Japan Travel History

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, "Two tigers cannot share the same mountain." However, in East Asia, there are three tigers on that mountain: China, Japan, and Korea, and they have a long history of turmoil and tension with each other. In his latest entertaining and thought-provoking narrative travelogue, Michael Booth sets out to discover how deep, really, the enmity is between these three "tiger" nations and what prevents them from making peace.

When Ian Buruma arrived in Tokyo in 1975, Japan was little more than an idea in his mind, a fantasy of a distant land. A sensitive misfit in the world of his upper middle class youth, what he longed for wasn't so much the exotic as the raw, unfiltered humanity he had experienced in Japanese theater performances and films, witnessed in Amsterdam and Paris.

Take a trip to old Japan with William Scott Wilson as he travels the ancient Kiso Road, a legendary route that remains much the same today as it was hundreds of years ago. The Kisoji, which runs through the Kiso Valley in the Japanese Alps, has been in use since at least 701 CE. In the 17th century, it was the route that the daimyo (warlords) used for their biennial trips - along with their samurai and porters - to the new capital of Edo (now Tokyo).

Aokigahara, also known as the sea of trees, is a forest on the flanks of Mount Fuji on the island of Honshu in Japan, spread over 30 square kilometres of rock hard lava which was laid down during the last major eruption of Mount Fuji in 864. The western edge of Aokigahara, where there are various caves that fill with ice in winter, is a popular destination for tourists. Parts of Aokigahara are very dense, and the porous lava rock absorbs sound, all adding to a sense of solitude that some visitors decide to be the perfect place to implement their final act.

How much do you know about Japan? Whether you’re planning a visit or are just fascinated by Japanese culture, you’ll enjoy learning all about the country famous for kitten cafes, Samurai and the Sky Tree. In this fascinating audiobook, narrator Charles King talks us through over 100 amazing facts, from interesting information about the country’s climate and geography to famous figures from history. For anyone wanting to find out more about Japan, a modern country yet one steeped in history and tradition, this is the perfect book.

Konnichi wa! Have you ever been to Japan? Learn about Japanese animals, foods, culture, and more to see what makes this Asian country unique. Carefully leveled text and critical thinking questions introduce young listeners to nonfiction.