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Kaleidoscope Japan
by Richard Nathan
Kaleidoscope Japan takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride through the fascinating, diverse and colourful world of Japanese letters. Whether you are familiar with the influences, movements, and characters behind some of the greatest―and earliest―works in world literature or are taking your first tentative steps into a realm of genius detectives, curmudgeonly drunks, and lecherous princes, there will be something in each of these essays for you.
Kaleidoscope Japan is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in Japan, who wants their horizons expanded, or who wants to hear the stories behind the stories.
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William Shakespeare and the first Tokugawa Shogun are linked by one very important fact[UPDATED: 3-11-2026]
Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616), who founded a military state and a dynasty of shoguns that lasted 265...- TOPICS:
- History
- Shakespeare
- Shogun
William Shakespeare and the first Tokugawa Shogun are linked by one very important fact Posted by -
Osamu Dazai, the so-called ‘Bad Boy’ of Japanese literature, was brought up in a room full of poetry in an opulent house belonging to a moneylender[UPDATED: 3-11-2026]
Osamu Dazai (1909-1948) famous for his novel No Longer Human, Ningen Shikaku, killing himself at...- TOPICS:
- Fuminori Nakamura
Mitsuyo Kakuta Wins Another Important Japanese Literary Prize Posted by
Meet the Founders
Richard Nathan and Koji Chikatani are two international publishing executives with a wealth of experience who have been friends for more than 20 years. Though fluent in Japanese, Richard has always wanted to read the very best Japanese creative writing in English; and for years it's been Koji's ambition to make the best Japanese contemporary writing accessible to readers outside Japan.














