find Japan's timeless heart among its mysterious waters and forgotten islands. This edition features an introduction by Pico Iyer, photographs from the award-winning PBS documentary, and a new afterword. First published in 1971, The Inland Sea is a lucid, tender voyage of discovery and self-revelation.

Donald Richie is the foremost authority on Japanese culture and cinema with 40+ books in print.

"Wonderfully evocative and full of humor... honest, introspective, and often poignant."-New York Times

"No one has written with more concentration about the peculiar quality of exile enjoyed by the gaijin, the foreigner in Japan."-London Review of Books

"To read [The Donald Richie Reader and The Japan Journals] is like diving for pearls. Dip into any part of them and you will surely find treasures about the cinema, literature, traveling, writing. The passages are evocative, erotic, playful, and often profound."-Japanese Language and Literature

Donald Richie has been observing and writing about Japan from the moment he arrived on New Year's Eve, 1946. Detailing his life, his lovers, and his ideas on matters high and low, The Japan Journals is a record of both a nation and an evolving expatriate sensibility. As Japan modernizes and as the author ages, the tone grows elegiac, and The Japan Journals-now in paperback after the critically acclaimed hardcover edition-becomes a bittersweet chronicle of a complicated life well lived and captivatingly told.

Donald Richie, the eminent film historian, novelist, and essayist, still lives in Tokyo.

Donald Richie's many books include The Films of Akira Kurosawa, The Japanese Tattoo, and the PBS favorite The Inland Sea. Vienna resident Arturo Silva lived in Japan for 18 years.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; COLOR: #009900"> <font color="#000000" size="3"> <span lang="EN" style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">"To read [The Donald Richie Reader and The Japan Journals] is like diving for pearls. Dip into any part of them and you will surely find treasures about the cinema, literature, traveling, writing. The passages are evocative, erotic, playful, and often profound." – Japanese Language and Literature

 

"Wonderfully evocative and full of humor... honest, introspective, and often poignant."-New York Times

"No one has written with more concentration about the peculiar quality of exile enjoyed by the gaijin, the foreigner in Japan."-London Review of Books

"To read [The Donald Richie Reader and The Japan Journals] is like diving for pearls. Dip into any part of them and you will surely find treasures about the cinema, literature, traveling, writing. The passages are evocative, erotic, playful, and often profound."-Japanese Language and Literature

Donald Richie has been observing and writing about Japan from the moment he arrived on New Year's Eve, 1946. Detailing his life, his lovers, and his ideas on matters high and low, The Japan Journals is a record of both a nation and an evolving expatriate sensibility. As Japan modernizes and as the author ages, the tone grows elegiac, and The Japan Journals-now in paperback after the critically acclaimed hardcover edition-becomes a bittersweet chronicle of a complicated life well lived and captivatingly told.

Donald Richie, the eminent film historian, novelist, and essayist, still lives in Tokyo.