Recommendation for non-fiction books written by Japanese authors

12 comments

1. I read my 80 years of professional baseball by katsuya nomura and really enjoyed it

2. Murakami has written After the Quake and Underground, both of which are super fascinating accounts of pivotal moments in recent Japanese history.

3. Not sure if you’re interested in war stories, but 野火 (Nobi, English title: [Fires on the Plain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fires_on_the_Plain_(novel))) by Shōhei Ōoka is pretty good. Wikipedia article has a good summary:

   >The story is told through the eyes of a Private Tamura who, after being thrown out by his own company due to illness, chooses to desert the military altogether and wanders aimlessly through the Philippine jungle during the Allied campaign. Descending into delirium, Tamura is forced to confront nature, his childhood faith, hunger, his own mortality, and in the end, cannibalism.

   Only disclaimer is that I read the book in Japanese, so I can’t vouch for the quality of the English translation.

4. Confessions of a Yakuza by Junichi Saga was kind of interesting. It’s not quite as racy as the title suggests, but it it an interesting life history from very different times.

5. Ishimure Michiko’s Kukai Jodo (苦海浄土) on lives and deaths of people affected by the Minamata disease. I read it in Japanese, but I heard good things about the English translation, *Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow*. The narrative is at times very poetic – I’d recommend it if you look for stories more than facts.

6. It’s not clear from your question if you mean “in Japanese” or “in translation”, but if it’s the former and you’re up for a challenge, Masachi Osawa is a very prolific writer and is generally listed under “philosophy”.

   (There may be translations of his work; I am not sure)

7. This post does not spark joy!

8. Yakuza Moon. You get a little bit of everything from societal issues, history, romance, life and death, personal triumph.

   I’m not sure if Okamoto Taros work has been translated but his book was a philosophical joyride and I try my best to live by it every day.

9. A few on modern works on philosophy and art include:

   – **Reflections on Japanese Taste: The Structure of Iki** by Kuki Shuzo, an inquiry into the aesthetic concept of iki.
   – **In Praise of Shadows** by Tanizaki Junichiro, a curious and highly personal reflection on aspects of Japanese aesthetics
   – **The Body: Toward an Eastern Mind-Body Theory** by Yuasa Yasuo, an examination of the theory of the body within Eastern and Japanese thought
   – **The Unknown Craftsman** by Yanagi Soetsu, a reflection on Japanese approaches to the production and appreciation of crafts
   – **The Heart Sutra: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classic of Mahayana Buddhism** by Kazuaki Takahashi, which does what its subtitle suggests

   Also, I don’t think his works have been translated beyond excepts or short essays, but for a fascinating mix of traditional Japanese aesthetic concepts elucidated through a methodological foundation of European philosophy, the work of Onishi Yoshinori are great.

10. I can recommend [No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194746.No_Longer_Human). It’s kinda disturbing but a good read.

11. Osamu Dazai’s setting sun is also worth reading if you liked No longer human

    Also, Hardboiled and Hard Luck by Banana Yoshimoto, the second story of the book is non-fiction and about death

12. For fiction, I am a big fan of Abe Kobo. Stuff like the Box Man is great… I’m not sure if it’s exactly what you had in mind with “meaningful life stories” but it’s definitely not a sappy romance.