Sightseeing Japan

John Ross is joined by Jason Nieling and Paul Bresin of the Sightseeing Japan Podcast, which started back in 2019 and now has over 160 detailed but fun episodes. The two Japanophiles discuss how their show explores Japan through episodes on culture, food, and travel. Jason and Paul share a range of fiction and non-fiction book recommendations.

Book Recommendations

You Gotta Have Wa (1977) by Robert Whiting. (Amy spoke with Robert about his Tokyo Junkie memoir back in 2021.)

Battle Royale (1999, Eng. 2003) by Koushun Takami

Tearmoon Empire (2019) by Nozomu Mochitsuki

Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune (2016) by Pamela S. Turner

Massacre at Shirakawa (2023) by I. J. Parker

Earthlings (2018 / Eng. 2020) by Sayaka Murata

Convenience Store Woman (2016, Eng. 2018) by Sayaka Murata. (Amy spoke with translator Ginny Tapley Takemori in an episode last September)

Be sure to check out the Sightseeing Japan Podcast.

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.

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