Question:
Hi, I really want to learn more about Japan, and I've decided that I'd rather do it through books than Internet. There are so many books available on the subject, but I want pretty detailed (though still pretty standard) books that deal with different aspects of Japan and its culture.
1. A book about Japanese folklore (I want to learn more about Ayakashi, Mononoke and other occurrences in the mythology of Japan.) As thick as possible I guess, I love reading about that kind of thing!
2. A book about Japanese history, somewhat detailed but not too advanced.
3. A book about Japanese customs, ceremonies traditions etc.
These books need to be available from Amazon, and I would prefer somewhat cheap ones, though if the books are really good I could consider spending some more. Thanks in advance! English is not my native language, and though I read English books all the time I don't want the language in the books to be FAR too advanced.
Answer:
For 1 and 3, I would recommend books by Lafcadio Hearn who went to Japan when it was re-opened to westerners during the Meiji Restoration. Although he wrote his books over 150 years ago, his penetrating observations still ring true today. He also wrote collections of various Japanese forklore and even ghost stories.
Start with his: "Glimpse of the Unfamiliar Japan" and "Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things "
For 2, I think you are going to like the 3 volume works of the late Sir George Sansom a historian who wrote the first definitive works on the history of Japan -
vol 1 A History of Japan to 1334
vol 2 A History of Japan 1334 to 1615
vol 3 A History of Japan 1615 to 1867
You may also like the following biographies of Tokugawa Ieyasu which will give you some understanding of how things were before Japan became a modern country -
Tokugawa Ieyasu: Shogun by Conrad Totman
Shogun: Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu by A.L. Sadler
You probably could find most of the books I listed at a large library, especially a college/university library.
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