Japan Books

I especially like to create ninja borgs from it but it is a great reference for creating robots and other types of ninjas my secon favorite is juciers.

This book is great! It is for new players to the Rifts books because it uses a lot more of diplomacy than other worlds in Rifts, a great book.

I especially like to create ninja borgs from it but it is a great reference for creating robots and other types of ninjas my secon favorite is juciers.

I have purchased 6 of the world books (Africa, England, Atlantis, Vampire Kingdoms, Japan, and Federation of Magic) and seen several others and out of them all I love Japan the most. Its where I chose my character, a Borg Ninja from. It contains awsome characters, awsome weapons, some cool armor, a lot of cool cyborgs, and is overall my favorite book. It was EASY to find a character to play in this book and equip him real quick. I love this book, a definet must have!

This book was great! It combined old mysticism with amazing technology. The only thing it was missing was that the cool motorcycles and other vehicles that were pictured, but were not given stats on! It also made Japan seem less powerful than the "NGR" (technology wise). The old mystics (like the traditional ninja and samurai) are a little weak, as they had low mega-damage stats and refuse to use technology so you can't even fit them into a suit of power armor to protect them! A lot of it was rehash too, like the Japanese "Samas" operator and the Japanese "Glitterboy". Other than that, the weapons were pretty cool, the possible adventures are good, the OCCs are excellent, and if you combine this book with "Ninjas and superspies" it really brings it to life!

I admit, Ryoichi Ikegami's art caught my eye when I say this book, but he doesn't write the stories. The synopsis on the back cover of volume one had me very interested.

The story starts off well, about two young men in two very different worlds, one in the Yukuza (Japanaese triad) and the other aiming to be a politician, who collaborate to create an ambitious vision.

Towards the end, the story becomes a bit too convoluted, however overall it is a good story, amd well worth the read.

But that's not what this is about. It's the steamy world of politics and scandal. An excellent story with excellent art. I cried at the end and I never cry at the end of anything. The characters are awesome and devious. Read it.

This is a story of two people who set out to change japan (and to some extent, the world) by unwaveringly sticking to their principles, using both Japanese politics and its underworld.

The plot details the intricate maneuverings of the two; there is little violence. Their opponents are not weak (mentally, in power, or in integrity), and their friends sometimes carry liabilities. The characters are as believable as those in any of the best western novels (the plot is far more western than eastern); this seems more like a novel that just happened to be drafted in graphic form.

Unfortunately, westerners should be cautioned that manga often contains graphic depictions of rape, which is usually treated in a humorous light. This book should be docked for that, but I'll leave it be.

The only other manga I've read is Crying Freeman, so I'm not very biased towards manga.

I'm new to manga and while I was initially attracted to Ikegami's art (art that still gives me pause it's so beautiful)the story really, really captured me. It was like a history lesson in Japanese politics and the mob (the Yakuza). All the characters were so interwoven and yes you do have to pay attention because there are twists and turns all the time. The nine volumes that it takes to tell this story never becomes dull.
The story drives all the time and is never ever predictable. The writing is exceptional. I highly recommend this series to the mature reader who appreciates not only great art but great intricate storytelling.

This is the first of a nine volume series about two young men (30) who set about changing Japan (and the world) one from above (politics) and one from below (organized crime).

The premise is very interesting but extremely complex. I have all 9 volumes and have given this a go about three times but have never been able to move past volume 5 because of the way the story is set up. I got the feeling that you need to know how the Yakuza (the Japanese mob) is set up, as well as the geography of Japan to follow the story well. For example I have no idea what the Kanto region is. There seem to be several different factions of the Yakuza and among those factions they are again fragmented into different parties. It is hard to follow who is on whose side and who isn't on whose side and why is that person going after that person. Phew! You practically need a score card to keep up with the story!

I prefered to focus on the main characters Hojo and Asami. Two very unique men with unshakable faith and confidence in themselves that has nothing to do with arrogance. That is the reason I keep picking up the books again and again. I can not help but idolize them particularly Hojo. Here is a man who will go after what he wants without hesitation. But at the same time he has a great deal of loyalty and kindness to those he loves and likes.

Of course there is Ikegami's art work. He can easily be described as the Michelangelo of the manga world. Because of his clean and expressive drawings. You find that you can see how a character functions simply by the way that he has him/her stand. Or tilt his head. It really is phenominal.

But like another reviewer said this book has to be seriously docked for the casual and capricious dipiction of rape. It was horrible and disgusting and took away from the story.

I would recommend Sanctuary to those who are looking for an in depth manga story that will make you pay attention.

The 1972 United States Olympic Hockey Team skated to an improbable silver medal in Sapporo, Japan. Besides the accolades from friends and family members - and a telegram from President Richard Nixon - the team returned to chase dreams on and off the ice, with their story soon forgotten.

But that moment in time was a triumph of hard work and planning, a real symbol of the American Dream: a head coach making revolutionary changes in practice and game strategy; players from the battlefield of Viet Nam and the workday world, to those chasing dreams on rinks large & small throughout North America, along with a glimpse into the future through pair of teenagers - one, a phenomenal athlete from the East Coast, the other, with the blood of hockey royalty flowing through his veins.

Authors Tom and Jerry Caraccioli balance their research and interviews with game summaries to bring this special era to life, as the political Cold War was a backdrop, with friendships forged through that ice.

A touching final chapter chronicles a very special moment for head coach Murray Williamson; a January 2002 note which brought a fitting coda to the tireless work that his players never forgot.

And with this book, the team that set the stage for the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" receives a long overdue spotlight, all for themselves.

The premise of the book is that not many people are aware of our country's on-ice success in the 1972 Olympics. Let's see, I grew up in Edina, Minnesota which means:
* I graduated from HS one year after Dean Williamson, son of Murray
* I have caddied for Walter Bush, a long-time USA Hockey official
* A friend played on a Bantam team coached by Craig Sarner, an effective forward on this silver medal squad
* I've heard many tales about Bruce McIntosh starring for my HS and later the University of Minnesota

AND....

I'D NEVER HEARD THIS STORY BEFORE. Granted I hadn't yet turned 4 when they played in Sapporo, but it isn't like this was a mystery. I read about the 1960 Olympics when I was about 10 and obviously remember where I was in 1980 (Fergus Falls, playing in a Pee Wee tournament). Why no talk about 1972?

Not only do the Caraccioli brothers do a good job of relaying the story, they also do a good job of addressing that very question.

Worth a read. You'll breeze through it quickly as it is pretty direct on covering the story without straying from topic. Even though you now how it ends - they win the silver - it is hard to put down.

People who have an interest in the US amateur ice hockey program will want to read this book in order to fill gaps in what has become the accepted story of the team before victory in the Lake Placid games(1980). The authors, with the unlikely names of Tom and Jerry, do a good job prsenting their case that the tools used to win an Olympic gold metal were forged by an earlier team and passed on to those who followed. Anyone interested in the deveopment of North American hockey will learn from this tale.

This is a must-read for sports fans. The brothers/authors have written a thoroughly entertaining account of a wonderful moment in U.S. international sports history. Readers will remember this book forever. Bravo!

Hockey fans will find riveting Tom Caraccioli & Jerry Caraccioli's STRIKING SILVER: THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICA'S FORGOTTEN HOCKEY TEAM. While many think of American hockey as starting in the 1980s; in a reality in 1972 the achievements of a young team which represented the U.S. in Asia in the Olympics went largely unrecognized during the tumult of Vietnam politics. It's time their story was told, and STRIKING SILVER achieves this, revealing the team, its major players, and the events that made them outstanding, though under-reported. Quotes from players and observers and source materials recreate the times in an involving survey.

This book contains stunningly beautiful pictures of japanese chogokin (=die cast metal) toys from the 1970's and 80's. Many of the toys are quite rare and hard to find pictures of (like toys made by Takatoku, Nomura, Marushin and Nakajima), even in Internet times. Highly recommended!

In addition to Tim Brisko's incredible photography, Matt Alt and Robert Duban provide a brief history of Japanese toys that explains how these toys fit into the grand scheme of things. Recommended!

I bought this book for my husband because he's obsessed with transforming robots. He squealed when he read it. The photography is wonderful and it is like a history book for the ultimate transforming robot fan.

Hi, this is hubby James writing this review...

I just got SUPER #1 ROBOT and it totally rocks. As much as I thought I knew about J-bots, this really showed how much I didn't know. Even if you are well-versed in "super robots" and anime mecha, expect to be surprised by some really far-out machines you've never seen, from shows you've never heard of (but wish you had)!

The photos are wonderful, shot from a proper low perspective, giving these tiny giants their respect. They look like huge works of art here, which in some ways, they truly are. Great work! I am looking forward to Alt's next book very eagerly.

It's about time an American book in english came out on this subject, authored by people who know what they're talking about and thankfully NOT including tin and wind-up robots from the 60s and earlier. This little paperback is what chogokin collectors would humorously refer to as "robot porn." It's a glossy, high-quality picture book that causes salivation and drooling with the turn of every page. Unfortunately it is by no means a complete encyclopedic manual for all toys diecast during the 70s and 80s, but that can't be expected, considering such an undertaking would produce a book (or morelike a series of books) far heftier than this little paperback. Since that expectation is unreasonable, it is entirely forgivable since this little tome covers quite a chunk of the chogokin, vinyl and plastic market, and a nice variety, as well.

First off the book construction is sweet - small and easily handled, it's like a mini coffeetable book with a glossy softcover. I wasn't expecting such a nicely made little book. There is minimal chitchat and all the talent is poured into the photography of the most mint-looking chogokin robots I have ever seen. I think the thing that I was most tickled about was there was a picture of a mint Tetsujin 28 in the front of the book, and a beat up, played-with, broken and paintchipped version of the same robot in the back of the book. The wear on the used robot shows more as a sign of how much that toy was loved, not abused, and anyone who loves collecting chogokin, I think, would get the same tingly warm feeling looking at that beat Tetsujin 28 as the shiny minty one.

There are a few vinyl robots included in the line-up, and I could think of quite a few chogokin that were left out that could've taken up the pages of the vinyls, as I'm not much of a vinyl collector myself; vinyls are a whole other collector market and I can see why they were included in the book, but then again, I would've preferred that they weren't. Vinyls were usually monsters, but the ones that depict robots were the ones focussed on. All in all they don't take up a lot of space. Also the book is an almost even mix between the comical/humorous chogokin like Robocon and Robodachi and the more serious robot gladiators and team robots like the Godaikins; again these are (more or less) two different collector markets and not everyone collects both. As well, there are some Giant Machinders included, which is not even a scratch on the surface for them since there are quite literally hundreds if not more to collect in that category, but this book is really not meant to be a catalogued record of every robot ever made. Even though one will be able to think of some robots that were left out, all the major ones were included. The only complaint I have is that a lot of them are shown not holding a weapon, when many of them are known for their specific or characteristic weapon(s). Some are shown with a weapon, like Garbin, but too many are just robots standing weaponless. Again, though, this book isn't meant to be an official catalogue, so don't expect accessories to be featured.

If you want lists and cataloging of every robot ever made during the 70s and 80s, there are plenty of online sites that attempt to accomplish such a massive undertaking. But if you want to flip through a nice hefty little book just to get the tingly warm feeling of joy gazing upon the robots of your childhood, this book is totally worth it. It's a little window peephole into the past, but man is it worth peeping.

I love Temari balls. If you want to learn this fascinating craft - you will find this book very helpful.

This is an excellent guide to help you create beautiful, and fun-to-do, Temari balls. Simple and easy to follow intructions are given.

I first became aware of Temari when I saw some balls on display by a lady offering lessons on how to make them. The lessons were $65.00. I decided to check Amazon.com before I gave up learning it on my own. I ordered this book and was thrilled with the results. The instructions are very easy to follow with lots of drawings showing exactly what to do. I was successful on my first try and I am delighted with my new hobby. I have just ordered a second book by Diana Vandervoort and can't wait to get it. By the way, the balls that I had seen on display were all from this book.

As far as I can tell, I own every Japanese and English book on Temari currently being published. This is the book I recommend to beginners who want to learn this wonderful craft. It would also be good for someone who knows a moderate amount already, as it has some advanced skills.

I first was introduced to temari while channel surfing, and stumbling onto the Carol Duval show on HG network when Diana Vandervoort was demonstrating her craft. I could not wait to get my hands on her book and try it for myself-mostly because I could not believe something so elegant and complex could be so easy to do! This turned out to be one of the easiest crafts I have ever tried, and I have tried my hand at A LOT of things. The photos are truly inspiring, and the instructions are some of the easiest to understand and follow. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book, and new patterns.

It has been over 30 years since this book was first published and it's really amazing how Kyokushin-kai has evolved. I would like to point out that some of the techniques depicted in this book are actually wrong. Ushiro-geri (back kick) for example is executed by turning your head in the opposite direction of the kick.

This book only contains the very basics as far as techniques are concerned but it does explain a great deal about breaking techniques. It explains the proper techniques for breaking stones, bricks and striking the tops off of bottles half filled with water. Unlike the first volume, this volume doesn't have any katas with the exception of Tensho.

Nowadays, low kicks and round kicks from different angles are an important part of kyokushin-kai but when this book was first published they were all but non-existent. The special kicks such as the low kicks and Brazilian kicks were developed over a period of time through competitions and from studying Muay Thai kick boxing techniques.

The value in this book is to appreciate how much kyokushin karate has evolved and has become one of the hardest systems of karate to learn.

I've read this before and watch the korean movie about the, authors life Kinda almost good as the book itself.
Hope they print more of this book "what is karate"1958 coz we shall introduce this to the new student who wish to study martial, arts.
anybody who wish to sell there books or just lyin around there bookshelves pls. contact me glim@asia.com

I have later (newer) version of THIS IS KARATE autographed by author himself Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate (Ultimate Truth) Full Contact Karate System. It always amazes me how Sosai Mas Oyama could put his knowledge together in this one book and in such a practical manner. I remember his speach was always full of spirit, and valable. He always had a good story to tell, and drew everyone's attention with his kindness and love....

I would also recommend WHAT IS KARATE. These TWO books are now getting harder to find, and increasing in value. These books should be used as a Text book for Kyokushin practicionor. You must SWEAT, SWEAT, SWEAT before you can even utilize the information shared in this book. OSU~!!!!

This is Mas Oyama's best work. I would say it is the most complete book for Japanese karate (Not okinawan). There are good practical applications in this book. And self-defense training.

This is regarded as the bible of kyokushin karate.

The author Masutatsu "Mas" Oyama, was a legend in his own time, and the creator of Kyokushin kai karate -one of the largest karate styles in the world.

This book is old and looks it, it is however one of the finest karate manuals ever published. Along with its brother books ("what is karate" and "Advanced karate") it forms the nucleus of the kyokushin style. On its own it is a outstanding work second to none of the inumerable more recent books on karate. When it was released it set a standard few books can measure up to.

It is a step by step introduction to the fundamental techniques and katas in karate, also it contains selfdefense and some more unusual aspects of karate such as breaking and other special training methods.

The section on history is very aged though, and should not be taken as absolute truth. Much has happened in the research in martial art history since this book was released 1965.

This book is recommended to any practicioner of karate, but especialy to practiciners of kyokushin karate or to practicioners of kyokushin derived styles.
Only please be aware that even kyokushin karate (the style the author founded) has changed slightly since this book was released.

It tends to be expensive, but it is worth it.

I just started to interesting in beading and this book is excellent source for amateurs. I can see every details and create some interesting thing by myself.

Step by step instructions and copious illustrations. An excellent book for those who want to bead woodland designs.

I really liked this book. I bought about 5 and this is exactly what I was looking for. It taught me what I need to know!!

I haven't had a chance to try the techniques out yet but in thumbing through the pages this one looks by far the best bead embroidery book I've seen as far as illustrations and easy to understand instructions go.

You are taken through the basic steps that might mystify you before you start, such as finishing off thread. The exquisite details will help in getting you through the stages of the embroidery.The pages of the book are stiff and you need a book stand with clips to keep it open. I found the variety of stitches demonstrated inspiring and will go back to the book as I progress in a project. An important detail not included was the angle of a needle to have a bead sit straight (found in another book). Excellent referral source.

Yes, the advances in physics were tremendous. Stop for a moment - this book gives you the humanistic view of that ensuing the discoveries. Think of the advances of human thought developing the science. Marvelous!
The dedication is phenomenal.
This is a great historical presentation of a period of magical thought.

BEFORE THE FALLOUT: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima
--By Diana Preston Reviewed by Philip Henry

"My God, What have we done?"

With those words, the crew of the "Enola Gay" summed up their feelings after dropping the A-Bomb that obliterated Hiroshima. The history of the Atomic (and later, Hydrogen) bomb permeates the history of the past century: from 1895, when Roentgen discovered the X-Ray, through the pioneering experiments of Einstein, Edward Teller, J. Robert Oppenheimer; Leo Szilard (the often-overlooked main ingredient in the Manhattan Project) through efforts to control nuclear proliferation and the Cold War.
That's a lot of ground to cover, but in "Before the Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima" Diana Preston attempts, and to a large degree succeeds, in doing so.

While Richard Rhodes' monumental two-volume history (The Atomic Bomb, and "Dark Sun") will remain the Industry Standard for the nuclear history cottage industry, Preston has done an admirable job of encapsulating the excitement, paranoia, and regrets of the Nuclear Founders.She does an excellent job of giving credit where credit is due to some of the neglected major players in the drama: Leo Szilard, who was prescient about the political and military consequences of nuclear energy; Werner Heisenberg, who directed the Nazi nuclear project although he wasn't a Nazi; and Niels Bohr.

The tension between J.Robert Oppenheim, the brilliant physicist (he got his PhD at 22) and developed the Black Holes in space theory) and Edward Teller is the material for books that stand on their own in reporting it: "American Prometheus", for one.

This is fascinating stuff for all of us: those in "The Greatest Generation" who fought WWII; those of us in the Baby Boomer generation who grew up under the shadow of the bomb and remember "duck and cover" drills in elementary school; and the Public Leaders who should read, and digest, this material CAREFULLY!

My only reservations are the speculative "What If's" that she includes in her Epilogue. Sure, its fascinating to speculate on what might have happened if Hitler had used the intellectual genius of Heisenberg and others to build the bomb.. but he didn't.

I give this four and a half stars.

"Before the Fallout", while lacking the technical detail presented in Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", presents some interesting personality sketches (the degree to which these are subjective remains unresolved). Preston presents an interesting collection of missed opportunities on the road to the discovery of fission. One may be left with the feeling that body of the book serves only as a platform for the epilogue and its litany of "what if"s.

Diana Preston combines the exciting story of the individuals responsible for the scientific discoveries of Atomic Energy with the race for the Atomic Bomb. She traces the fifty year journey of discoveries which culminated in Hiroshima's destruction. The book is one of biography, science (well told and easy to understand), and the history of this unique quest for knowledge. The book is a broad overview of the subject which along the way presents material that surely could be expanded into many different books and even a few movies. For example the story of the two attempts to destroy the Nazi's Norwegian source of Heavy Water reads like the film "The Guns of Navarone".
I have had the pleasure to meet Diana Preston and hear her speak at the Los Angeles Times Book Fair. She is a regular attendee. I have read all but her first book and have felt her "Lusitania" her greatest achievement but this, her newest, is just as wonderful.
The book is well organized and has many characters that you find easy to follow via each mini biography throughout the narrative. The book ends with really two epilogues. (I do like a good epilog too.) The first tells what happened to each participant after WWII and the last is a "what if" analysis this is most interesting as it puts many of the events in the book into a broad context and points out the individual difference each scientist made. I just loved Preston's comment at the end of the book... "History....even the history of science... is inherently about people, how they thought, what they did with their thoughts, and how they interacted with the individuals immediately around them and then with society and the greater world order. All involved in this story....regardless of race, sex. creed, age, or intellectual ability... had the potential to act individually. In thinking about history but, above all, about the future, we should not depersonalize situations but remember our individual responsibility for them and the consequences fro others." I know you will find this book amazing even if you feel the subject might be dry and to scientific. (High Schools please add this one to your required reading list.)

Since reading Lusitania three years ago, I have devoured every Diana Preston book that I can get my hands on. I wasn't sure that I would enjoy Before the Fallout as much as the others since science is not my specialty, but once again her book has totally captured my attention. The way Preston weaves the history with the science (but not too technical) with the personal lives of the people involved is fascinating. Certainly the development of the atomic bomb is one of the defining events of our lifetime, and the story behind that event as told by Diana Preston is so intriguing that I would recommend this book to anyone! My only disappointment is that now that I'm done, I'm going to have to wait awhile for her next book!

This book blew me away. I never read a book so descriptive and so well written. Peru's journey is just so incredible that you never want it to end, but it does and the rest is history. Whoever has not read this book needs to because you will leave a fan of this author. One of the best books I've read!

The Bridge Is Over was OFF THE CHAINS! This book is HOT! I read this book in 2 days, I just couldn't put it down. Mr J. Sebastian you did your thing on this one, I give you 2 thumbs up and I'll be on the look out for more books by this author. The Bridge Is Over was Action-pack from beginning to end! I highly recommend this book...

The Bridge Is Over was a delight to read. I enjoyed the story and all of its characters from beginning to end! Full of nail-biting, heart pounding action, this story brings to life identifiable characters and dialogue that are indescribably moving. Writen with intelligence and descriptive wit, J. Sebastian nails this novel right in the bullseye!!! THREE THUMBS UP!!!

I normally don't read books in this genre, but The Bridge is over is different from most "Urban Drama" books. First of all, the brother can write! The characters are well drawn, the plot is tight and the story is well told. The sex and violence are there, but it's done very well. The book really reads like a movie!
J Sebastian shows you can keep it "Gangsta" without being ignorant! This book is the "Godfather" of the genre and I really look forward to J's next book! Read it and see if I'm lying!

From the beginning to the end, the book kept me in suspense. The book was written very well and with great skill. There is no one chapter that will leave you with a blank thought as to what you read and what happened.
I had no idea what to expect from J.Sebastian but I must commend him on a job well done. I look forward to reading "Losing My Religion"
For those that have not read "The Bridge is Over" hold tight to your seats, turn off the phones and put the "Do Not Disturb" signs out.
J.Sebastian I am proud of you and stand behind you 100%
100%Love
Choc

This book is set about 200 years after the events described in the diaries of Sei Shonagon and Lady Murasaki (and tale of Genji), however, this memoir reveals a world fossilised, doing it's very best to imitate the 'elegant' world shown in Lady Murasaki's masterwork Tale of Genji. What comes across is a very conservative society, and if you weren't told the dates of the events taking place you would believe they were set in the 10th or 11th century.

The writer of this memoir is a very independant and sensual woman - who took her lovers regardless of the consequences. The second half of the memoir details her travels around Japan's sacred shrines as a nun later in life. Lady Nijo constantly finds on her travels that the world outside Hein-Kyoto has changed since the days the poems she learnt at court as description of Japan's famous sights were written. Some of the old 'famous' sights have gone and she finds new ones to fill their hole.

If you've an interest in these old Japanese diaries and memoirs, this should be added to your list. It's a later, and lesser known book, but worth the effort of reading.

This is a moving and remarkable autobiography.
First, there is the quality of the writing itself, full of beautiful short poems ('A hidden love and tears/enough to form a river-/were there a shoal of meeting/I would drown this self of mine'), comparisons ('my years had passed as quickly as a racing horse glimpsed through a crack') or metaphors ('life is more fleeting than a dream within a dream').
It confirms Lady Nijo's saying that 'the most important accomplishment for a beautiful woman is the ability to write poetry'.

Secondly, there is the extraordinary eventful itinerary of Lady Nijo emotionally as well as physically.
Emotionally, she cannot forget her father ('I shed tears of longing when I recall the care my father gave me') or her first lover at the age of 14 (the Emperor).
Physically, she gives birth before her 18th birthday to two children from different fathers and in her later life struggles for survival.

Thirdly, it gives an interesting look at court life in this period: drinking, singing, playing music, competition between the concubines and promiscuity showing general human characteristics ('She complains that I am treating you as an empress' or 'This road is too easy to be interesting').
But this book also paints aspects of commom life: the fact that many children are taken away from their parents, religious customs or prostitution.

Fourth, it gives a general impression of the importance of religion and psychology: the mighty influence of the karma principle ('I am convinced that this unbearable passion is simply the working out of some karma from the past') and the importance of dreams ('I just dreamed that I turned into a mandarin duck and entered your body').

The overall tone is melancholic ('No matter how many tints the autumn leaves reveal, once the wind rises they do not last long').

K. Brazell's translation as well as her notes are excellent. I would have prefered an afterword instead of an introduction which reveals already the fate of the author.

This is a truly moving tale, not only for Japanese scholars.

How can it be enjoyable to read a biography of someone who lived in the royal compound of the late Kamakura emperors of Japan? That time is so different from modern times, and the Japanese cultures is ineffably foreign to most of us. Yet Lady Nijo's "confessions" or autobiography is so ably translated by Karen Brazell that this book reads as if it were a character in Clavell's "Shogun" coming to life and discussing her private life (though "Shogun" is of course set in a different time period in Japanese history.)

The Kamakura court had almost a pathological nostalgia for the Heian imperial era, and the court structured every detail of custom and behavior to reproduce the glories of the past. Lady Nijo is brought into court at age 14 on the wishes of the emperor, who essentially makes her a concubine. She takes part in court life for many years but, since her father passes away and her relatives are few, she lacks the behind-the-scenes influence that would be needed to elevate her to empress. Thus she never marries and even has a number of outside affairs, strangely tolerated by the emperor.

We see these events dimly as if through a silk veil. Nijo, which is not even the lady's name but is a designation of where she lives, tells us of affairs, of being in and out of favor in court only in oblique comments. But we get detailed scenes of entertainments, poetry contests, clothing and a sense for the playfulness and utter uselessness of the Japanese aristocracy of the era.

Eventually, Nijo is mysteriously banned from court (she protests she does not know why, but we certainly can guess who is behind it all) and she becomes a Buddhist nun. This gives her the freedom to travel widely, and she does so, more than a woman of that time might ordinarily be able to do.

This autobiography is so readable and gives such insight into the Kamakura era that I'd recommend it to any student of Asian history, but I'd also recommend it to anyone who enjoyed either "The Tales of Genji" or even "Shogun." The translation is so wonderful that this ancient story reads like a modern novel.

For such an intresting book its extraordinary so few people have left a review. Anyways, much of the court we see in the novel through lady nijo's eyes is truely fossilized as one reviewer said before, they even go so far as to try and copy musical concerts after those written about in Genji, and theres a great many allusions in the narrative to the tale of genji. The diary itself is extremely enjoyable to read, poigant at times, as for instance when she runs after Gofukakusa's funeral procession barefoot down the street until she loses sight of them. Other times its extremely funny, Im pretty sure Sei Shonogon mentioned the holiday where the women get slapped with sticks, the same was true with Lady Nijo, except she got revenge on the retired emperor by sectioning off the halls and setting up other ladies to keep an eye out for him, when he comes, they descend and all start whacking him with these sticks for revenge. after that there was a huge uproar withen the court that the women actually smacked royalty around. Overall Lady Nijo is very real, and very human in her writing, it makes for an intresting literary and historical read of the Kamekura age. One thing i personally enjoyed was that Lady Nijo was not as vain and condescending as Sei Shonagon, for instance when shes a travelling nun, Nijo actually speaks with commoners, ex-prostitutes, etc etc.

Nijo's autobiography is another wonderful chapter in the literature of Japanese classics. And, like all true classics, it paints a picture very much like some women of today.

The book is not organized as a story, or even as a particularly strong description of events. Instead, it's a first-hand description of moments that roused especially strong feelings, positive or negative. Nijo (not her born name, but the only name that has come down to us) wrote this book late in life, so the literal truth of events often seems layered under decades of nostalgia. The first passage, for example, takes pains to draw a teenage girl, tearful during her first nights in the emperor's bedroom. 'The lady doth protest too much' - that is about the last time we see her hesitate in accepting a man's overnight company.

After her heyday in court society, Nijo retreats and finally takes vows as a nun. She takes the robes and duties of nun in full, but her thoughts never settle into that role. I don't mean to say that she in insincere. Still, a part of her never lets go of the happy times in court. Although she carries out her religious duties, she keeps coming back for another look at the people and rites she loved. Gradually, the people from her youth move away and pass away. The court was all she knew; in the end she doesn't know even that any more. It's like the woman whose greatest day was being prom queen. Now in her forties, she lives by remembering a time and place that doesn't remember her.

Nijo conveys a pervading shallowness. She spends more time describing some outfits than the children she bears. She could have moved closer to the inner imperial circles; the retired emperor publicly acknowledged her first-born as his scion. Nijo never had aspirations so high, or never realized what could have been open to her. She was content for the child to be brought up elsewhere while her life drifted on as before.

The irony of the final sentence may be the happiest moment in the book. "... I have been writing this useless account - though I doubt it will long survive me." It has survived nearly seven hundred years. There is no real point to this book, but that is part of its charm. It is just a look at one woman's world and at the woman herself.