Adachi Masao (born 1939) has lived one of the most extraordinary lives in Japanese cinema. He has made experimental films, worked with leading figures of the Japanese New Wave, and spent decades in Lebabon alongside the radical left-wing Japanese Red Army.

John talks to Tokyo-based researcher, writer and translator William Andrews about Pink Auteur, Red Outlaw, his new biography of this provocative filmmaker and revolutionary. Recording this episode, John and William faced radical conditions themselves – annoying ambulances, copulating cats, and clanking bottle collection, and more cats – but for you, dear listener, all that artistic struggle was left on the cutting-room floor.

William Andrews’ two books mentioned were:

Pink Auteur, Red Outlaw: Adachi Masao and Japan’s Cinema of Revolution (Awai Books, 2026). It is the first English-language book devoted to Adachi and draws on extensive interviews and years of research.

Dissenting Japan: A History of Japanese Radicalism and Counterculture, from 1945 to Fukushima (Hurst, 2016)

William’s three Adachi film recommendations are (in the order discussed):

Revolution+1 (2022) – Adachi’s film about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s assassin.

A.K.A. Serial Killer – completed in 1969, first publicly shown in 1975, it follows the landscapes associated with a serial killer and is the key film associated with Adachi’s “landscape theory.”

Galaxy (1967) – one of Adachi’s early experimental films.

The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press.

Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.

The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

Stephen’s childhood in Bendigo, Australia, gave him early exposure to Chinese culture and food. Nineteenth-century gold rushes brought numerous Cantonese workers to the town, and their cuisine has long since become part of local life. Decades later, Stephen – a longtime Taiwan resident – would pursue his interest in Chinese food by making extensive journeys across China.

John and Stephen talk about the rich heritage of Chinese agriculture before eventually getting to some notable dishes, from the famed Peking duck to the infamous wangji dan (fertilized egg). Stephen tells the surprising story of chop suey – long dismissed as an American invention – and describes his joy at tracking down its roots in Guangdong. They finish with a healthy Chinese-style dessert: fruit, in this case the Chinese gooseberry (and its better-known descendant, the kiwifruit).

The Devil’s Chow: A Chinese Food History by Stephen Jack (2026, Cold Press Books) is a lively combination of food history and travel writing, tracing the development of Chinese cuisine from the earliest times to the present. To learn more about Stephen and his writing you can visit:

Stephen Jack’s website:
https://www.eatingchina.com/devils-chow-chinese-food-history.htm

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Chow-Chinese-Food-History/dp/6269969425

The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press.

Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.

The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

For Tyrel Eskelson, a Canadian academic living in Hokkaido, curiosity about Taiwan-related news stories turned into something of an obsession; there were months of travel, hundreds of conversations, and a book (published by John at Plum Rain Press). In this BOA chat, Tyrel talks about his search to better understand the island nation and its people. Among the topics covered are Taiwan’s Japanese colonial legacy, the 228 Incident of 1947, the Battle of Kinmen, and why the book is called Taiwan 22.

Taiwan 22 is available as an ebook on the Plum Rain Press website (but not yet on Amazon).
https://www.plumrainpress.com/

Tyrel Cameron Eskelson has a YouTube channel called The Interlocutor Podcast, where he talks with writers, historians, and travelers, with an increasing focus on Taiwan, Japan, and China.

He has also begun sharing audio versions of these conversations on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press.

Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.

The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.