Classic Japanese

Completed in the early 11th century, The Tale of Genji is considered the supreme masterpiece of Japanese prose literature, and one of the world's earliest novels. A work of great length, it comprises six parts, the first part of which (also called The Tale of Genji) is reprinted here. The exact origins of this remarkable saga of the nobility of Heian Japan remain somewhat obscured by time, although its author, Lady Shikibu Murasaki, presumably derived many of her insights into court life from her years of service with the royal family.

Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....

The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman. Miyamoto Musashi becomes a reluctant hero to a host of people whose lives he has touched and by whom he has been touched. Inevitably, he has to pit his skill against the naked blade of his greatest rival.

Brought to you by Penguin. Discover the original Japanese Cat classic, now in a vibrant new translation by Nick Bradley, author of The Cat and the City. 'I am a Cat. But I still don't have a name...' Once a stray kitten, I Am a Cat’s narrator finds himself adopted by a local scholar and thrown...

Here are 22 charming Japanese Fairy Tales, translated by Yei Theodora Ozaki, including "My Lord Bag of Rice", "The Tongue-Cut Sparrow", "The Story of Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad", "The Farmer and the Badger", "The Shinansha, or the South Pointing Carriage", "The Adventures of Kintaro, the Golden Boy", "The Story of Princess Hase", "The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die", "The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moonchild", "The Mirror of Matsuyama", and more.

Giant monsters. Tales of eternal love. The beginning of creation. Pint-sized warriors. Long voyages and insurmountable heroics are only a small piece of the classic myths that have helped shape Japan’s unique and immaculate history. Each story in this audiobook is filled with excitement and adventure that is just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.

一○年にわたるトロイア戦争が終結．オデュッセウスは，帰国の途中嵐に襲われ，さらに一○年の漂流冒険ののち，神々の援けを得て二○年ぶりに帰還，留守の間妻を苦しめていた悪逆な求婚者たちを討ち亡ぼす．『イリアス』とともにヨーロッパ文学の源泉と仰がれる，劇的な盛り上りに満ちた大英雄叙事詩．

Japanese culture has fascinated the West ever since the country’s doors opened up in the 1800s. In many ways, Japan has remained elusive, and people have travelled from all around the world to see for themselves how unique this nation remains. Another way of exploring this enigmatic culture is through its literature. The English language succeeds surprisingly well in revealing the Japanese sense of life.

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Eleanor Matsuura, known for AMC's The Walking Dead and Spooks. This definitive recording includes an Introduction by Paul Murray. In this collection of classic ghost stories from Japan, beautiful princesses turn out to be frogs...

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER From the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Remains of the Day comes “a Gothic tour de force" (The New York Times) with an extraordinary twist—a moving, suspenseful, beautifully atmospheric modern classic. One of The New York Times’s 10 Best Books of the 21st...

"I have been reckless since the day I was born..." So begins one of the funniest and most beloved novels in Japanese literature. Published in 1906, Natsume Soseki's Botchan has never gone out of print, never lost its bite, and never stopped making readers laugh. Fresh out of school with no ambitions, no money, and no talent for diplomacy, Botchan accepts a teaching post at a middle school in rural Shikoku and immediately regrets it. The students are savages. The headmaster is a windbag. His colleagues are a gallery of petty conspirators he can only keep straight by the nicknames he invents ...

一度しか経験できない「老い」や「死」について，私たちは先人が残したことばから，その思いや経験を学ぶことができる．古典は，さまざまな知恵をもたらし，前に進むための励ましを与えてくれる．古代から近世まで，日本の古典文学を幅広い視野から読み解くことで，「老い」や「死」との向き合い方が，多彩に浮かび上がる．

An entertaining and insightful history of martial arts and the role of the warrior, drawing on pop culture, philosophy, mythology, religion, and spirituality The urge to forge one’s character by fighting, in daily life as well as on the mat, appeals to something deep within us. More than a...

The two words I am are the name of God. As Dr. Wayne W. Dyer explains, "I discovered while reading James Twyman's book The Moses Code that the sounds you will be hearing in this audio download were the result of some intense research to reproduce the exact sounds associated with the name of God...

Not Your Typical Mythology Book — This One Brings Japan’s Culture to Life in Words and Pictures Japanese Myths: An Easy-Going Culture Journey into Japanese Mythology and Folklore is a beautifully illustrated, easy-to-read cultural deep dive that goes far beyond legends. With nearly 40 stunning illustrations, this book connects ancient gods, mysterious yokai, anime, shrines, daily rituals, and even travel spots—revealing how mythology still shapes the rhythm of everyday life in Japan. Perfect for anime fans, travelers, or anyone curious about Japan, this book offers a complete yet ...

First published in 1956, No-No Boy was virtually ignored by a public eager to put World War II and the Japanese internment behind them. No-No Boy tells the story of Ichiro Yamada, a fictional version of the real-life "no-no boys". Yamada answered "no" twice in a compulsory government questionnaire as to whether he would serve in the armed forces and swear loyalty to the United States. Unwilling to pledge himself to the country that interned him and his family, Ichiro earns two years in prison and the hostility of his family and community when he returns home to Seattle.

An artfully twisty psychological mystery from Seichō Matsumoto, hailed as “Japan’s Agatha Christie” (The Sunday Times), exploring the corrosive power of jealousy, guilt, and doubt While on an important business trip, Tsuneo Asai receives word that his wife, Eiko, has died suddenly of a...

Patrick Lafcadio Hearn, was an Irish writer known also by the Japanese name Koizumi Yakumo. His book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, comprises two parts, the first being the "Kwaidan Proper" and the second, "Insect-Studies", which consists of an essay each on ants, butterflies and mosquitos. According to the author, most of the folk tales and ghost stories in the first part were translated from old Japanese texts. The themes encompass resurrection, sacrifice, magic, and the realm of dreams.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Carley Fortune returns with a sun-drenched and incandescent new novel...

Available in English for the very first time, a powerful, poignant novel about three half sisters in post-war Japan, from the Nobel Prize-winning author of Snow Country. With the Second World War only a few years in the past, and Japan still reeling from its effects, two sisters—born to the...