This book is an autobiographical historical book that will also introduce the reader to the great naval battles on the Japanese side of Pearl Harbor, Guadalquani, Midway. In this book, the protagonist Tameichi Hara, who served in the Japanese Imperial Navy, talks about his life, family, time spent at sea, the situation in Japan during the war, battles in which he participated and did not participate, and we can see that this colourful person is critical and tells military operations, technical things not as a man who villing to cry about his experience, but as a specialist who conveys the unreturned version of the truth of events, evaluates and respects the enemy and does not blindly believe in the righteousness of his leaders, as well as acknowledging his own mistakes, analysing and do not repeating them. (more…)

“Comfort women” are little girls and women, who were forced to be sex slaves by the Imperial Japanese army. These events occurred during World War 2 in Japan occupied countries. the name of “comfort women” is translated from the Japanese word ianfu (慰安婦).

“White chrysanthemum” is written by Korean-American writer Mary Lynn Bracht. Although the author now lives in London, she grew up in the United States, in a large community of Korean emigrants. After a 2002 visit to a South Korean village where her mother grew up, and the first time she heard of “comfort women,” the writer decided to depict their life endured in slavery. The novel is based on the history of Japan, Korea and “comfort women”. The book uses fictional events, characters, places and names. The action of the novel intertwines between the perspectives of two sisters. The time zone is divided between Emi’s life in 2011 and Hana’s living in the 1940s. (more…)

This book is divided into three chapters: Kokoro (Heart and Mind; 心), Karada (Body; 体), Shukanka (Habit Formation; 習慣 化). In the first chapter, the author talks about how one can discover his “ikigai” i.e. goal which leads the person forward. Every person’s “Ikigai” is different. It can be: work, love, nature, family and self-care. You may have already discovered your “Ikigai” but you haven’t realized it yet. It’s like fuel for a human motor without which it’s hard to get your feet out of bed in the morning. What follows is wabi-sabi, the ability to come to terms with the turmoil and temporality of life. The author herself mentions that of all the concepts mentioned in the book, this is the most difficult to explain. The original meaning of the word “wabi” is a sense of distance and loneliness, as well as the paradoxical beauty of imperfection. Meanwhile, “sabi” has several meanings: twisted, bent. But most of the time, it means the beauty of aging. So wabi-sabi is what is not complete, not perfect, and will not last forever. The first chapter is completed by (more…)

“You can create a short story from the smallest detail – it’s like jazz improvisation, where the story takes me where it wants to go.”

Haruki Murakami’s mastery was revealed in a new light in which the details and small, almost visible strokes once again allowed the reader to stop, exhale and simply enjoy the masterpiece.

“The Blind Willow, a Sleeping Woman” is a collection of twenty-four stories written between 1980 and 2005. period. This work not only allows you to enjoy great literature, but also reveals how the writer’s tone changes over the years, what colors become brighter, and what fades. The collection generously expresses Murakami’s mastery of the writing form. From surrealism to everyday life, it demonstrates the ability to portray human experience in a variety of ways that can serve as instructive, compelling, or simply ridicule. (more…)

Surviving a divorce with his wife, 36-year-old, unnamed the painter decides to escape to a secluded mountain lodge, where surrounded by beautiful nature, the artist has the time and space to rethink the most important events of his life and rediscover the path to creation. Still, life at the home of the famous nihonga artist Tomohik Amadai gives many riddles and engages the protagonist in a tricky puzzle in which he seeks an answer to both: the master of the house and discovered his work he had not made public.

In the novel ” Killing Commendatore”, Hakuri Murakami continues the journey of human transformation, that he must go through in order for a work of art to be born. As individual characters in the work, ideas and metaphors emerge that accompany the artist on a difficult quest. (more…)

Junko Takahashi in her book tells the story of Japanese longevity mysteries and discoveries learned from centuries-old Japanese and interviews with them. The book is interesting in that it perfectly reveals the norms of Japanese behavior, a culture that is very different from Europeans. One of them is Japanese isolation in terms of their own feelings, which was one of the barriers at the time of writing this book.

This book is an easy read for those who want to learn more about interesting Japanese culture or try to change their bad habits and maybe even prolong their lives. The author’s insights into telling about elderly are (more…)

Yukio Mishima’s novel “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” tells the story of the changing mind and life of a Zen Buddhist monk. The life of a monk is full of philosophical insights and inner monologues that show the cruel tragedy of existency and man. The story is based on real facts, and the main focus of the book, as the name suggests, is the Kyoto Golden Pavilion set on fire in the 1950s. The book contains a number of Buddhist terminology and real historical events that will broaden the reader’s horizons. (more…)

“The Buried Giant” tells a story of an old couple, which lives in ancient Britain, and journey to meet with their son, who has not been seen for many years. The story full of mysticism depicts the old world, which is full of inexplicable phenomena, surrounded by various monsters, and people mysteriously losing their memories. But in the story, the heart is warmed up by the spouses’ sincere communication and concern for each other.

Axl and Beatrice are an elderly couple quietly spending their days on the outskirts of a cave settlement. Unfortunately, the couple is slowly beginning to realize that they hardly remember their past. A few fragments of memories (more…)

“A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea” is a real and shocking story that tells the tragic story of an author who went to North Korea. The story is reminiscent of the terrible reality of North Korean people‘s lives, which is still hard to believe today. The book reflects the strict totalitarian regime in North Korea and the cult of “Great Leader’s Friend Kim Il Sung.”

Masaji Ishikawa was born between two worlds: a Korean father and a Japanese mother. The Ishikawa family spent several years in Japan, where they experienced horrific violence by their alcoholic father. However, when North Korea launched a repatriation campaign in 1958, the family went to “paradise on earth.” Hoping to start life anew as a happy, (more…)

“The Travelling Cat Chronicles” is an extremely sensitive story of human-cat friendship that reminds the reader of the beauty of life and emphasizes the values ​​of love and sacrifice. The wonderful adventure told in the book perfectly reflects the Japanese sincerity and the attention to detail inherent in Japanese literature.

The fateful meeting of protagonist Satoru and a wild cat Nana at the silver van changed their lives forever. And the accident brought the two friends even closer, who suddenly became inseparable. The once wild cat (more…)