"This is the best kanji book available today. Designed for beginners with a basic knowledge of Japanese to use in the classroom on for self–study."—Modern Language JournalEveryday tasks like finding a street address or buying a train ticket can be an ordeal in Japan if you don't read kanji–the system of Japanese writing based on Chinese characters. A group of teachers from the prestigious University of Tokyo have pooled their talents to create 250 Essential Japanese Kanji Characters in two volumes: a practical way to learn the kanji most frequently used in daily life in Japan. Each lesson helps you master a new group of kanji, using an extremely effective approach that focuses on you, the learner, taking an active part.Introductory Quizzes introduce everyday situations where you encounter kanji.Vocabulary sections help you understand the readings and meanings of the kanji.New Character Charts teach...

Nothing reflects the beauty of life as much as Japanese theater. It is here that reality is held suspended and emptiness can fill the mind through words, music, dance, and mysticism. A.L. Sadler translates the mysteries of Noh, Kyogen, and Kabuki in his groundbreaking book, Japanese Plays. A seminal classic, it provides a cross section of Japanese theater that gives the reader a sampler of its beauty and power.

Readers of medieval Japanese literature have long been captivated by its romance and philosophy. In this volume, two acclaimed thirteenth century classics, The Ten Foot Square Hut and Tales of the Heike, are presented in translation.The Ten Foot Square Hut offers the memorable reflections of a recluse who retired from a world filled with violent contrasts and cataclysms. Tales of the Heike describes the rise and fall of the Heike clan. Though written 700 years ago, both classics offer a timeless message.

Etsuko has fallen in love with the shy young university lecturer who clumsily courts her. But her family objects to his past: his father was a war criminal; his deceased younger brother, a murderer. When Etsuko lies to force the marriage through, she thinks their troubles are over, but on their wedding night, the groom leaves in response to an urgent phone call. In the morning, he is still missing.From the Trade Paperback edition.

When he loses his job as a trader after the stock market crashes, Shigeo Segawa is offered lucrative work as an industrial spy. How could he say no? He is soon assigned to seduce an ex-girlfriend and steal an important formula from her husband, who runs a large chemical company. But when the husband is found murdered, Segawa becomes the prime suspect.From the Trade Paperback edition.