false 0 96 83 true 5672152 read 6 true 3272522 currently-reading 7 true 3272521 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31612028 to: 英文版 居酒屋料理帖 - Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook (ハードカバー) by Mark Robinson
One of my favorite Japanese restaurants is the izakaya, the Japanese pub where you enjoy light foods with a variety of drinks, all in a relaxed and easygoing atmosphere. Izakaya food has gotten a bad reputation due to the prevalence of cheap chain stores around stations. For the real izakaya experience you have to hunt for the individualistic places where the cook still cooks with fresh ingredients, standing behind the counter, and where usually the choice of sakes is excellent as well. Izakaya, the Japanese Pub Book introduces eight brilliant establishments from Tokyo, all with their own characteristics: passionate chefs, superb food and loyal customers. Author Mark Robinson also includes 60 recipes for culinary do-it-yourselvers. He discusses cooking techniques and ingredients and helps first-timers by providing guidance on izakaya manners and language. The book is interspersed with smaller articles on such useful subjects as izakaya history and Japanese aromatics. In short, this “gateway to Japan's friendliest dining experience” is a beguiling window on a cornerstone of Japanese food culture.
For a longer review, see my website: http://www.japannavigator.com/2008/10/11...
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31699576 to: A Geisha's Journey : My Life as a Kyoto Apprentice (Hardcover) by Naoyuki Ogino
Kodansha has published a beautiful photo book called A Geisha's Journey, My Life as a Kyoto Apprentice. The initiative for the book was taken by young photographer Ogino Naoyuki and its subject is a Japanese teenager and later young woman called Nasu Ruriko who was born in Mexico and after that lived with her parents in China. These foreign experiences awakened her interest in her Japanese roots and everything "wa" (traditionally Japanese). She especially liked to wear kimono and wanted to be able to explain Japanese culture to others..

After reading a geiko blog on the internet she started corresponding with the writer, Koito (Takeda Ikuko), and ended up as a maiko with this "elder sister" in Miyagawacho in Kyoto.

After following her for many years with his camera, Ogino taped her story and the explanations she gave of his photos, so what we have here is a very lively and vernacular account.The photo's have a certain grainy quality, as opposed to being flashy, which adds to the realism of the book. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31889474 to: Rashomon and Other Stories (Paperback) by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Older translation that has been surpassed by the newer renderings of Jay Rubin and Charles de Wolf. The only reason it remains on my bookshelf is that it includes one story they skipped: Yam Gruel, a story about infatuation that is one of my favorite Akutagawa "gems." ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31506146 to: Kappa (Paperback) by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Kappa is a novella by Akutagawa Ryunosuke, translated by Geoffrey Bownas. Kappa are creatures from Japanese folklore, scaly, child-sized beings with a face like a tiger and a sharply pointed beak. Kappaland serves as a satire of Japanese society and customs. Good introduction by G.H. Healey. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31556502 to: Mandarins: Stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (Paperback) by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
At about the same time that Jay Rubin’s new translation in Penguin appeared, also Mandarins: Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (Archipelago Books, 2007), translated by Charles de Wolf, was published. This is also an excellent volume and happily among the 15 stories selected, there is only an overlap of a few stories with Rubin. Most of these tales are set in modern times, as the title story "Mandarins."
Highly recommended. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31889469 to: Japanese Short Stories. (Hardcover) by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
One of the older collections of stories by Akutagawa. Surpassed by several newer translations, it does include a few stories not re-translated, as "Heichu, the Amarous Genius." ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31556482 to: Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Perfectly translated new edition of famous classical stories as "Rashomon," "In a Bamboo grove," "The Nose," "Dragon," "Hell Screen" and "The Spider's Thread." Akutagawa used to be only available in somewhat antiquated translations, so this new translation is very welcome. Besides historical fiction, also several modern stories have been included. "The Story of a Head that Fell Off" is the perfect anti-war tale; and "Horse Legs" is a Kafkian fantasy even Abe Kobo could not have bettered. The final section is dedicated to autobiographical stories - Akutagawa’s family problems, and his increasing fear of going insane (like his mother before him), which eventually led to his suicide. "Spinning Gears" is the strongest here - the reader almost feels he is pulled down the same dark hole as Akutagawa himself. See my website Japan Navigator for a full review and discussion of the actual Rashomon Gate. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31889465 Shirobamba: A Childhood in Old Japan (Paperback) by Yasushi Inoue
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31889458 to: Roof Tile of Tempyo (Paperback) by Yasushi Inoue
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31889456 Counterfeiter (Hardcover) by Yasushi Inoue
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