Biography books from Japan
Recommended biography books (11)
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
If you are into biography here are some biography books from Japan for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge.
1.
A River in Darkness : One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa EN
Description:
Previously published in Japan in 2000. Translated from Japanese by Risa Kobayashi and Martin Brown. First published in English by AmazonCrossing in 2017.
2.
Autobiography of a Geisha by Sayo Masuda, G. G. Rowley EN
Description:
A geisha describes her sale to a geisha house at the age of six, her traditional training, her debut in 1940 at the age of sixteen, and her work at a hot-springs resort, where the realities of everyday life were far removed from the more recognized glamorous geisha quarter of Japan.
3.
Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota EN
Description:
Yumiko Kadota was every Asian parent's dream- model student, top of her class in medical school and on track to becoming a surgeon. A self-confessed workaholic, she regularly put 'knife before life', knowing it was all going to be worth it because it would lead to her longed-for career. But if the punishing hours in surgery weren't hard enough, she also faced challenges as a young female surgeon navigating a male-dominated specialty. She was regularly left to carry out complex procedures without senior surgeons' oversight; she was called all sorts of things, from 'emotional' to 'too confident'... continue
4.
Geisha : A Life by Mineko Iwasaki EN
Description:
A Kyoto geisha describes her initiation into an okiya at the age of four, the intricate training that made up most of her education, her successful career, and the traditions surrounding the geisha culture.
5.
Mornings Without Mii by Mayumi Inaba EN
Description:
INDIE BESTSELLER A Must-Read: The New Yorker * Literary Hub * The Millions * Kirkus Reviews * Shelf Awareness * BookBub "I have never read a book quite like this. [A] profoundly real, specific, moving, and beautifully written story." ―Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or "[A] moving memoir . . . [of] the daily joys and intimacies of having a pet . . . Inaba's portrait of the human-feline relationship is reverential, an expression of devotion." --The New Yorker Mornings Without Mii is a beloved Japanese modern classic: a deeply affecting story of solitude, independence, writing, grief, love, and l... continue
6.
Rental Person Who Does Nothing : A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto EN
Description:
Need a rental person who does nothing? Shoji Morimoto provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. After an old boss told him that he contributed nothing and that it made no difference whether he showed up to work or not, he wondered if a person who ‘does nothing’ could still have a place in the world. With a tweet, his Rental Person service was born. - Have a deep secret you desperately need to reveal, so deep that you can’t tell a friend or family member? - Have you spent a long time home alone, and want to know what it’s like to have somebody with you at your apartment... continue
7.
Samurai! by Saburo Sakai, Martin Caidin, Fred Saito EN
Description:
Saburo Sakai was Japan's greatest fighter pilot to survive World War II. A veteran of more than two hundred dogfights, Sakai reportedly shot down sixty-four Allied planes, but he is best known for flying his crippled Zero nearly 600 miles to safety while partially paralyzed and nearly blind from multiple wounds.
8.
The Bookshop Woman by Nanako Hanada EN
Description:
'An irresistible treat for all bibliophiles' Waterstones THE BOOKSHOP WOMAN IS A LOVE STORY, A LOVE STORY ABOUT BOOKS Nanako Hanada's life has not just flatlined, it's hit rock bottom... Recently separated from her husband, she is living between 4-hour capsule hostels, pokey internet cafes and bookshop floors. Her work is going no better - sales at the eccentric Village Vanguard bookstore in Tokyo, which Nanako manages, are dwindling. As Nanako's life falls apart, reading books is the only thing keeping her alive. That's until Nanako joins an online meet-up site which offers 30 minutes with so... continue
9.
The Life of a Stupid Man by Ryunosuke Akutagawa EN
Description:
'What is the life of a human being - a drop of dew, a flash of lightning? This is so sad, so sad.' Autobiographical stories from one of Japan's masters of modernist story-telling. Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems e... continue
10.
Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyonagi EN
Description:
This engaging series of childhood recollections tells about an ideal school in Tokyo during World War II that combined learning with fun, freedom, and love. This unusual school had old railroad cars for classrooms, and it was run by an extraordinary man-its founder and headmaster, Sosaku Kobayashi--who was a firm believer in freedom of expression and activity. In real life, the Totto-chan of the book has become one of Japan's most popular television personalities--Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. She attributes her success in life to this wonderful school and its headmaster. The charm of this account has w... continue