Japan Books

This book is wonderful if you are going to get a tattoo of a certain Kanji it has tons to choose from. I use this book almost everyday.. this is by far one of my best purchases.

What a great book! The presentation of multiple styles definitely caught my eye as I fanned through the book the first time; I was hooked! The introduction is very well written, and each page thereafter imparts a wealth of information that is simply a joy to read.

I love "power" words - single words that encompass my thoughts and feelings - and kanji characters are a beautiful way to express them. I found 'Designing with Kanji' in my effort to design my next tattoo. When I did not find exactly what I was looking for in the book, I contacted Leza and she promptly responded with the characters I needed. Great book - great woman!

I have been an admirer for Oriental Culture, and willing to understand Chinesse and Japanese writing. This book is an excellent source which explains a lot of Kanji symbols, and has several notes about interesting facts about it. I recommend it to all people looking to introduce themselves into this enigmatic and wonderful language.
Antonio Sobalvarro

Easy to read, follow, and use right away. Shows formal, modern, flowing, and stylish character sets. Describes the root, meaning, and nature of common Japanese words and phrases. The calligraphy is excellent. I only wish it was longer and more encompassing. Among other things I use this book as a supplement to Write Your Name in Kanji text by Nobuo Sato to write the characters more elegantly.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

We had recently seen "The Last Samuri" so I was in the frame of mind to learn more about Japanese history and culture. I found this book on the Breakfast table one recent morning. The introduction and explanation of Kanji was clear and concise. This book provided a great beginning to the subject of how a culture influenced a language and how a language influenced a culture. I couldn't put it down for an hour or so. I'll refer to it often.

If you like giant monster movies, and want to know more about how they were made, this book is for you. Not many photos of the monsters (there are other books out there for that) but there are behind the scenes photos. Learn the biographies of the men who made films you still love after all these years. Not much has been published in the West about them, but here it is! Well written and laid out. 2 page essays about certain film makers by noted Western Kaiju lovers. Worth the price, and thankful that it was printed.

This is a wonderful coffee-table size book that contains beautiful photos and interesting commentary. If you are a fan of Godzilla and/or Eiji Tsuburaya this is the book to get!

This book is a meticulous, thoughtful, well-written, and beautifully laid-out tribute to a true master of special effects. It is a fascinating look, not only into Tsuburaya's life and career, but also the way the film industry works in Japan. An interesting read for non-fans; a must-have for fans of the genre.

Phenomenal book. Great quality, design, and content. If you have any remote appreciation for this kind of film making and monster design, this book is an absolute love letter... A must have!

Tsuburaya Eiji was the Japanese special effects director who was behind so many monster movies that came out from Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. This is a pictorial biography of Tsuburaya Eiji that proves to be very well written and informative. I found the book to be rather insightful as the author included inserts written by men who worked with or worked under Tsuburaya Eiji during his career. The book also comes well illustrated with photographs and movie posters on almost every page as it traces the life and time of Tsuburaya Eiji's career. It was interesting to note that during World War II, he made a movie made from miniatures that showed the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was so realistic that during the initial post war period, Americans thought it was the real thing. Tsuburaya Eiji was also the man who made Godzilla what he was and creator of the Ultraman series that is still going on to this day.

Overall, this book is definitely worth your time and money to read over and treasure. Tsuburaya Eiji is one of the great pioneers of motion picture industry regarding special effects and his influence help shape this industry to this day. His influence in the science fiction genre will remains pretty strong as monster movies like Cloverfield still hit our theaters and on DVD to this day. The book strongly reflects the heydays of Japanese monster movie era history and it will remind many of us, the fun and wonder these movies brought us during our younger days. And it will inform otherwise misinformed that there is more to these movies then just a "guy in the monster suit" concept.

(And yes, I am writing the subject's name in Japanese style...sur name first always...Tsuburaya Eiji is the way you would address him if he was still alive today...as you would with any Japanese national.)

I love Matsumoto's work. Maetel is one of my all-time favorite characters, as is her friend (and in the movie "Maetel Legend", her sister) Emeraldas. Harlock is...interesting, but kinda cool. Tetsuro, well...he's okay.

The plots are incredible! They really make you think (and I'm not just talking about the blurbs at the end of each segment!). There are very few manga that can do that.

I reccomend this series to any and every anime/manga fan!

In the distant fututre, ayoung boy named Tetsuro steals a boarding pass to a train called the Three-Nine. After emabarking, he meets a woman named Maetel, who bares a striking resembelance to his deceased mother. A grand journey begins that will take Tetsuro to the edge of the universe and back. He will meet many friends and enemies in his journey of wonder.

Despite the artwork which will turn off fans of superhero-style comic books, Galaxy Express has a style unto its own that needs to be appreciated by a more mature reader. The story is excellent, the social commentary is superb, my only problem is the SLOW release schedule. This book easily ranks equally alongside the other great (translated) mangas of our times, including Nausicaa, Lone Wolf and Cub, Dominion, and Adolf... Buy this book!

Here's a summery of the 18 volumes, NO spoilers^_~

"You think Tetsuro Hoshino has seen the last of the Gallaxy Express? Starting where the 2 part movie left off, Maetel sets Tetsuro back on the path to Manhood (NOTE, he is VERY young) & the trail of goals, making new friends & discovering the ones he'd thought gone, learning the harsh lessons of reality in the endless sea of stars. Mysteries come to light, only to be darkened by a new challenge or question or an old memory, & the entire gallaxy asks only of Tetsuro to survive & NEVER to forget.

Leiji Matsumoto, the creator, is second in popularity only to Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki, Totoro, Laputa, Lupin), & has one many awards for his interconnecting series.

This is one the whole family should watch because it's sincere, complex, inovative, provocative, dramatic, & contemplative above everything else. It's a helluva good story/plot that makes you think about the facts of life & its challenges. It has nothing corny or cliche, a literary masterpiece(despite the craappy artwork). It teaches about achieving goals, following hopes & dreams & beliefs, finding ones purpose in life, & keeping promises.

Personally, I wouldn't trade MY collection if you offered me 3 times what the whole set is worth^o^

His writings are like.......Pringles. "Once you pop, you can't stop."

I have liked GE 999 ever since I started readng it in Animerica magazine. So, I got this book, but discovered that this is actually the *sequel* to the *first* adventure of Maetel and Tetsuro. I got this information from the biographies of the characters and the clues in the story. As a result of not havign read the first series, I am a tad bit lost. Can someone tell me WHY they chose to publish the sequel in English before they translated the first series? It doesn't make any sense!

Anyway, the characters are fun and I enjoy their adventures. But the blurb at the end of every chapter is too deep and confusing for me to understand.

I like this, and I will look up the first series--right after I find out who started this translating mess in the first place.

History that reads like a novel. The other reviewers said just about everything else.

This book follows the exploits of the Balao class submarine USS Archerfish (SS-311). Launched in May, 1943, Archerfish's first year of service in the Pacific was lackluster, with two skippers and only 2 sinkings to her credit. Her next skipper had earlier lost his confidence when in command of USS Dace after missing the Japanese carrier Shokaku, and had asked to be relieved of command. Archerfish was Joseph Enright's second chance. Initially Archerfish draws "lifeguard duty" for B-29 raids south of Tokyo Bay. After being released from this duty, the submarine was patrolling near Tokyo when it picked up an uncharted island on radar. Shortly it was determined that the "island" was moving. Closing in for a look, Enright ran the submarine parallel to the large, indistinct target. They determined that it was an aircraft carrier, and slowly outrunning Archerfish. Just as they were losing the race, the target turned to the west, heading directly for Archerfish. Enright submerged the boat, and continued periscope observations, plotting course and speed. Although he could not identify the type of aircraft carrier, he did draw a sketch on paper of the target. As shooting time was near, one of the escort destroyers passed directly over Archerfish, and as soon as she passed, Enright came to periscope depth and fired six torpedoes. The crew heard them strike the target, and believed they heard breaking up of the target. Initially Archerfish was given credit for sinking a 28,000 ton Hayataka class carrier. After the war, it was found to be the 72,000 ton Japanese supercarrier Shinano, built in secret on a battleship hull, and as big as a postwar Forrestal class supercarrier. It remains to this day the single largest warship sunk by a submarine.

One of the authors (Henry) served on board the Archerfish in the early 1950's, and he describes the postwar exploits. After the war the submarine was inactivated in 1946, and with the Korean War and the Cold War was reactivated in 1952. The submarine was not modernized to Guppy configuration, but rather retained her original fleet boat look. She participated in a number of operations, including making movies (Operation Petticoat), testing early SubRoc, and acting as a diving bell target in rescue simulations. The most unusual operation commenced in 1960, in which an "all-bachelor" crew was selected for an around the world cruise, termed "Sea Scan". The story was that she would make a complete hydrological and meteorological survey during the cruise, and she was loaded with impressive racks of equipment. In fact, her true mission was to submerge every 60 miles to provide a stable platform for extremely sophisticated gravimetric measurements under the oceans. Early missile launches were straying from their tracks due to fluctuations in the Earth's gravitational field. These sensitive measurements, which mapped small variations in the Earth's gravitational field, were essential for accurate ICBM targeting. To prepare Archerfish for the cruise, she was sent to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Because of the cover story and the very limited number of "need to know" personnel, the Navy Yard assigned little priority to outfitting the submarine for the hydrographic science mission. In order to prepare their ship, the crew engages in "creative requisitioning" that is reminiscent of the better episodes of "McHale's Navy" and "MASH". We the get to follow the crew on a series of adventures and mishaps as they make their way around the globe, disguised as an aging submarine with a randy bachelor crew and a mission that no one would want. Eventually, Sea Scan takes until 1967 to complete all phases, and shortly after that, at the end of 1968, USS Snook (SSN-592) sinks Archerfish in a torpedo exercise off of San Diego. Many books focus on the exciting SSN operations during the Cold War. This book is a look at the DBF part of the Cold War, when even second line fleet submarines had their role to play. I highly recommend!

I picked this book up figuring it would be another WW11 account of a submarines' exploits then on seeing the jacket I had to find out what this sub did.......I laughed and felt fear, I felt sorrow at the parts where members of the crew left.....I can only imagine what it was like from the fires to the storms to the beauty that was there both in nature and in the closeness that was her crew...few are that fortunate to actually belong to a group of men that are all like brothers....and feel that their "boat" was in fact a living being...it must've been some ride.........

Gallant Lady traces the history of a remarkable "boat" from its WWII pinnacle with the sinking of Japanese super-carrier Shinano to the final Cold War mission.

This latter segment of the story is told from the 'rag hat' perspective and gives insights that are informative, entertaining and funny as hell.

"Rollicking" is probably the term Hollywood would use, and probably such a movie from the latter part of this book would be a hit. There is little question of the drama of ARCHERFISH wartime patrols and her singular distinction in stalking and sinking the world's largest enemy ship on its maiden voyage. Like many other accounts of submarine warfare, GALLANT LADY vividly describes the stuffy quarters, grimy tension, and grim excitement of WWII submarine life. Where the book becomes unusual is in the story of ARCHERFISH's third commission as auxiliary to a modernized fleet in which she has become an anachronism. Not intimidated by her diminishing status, she forges her own direction for the next ten years, embracing with gusto a series of routinejobs and a unique assignment that no other ship can be spared for. In the process her maverick (and envied) crew lives an experience of exploration, adventure, and hi-jinks worthy of the sea sagas of earlier centuries. No other commissioned ship of the Navy has enjoyed such a voyage, and no others are likely to. This is a fascinating tale of camaraderie and initiative in service to our country that belongs in every seafarer's locker. Frank S. Virden, Captain, USN (Ret.)

This book is great to teach children respect for all life, including animals. It also well illustrates the destructive power that guns can have in the wrong hands. My kids were so much more concernced about animal welfare and the protection of endangered species after reading this book.

It also reinforced their understanding of the evil nature of weapons in general. This book also helped them to understand the great wisdom the Buddha expressed so long ago that one should only kill animals when it is needed for one's own survival.

Of the many children's books that are available to us these days, it is extremely rare to encounter one with such depth and insight. The author dares to explore difficult issues in a way that is accessible to young readers. The two main characters develop a bond of friendship which is based on not only their deep concern for one another, but also a shared dream to help others. Daisaku Ikeda shows through the inseparable connection of these two friends that true friendship transcends time and space and can never be destroyed. Very inspiring!

I don't know how anyone could not like this and all of Daisaku Ikeda's children's books. Especially with this book, Kanta and the Deer, unless you like killing defenseless animals for fun or don't believe in the power of hope, you will love this little tale!

This is an excellent book to teach young people (and not-so-young people!) about the senselessness of violence and killing, as well as the horror of guns and hurting animals for sport. The story of "Kanta and the Dear" is a heart-wrenching yet hopeful and inspiring tale of a city kid who is sent to be cared for by his uncle in some remote mountains. The boy, Kanta, who must live apart from his parents due to their work situation, has no other children to play with and is quite shy.

One day, Kanta finds a baby deer that has lost its parents and herd to merciless hunters who have shot them all. The boy and the deer, named Poyu, develop a great friendship as the little deer grows to become a brave young buck. All the while, Kanta begins to discover his own resiliency and courage as well. With the bitter cold winter as a backdrop, together they fight to save the local deer from total extinction.

This is an endearing and dramatic tale of magic and friendship - this beutifully illustrated children's book tells the story of a timid young boy living briefly with his old uncle in the mountains. One day, Uncle Gen, granddaughter and Kanta come upon the aftermath of deer killed by hunters. They find a lone frightened fawn and Kanta begs his uncle to take the orphaned deer. Thus begins an adventure that transforms the young Kanta. Highly recommended.

Ken Akamatsu, Love Hina vol. 6 (Tokyopop, 1999)

Akamatsu's series continues on as strong as ever. The group encounter Matsumi again, who is also, it seems, studying to get into Tokyo U., but what an odd method of studying she has! And what's worse, Keitaro, who was finally getting somewhere in his relationship with Naru, finds the well-meaning, but clueless, Matsumi is driving Naru green with jealousy, even if Naru won't admit it. You wouldn't think a simple story about two people trying to fall in love with each other could be so engrossing (and funny), but it certainly is here. ****

Vol. 6 of Love Hina marks the return of Mutsumi, the girl Naru and Keitaro met on their travels during volume 3. As Mutsumi establishes herself in the Hinata household so she can work towards the Tokyo U exam, she and Keitaro start to grow closer. And by the cliffhanger end of volume 6, Naru discovers a revelation that could mean Mutsumi is Keitaro's long lost "promise girl."

For my money, this volume is the climax of the love triangle aspects of the Love Hina series. In fact, a similar scene was played as such in the anime, and it works just as effectively here despite this being the less-than halfway point of the series. Did Ken Akamatsu plan on finishing the series early at one point? Who knows, but while he does come up with several fresh and intriguing plot threads down the line, none match the emotional angst found here. Next to Naru, Mutsumi has always been the only other serious contender for Keitaro's affections. And with her habit of randomly kissing people, who knows what the next volume will bring?

An important volume of Love Hina. Don't miss it.

This hilarious manga series continues. This time around, we learn who Keitaro's "mystery girl" is (maybe). If you enjoyed previous volumes of this series, you are sure to enjoy this one, too.

If you love manga, be ready to love it even more! Love Hina Volume 6 is packed with prrrrfect graphics, unique and funny characters and a storyline that ever keeps developing.
It has been one year since Keitaro Urashima (our bumbling but lovable hero) arrived in Hinata House, and what a year it's been! Keitaro still has his sights set on Tokyo University, and much to his liking aquires the beautiful Naru as his tutor- again. Still unable to pluck up the courage to tell her how he feels, he takes her out to the cinema. Things are really looking up for the Tokyo U couple until a certain someone shows up on the scene and gets Naru guessing about Keitaro's mystery promise girl... The volume ends in the very sandbox that the promise was made, and the ending certainly made me run and buy the next volume asap!!!

I have no idea how or why I picked up this amazing book. But I like to think it was divine intervention.

Myself being a 17 year old high school student, felt like I had no real direction in life. I was dragging through the days, trying to get by as fast as I possibly could.

But this book... It showed me something.

Much like Keitaro, I lack any major skills and have a lot of doubt in myself. But unlike Keitaro, I wanted to give up, call it quits, try to get by. This amazing story showed me that there's always hope. Hope for new love, new friends, ... a whole new life!

All I can say is that this absolutley breath taking book changed my life for the better. I see now that I can't live my one life by just coating through high school. I have to live it to it's fullest facing all chalanges head one with each and last fiber of my being.

I understand now, and this book showed it all to me. The story, artwork, dialouge, all flawless.

Please, if you haven't read this book, manga, comic, whatever, yet.... Then go out and read it. If a loser like me can pull a 180 and change everything with just 14 volumes of bliss, then I imagine that you can gain even more from these amazing pages.

Masanobu Fukoka was a laboratory agricultural scientist who worked on fighting plant diseases. He also had many unanswered questions about the interrelationship between man and nature. After a long sabbatical he resigned his position and took over his father's rice and mandarin orange farm. Fukuoka thought that by putting the subjects of his questions into actual material challenges he might find the answers he sought.

Fukoka was immediately drawn to organic and natural farming methods, and over the years developed a type of natural farming that he refers to as "do-nothing farming". Contrary to what you may imagine, this method does involve work, much of it menial, but at least in Fukoka's experience the benefits outweight the negatives. His method of farming is thus:

After the seasonal heavy rains, the rice is planted by scattering it by hand throughout the farming area. The planting rice is rolled in a type of clay that will help prevent animals from eating it but will not inhibit sprouting. Clover seeds are also sewn at the same time in the same method. The clover acts as a natural barrier to the young rice shoots, and helps the soil from eroding.

The rice will grow naturally over the course of the next few months without constant pools of water as are often seen in traditional(from 1600-1940s) Japanese rice farming, albeit shorter and stockier than the cultivated rice. After the rice harvest, the leftover straw is scattered over the field to decompose, adding nutrients back into the soil. Afterwards, barley is planted as a winter crop and to further enrich the soil for the next rice season.

Fukoka does not use compost on his rice fields or on his citrus orchard as he finds that the byproducts of the plant provides all the soil nutrients needed. He does maintain a small compost pile for his vegetable garden, however. Outside of the rice season, he tends to his mandarin orange orchard, which is also kept on a "do-nothing" method of growth. From using this technique, he has not only kept up with modern(tractor, fertilizer, pesticide) farmers in quantity, but has a much higher quality of rice, barley, and oranges. He spends very little out of pocket and sells his produce for a very fair price.

The great thing about this short book (192pp) is that it is not exclusively about farming. In fact, there are many pages where Fukoka expands on philosophy, history, nutricion, intentional communities, and sustainibility. There is also an excellent forward by Wendell Berry, one of my favorite authors(Jayber Crow is a must read) Highly reccomended although it seems to be out of print. I borrowed mine from a local library.

This book is revolutionary. It really shows us how to get back to the natural way of farming and living. Like Thoreau once said Simplify, simplify, simplify. Fukuoka brings one back to the essence of life. Life was not meant ot be difficult, we must simplify to succeed, the more complex tends to be more difficult. Nature does not need the hand of man to thrive. She only needs to be. In mans pursuit to control and dominate we have succeeded in corrupting. Fukuoka's natural way would help humanity to redeem themselves and reach a state of peace.

There are thousands of Self-realized people , but only a handful of those have experienced that. This Japanese farmer/scientist is one among the rare who understood the truth that unless one put the "Truth" (Self-realization) into practise in daily life, one cannot experience it. He used farming to validate his realization and shares great truth to us through this book. The truth he shares about natrual food is amazing and is in tune with the truth given by other cultures. This book is highly recommended for someone who seeks Truth in every moment of life.

Some have said that the Fukuokan philosophy is the tap root of what is now more broadly called Permaculture, only Masanobu Fukuoka was a Japanese farmer, working with rice and winter grain in a southern Japanese climate. Both are no-till methods that shun the use of chemicals. However, Fukuoka should be set apart from farming in general and Permaculture in particular, in that The One-Straw Revolution is essentially a profound work of literary philosophy. Indeed, in many cases it reads like a naturalist's bible. Although the book is dressed in the language and anecdotes of a farmer, the message looms much larger. We read of a man who came to terms with the problem of death, and then decided to form a profoundly new (or is it old?) relationship with nature. In essence, the nugget of his wisdom is that, instead of struggling to control and command nature, we must learn to work with and learn from nature. Allow me to share one quote:"To build a fortress is wrong from the start. Even though he gives the excuse that it is for the city's defense, the castle is the outcome of the ruling lord's personality, and exerts a coercive force on the surrounding area. Saying he is afraid of attack and that fortification is for the town's protection, the bully stocks up weapons and puts the key in the door." Now I ask you, does the following paragraph sound like the words of a farmer or a philosopher? From the face of it, one might think Fukuoka is here criticizing the nuclear arms race, but he is actually talking about the warlike mindset of farmers who see leaf-munching pests as evil enemies that must be fortified against, sought out and destroyed. Whether we are talking about bull weevils or communities, though, his advice is sound. We must change our frame of reference and establish a different relationship with the world. Concise and yet elegant, Fukuoka's prose is pregnant with meaning. Altogether, this work provides poetic an intelligent critique of industrial agricultural practices and the linear notions of nature and progress that underlay those practices. In fact, Fukuoka goes as far as to declare that the scientific method itself limits our experience and knowledge of nature. An invaluable, timeless work that will move you, even if you have never picked up a hoe.

j.w.k.

A critique of current farming practices as well as consumer values, Masanobu Fukuoka's One Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming outlines a more simple life that strives to work with the earth rather than against it. Mr. Fukuoka states that natural farming is not just a method of agricultural production but it is a way of life.
In The One Straw Revolution Mr. Fukuoka explains that modern methods of agriculture work to control nature with the assumption that humans can understand nature and there by improve on it, but modern techniques using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are only temporary solutions that humans have discovered in order to correct the imbalance they have caused. "Human Beings with their tampering do something wrong, leave the damage unrepaired (SIC), and when the adverse results accumulate, work with all their might to correct them. When the corrective actions appear to be successful, they come to view these measures as splendid accomplishments."
Natural farming allows for nature's processes to take care of most of the work that farmers find necessary in conventional methods of agriculture. Mr. Fukuoka claims "there is no time in modern agriculture for a farmer to write a poem or compose a song." When he first began, Mr. Fukuoka thought, "How about not doing this? How about not doing that?" By allowing for the natural processes of decomposition and growth to occur there is very little work to be done and the farmers have more time to enjoy life. This line of thought has been central to Mr. Fukuoka's natural farming philosophy. Eventually he came to the realization that "there are few agricultural practices that are really necessary."
Mr. Fukuoka's method of natural farming follows four basic principals; "No Cultivation", "No Chemical Fertilizer Or Prepared Compost", "No Weeding By Tillage Or Herbicides", and "No Dependence On Chemicals". Although many of the practices described in the book relate specifically to farming rice, wheat, roots, and oranges in southern Japan, it is these four principals that can be applied to farming anywhere in the world.
To give a good example of natural farming, Mr. Fukuoka's method of cultivating rice and winter grain is as follows. In the fall Mr. Fukuoka sows the seeds of white clover, rice, and winter grain onto the same fields and covers them with a mulch of rice straw. The grains and the clover sprout up right away but the rice seeds will lie dormant until spring. When spring arrives the grains are harvested and the straw is scattered over the fields as mulch. The fields are flooded for a short period during the monsoon season giving the rice a chance to sprout through the cover. Once the fields are drained the clover recovers and spreads beneath the growing rice plants. As you can see, this is a far cry from the labor-intensive methods of paddy farming that is common throughout Southeast Asia.

The One Straw Revolution is a great book, it is insightful, practical, easy to read, and the chapters are short and give the reader concise, to the point information. Mr. Fukuoka gives readers a viable alternative to the current consumer lifestyle. The strong beliefs and successes of natural farming found in this book make Mr. Fukuoka's arguments extremely convincing. However, I'm sure the sheer simplicity will create doubt among readers, as we are used to the complexities of fertilization and pesticide use. Even organic farmers who swear by compost and manure are doing unnecessary work according to Mr. Fukuoka.
The farming techniques found in this book are extremely important as our use of fertilizers and pesticide use has skyrocketed over the past century creating many environmental problems, and life on earth is facing serious consequences as a result.
Another important point made in the book is "Humanity must stop indulging the desire for material possessions and personal gain and move instead toward spiritual awareness." This sentence outlines what I feel to be the reason for the problems of humanity today. Without a deep respect for nature and our place within her we have no limits on what we expect from her. We have increased our material wealth greatly and yet we have not become more contented, in fact we become more stressed. By creating a simpler life where our days are spent outside tending to the fields under natures guidance. We not only would curb the destruction that is related to consumption but we also are given a chance to breathe and become truly aware of our surroundings and ourselves.
I feel that the words of Masanobu Fukuoka have only increased in importance since the time in which they were written. People's lives have become increasingly urbanized and we now have generations of people who have been cut off from Mother Nature's wisdom. Although Mr. Fukuoka's sentiment that "if 100% of the people were farming it would be ideal." may seem extreme to some, it would be a plausible solution to many of the problems we face today.
The environmental movement was just beginning when The One Straw Revolution was first printed we now have scientific studies reinforcing what people have been noticing for years and the lands and waters that were once healthy are now being poisoned. I would recommend reading The One Straw Revolution to anyone interested in spirituality, globalization, farming or the environment, but I would also recommend it to anyone with an interest in preserving the quality of life on earth.

If you like origami boxes, you need to own a book by the queen of origami boxes, Tomoko Fuse. This is a good one to start with because Quick and Easy Origami boxes can be summed up by the title...quick and easy. It's also nicely packaged in a box with about 25 sheets of origami paper to get you started.

Directions and illustrations are big, bright, bold, and easy to follow. The book is spiral bound which is extremely handy if you're trying to fold and keep the book open at the same time.

The book has SQUARE boxes with several design variations for lids. It has TRIANGLE boxes with lids. It has HEXAGONAL (6-sided boxes) with lids. It has nesting boxes.

The first time origami folder will breeze through the beginning folds of most of the boxes. The final steps of the boxes are a bit challenging and will take the new folder a while to figure out. In other words, the end steps where you fold the flat paper up into the 3-D side of the box can be a bit confusing.

That's typical of most origami books. Often the final steps are NOT detailed enough, and you find yourself looking at the picture and folding this way and that. Then EUREKA, you discover you've figured it out!

If you can't find this book, Fuse's book ORIGAMI BOXES is excellent. The hexagon boxes (my favorite) in that book are easier to make and stronger than the ones in this book. Also, ORIGAMI BOXES contains the 8 sided octagon box. While it isn't spiral bound like this one, it's one of my favorite origami books.

This book is probably the single reason modular origami continues to gain new fans. Pick up this book, and fold the beginning boxes... In no time, you'll be hooked and want to fold every box, shortly after that you'll want to experiment with different papers/colors/patterns/etc. This book, (while fundamentally simple..the charm of modular...) has a wealth of great boxes. The best part is, when you are done, the boxes can be used as gifts, or gift boxes, and look great for any celebration. I highly recommend this book to all origami fans, but not too people who are only interested in finding difficult models.

Why buy this book instead of one of Tomoko Fuse's full size books?
-- makes a great gift to a new folder,
-- slips into your purse or pocket for folding on the go,
-- these simple boxes are remarkably satisfying.

I already owned a bunch of other Fuse books, and loved them, when I found this little kit. I felt a little silly buying something so simple, but it was so cute. I have not regretted the impulse. I love these boxes. Sometimes I don't want a challenge that will take half an hour, I want immediate gratification -- and this is the book.

The folds are simple enough to work well with 3 inch (75 mm) paper. And if you have fancy paper, these relatively simple boxes will show it to good advantage.

Being new to origami boxes, the title caught my attention, and didn't disappoint. The book is only 62 pages, however it teaches as much as most other bigger books do. It is spiral bound, so it lays flat during the folding steps (if you already do origami, you know how important this is). The boxes are very easy, some requiring only 10-12 steps to fully construct. The designs of the boxes are beautiful for being so simple. The folding illustrations are very, very clear and easy to understand. It is also a plus that the book comes with enough paper (60 sheets in 6 bright colors) to make each box.

Of the 15 or so books I have on origami, I would put this in the top 5, as one that I will use over and over again.

What else should I say .. it's the best ! really

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.