Japanese Politics

Beginning students in Japanese martial arts, such as karate, judo, aikido, iaido, kyudo, and kendo, learn that when they are in the dojo (the practice space), they must don their practice garb with ritual precision, address their teacher and senior students in a specific way, and follow certain unwritten but deeply held codes of behavior. But very soon they begin to wonder about the meaning behind the traditions, gear, and relationships in the dojo.

Who knew the path to enlightenment could start with a cup of tea? Learn the hidden significance behind the deceptively simple Zen tea ceremony - one which can lead directly to Buddhahood and its absolute truth. D.T. Suzuki, once Japan's leading authority on Zen Buddhism, describes the tearoom and the tea ceremony and explains the guiding principles of harmony, reverence, purity, and tranquility.

Euphemistically labeled as the "Water Supply and Prophylaxis Administration" and "HippoEpizootic Administration" of the Imperial Japanese Army, Unit 731 and Unit 100, as well as their subsidiary branches, performed human experimentation on the innocents under the leadership of Dr. Ishii Shiro. Although the exact number of victims is unclear since the Japanese destroyed most of the evidence at the end of the war, but it ranged from 3,000-250,000 innocent men, women, and children.

「５％の優秀な人間」のシンプルな成功法則。

鋼のメンタル王・ひろゆきが教えるいつでもどこでもマイペースを貫く、逆転の思考法!◎イライラが消える!◎他人に振り回されない!◎どんな相手にもビビらない、ブレない!

On October 24, 1944, more than 200 American soldiers were surrounded by German infantry deep in the Vosges Mountains of Eastern France. When their food, ammunition, and medical supplies ran out, the area's army headquarters turned to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit of Japanese American soldiers, to achieve what other units had failed to do: rescue the "lost battalion".

「時間が増えた! 」と大好評。 10万部突破のロングセラー !!

「本書は外交官としての私の遺言だ」前駐豪大使　覚悟の手記　日本を駄目にした政治家と官僚は誰だ？前駐オーストラリア大使が40年間の外交官人生を懸けた覚悟の手記！

Each story reveals a piece of the Japanese spirit and shows how these old tales still matter today. Download this audiobook to start your journey into the world of Japanese folktales and legends!

Dreux Richard presents post-Fukushima Japan in three illustrative parts. He follows members of Japan’s Nigerian community, whose struggles with a hostile immigration system lead to the death of a Nigerian immigrant in a Japanese detention center, investigated here for the first time. In Japan’s northernmost city, Richard goes door to door with the region’s youngest census employee, meeting the city’s elderly residents and documenting the stories that comprise the nation’s record-breaking population decline. Finally, he takes us into the offices of energy executives....

嫉妬感情にまつわる物語には事欠かない。古典から現代劇まで、あるいは子どものおとぎ話から落語まで、この感情は人間のおろかさと不合理を演出し、物語に一筋縄ではいかない深みを与えることで…

大増量150ページ!! 65万部突破のベストセラー歴史本、満を持して、待望の文庫化!黒船来航により、二百六十五年にもわたる江戸時代が終わりを告げた。明治維新というかつてない劇的な変革に

Looking for greater peace and satisfaction? Look no further than the Japanese concept of ukeireru, or acceptance. Psychologist Scott Haas offers an elegant, practical, and life-changing look at ways we can reduce anxiety and stress and increase overall well-being.

The Book of Tea (1906) by Okakura Kakuzō is a long essay which examines the role of chadō (Teaism) in the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. The author explains Teaism as “a philosophy founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence”. Originally written in English for a western audience, the essay deals with the spiritual traditions of Zen and Taoism, as well as the secular side of tea in Japanese life.

In Special Duty, Richard J. Samuels dissects the fascinating history of the intelligence community in Japan. Looking at the impact of shifts in the strategic environment, technological change, and past failures, he probes the reasons why Japan has endured such a roller-coaster ride when it comes to intelligence gathering and analysis, and concludes that the ups and downs of the past century - combined with growing uncertainties in the regional security environment - have convinced Japanese leaders of the critical importance of striking balance between power and insight.

Según los japoneses, todos tenemos un motivo para existir, es decir, un ikigai. Algunas personas lo encuentran con más facilidad, y otras aún siguen en su búsqueda. Hay también quienes viven su ikigai pero sin saberlo, y por lo tanto, sin la oportunidad de desarrollarlo en todo su esplendor.

暇とは何か。人間はいつから退屈しているのだろうか。答えに辿り着けない人生の問いと対峙するとき、哲学は大きな助けとなる。著者の導きでスピノザ、ルソー、ニーチェ、ハイデッガーなど先人たちの叡智を読み解けば、知の樹海で思索する喜びを発見するだろう。

According to the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai, the existence of each of us has a purpose, a real mission that must be pursued to find maximum gratification in our days. It is no coincidence that anyone who has discovered what their purpose is is happier, more satisfied, energetic, and able to face any difficulty that fate puts before them. Living life according to our ikigai leads to enormous benefits in personal and work relationships, and it allows us to act as fulfilled and successful people full of joy in carrying out our projects.

Between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. government wrongfully imprisoned thousands of Japanese American citizens and profited from their labor. Japanese American Incarceration recasts the forced removal and incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II as a history of prison labor and exploitation.

芥川賞作家でもある著者の、禅的生活のエッセイ集。独特の視点で語られる「禅の世界」を味わってみませんか?


この本は、臨済宗妙心寺派福聚寺の副住職であり、芥川賞作家でもある玄侑和尚が雑誌・新聞等に掲載した短いエッセイをまとめたものです。

以前訪れた動物園の水槽で、ヌボーッと佇んでいたサンショウウオ。
その何をするでもないが、仄かな明るさを纏った彼(彼女?)の姿と、
「八風吹けど動ぜず」という禅の言葉が、和尚の中でリンクしたのです。
それ以来、和尚の中にはある種憧れのようなサンショウウオが一匹住み始めました。

もうひとつ禅の言葉で、「放下(ほうげ)」というものがあります。
一瞬ごとに「今」という一瞬が死に、新しく次の「今」という一瞬がやってくる。
悲しみや怒りの時間を捨て、新たに展開した笑顔の時間を人は生きるのです。

和尚は、「新しい一瞬一瞬を重ね塗りせず生きていくから、
いつまでたってもその色合いは鮮やかであり、明るい」と説きます。

自分だけのサンショウウオを飼いながら、人生をゆらり、どっしり、たまにはテキパキと、鼻歌でも歌いながら明るい人生を過ごしましょう。