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Friday, May 15, 2026

Goodbye Madam Butterfly Sex Marriage and the Modern Japanese Woman

Japan Book Review: Goodbye Madam Butterfly: Sex, Marriage and the Modern Japanese Woman

Goodbye Madam Butterfly

by Sumie Kawakami

ISBN: 978-0974199535
Chin Music Press, 2007
221 pp; hardcover

Loveless, sexless and often hopeless, yet they keep trudging along.

Goodbye Madam Butterfly, clearly named with a nod to John Luther Long's famous 1898 short story Madam Butterfly, is a book based on author Sumie Kawakami's early 2000s interviews with Japanese women who volunteered their sad stories, most all of whom thought their stories merely mundane.

After the interviews, Kawakami came to the conclusion that, "while the sex industry maintains a high profile in Japan, the nation doesn't seem to be having much actual sex."

Like Long's book (later turned into the Puccini 1904 three-act Italian opera Madama Butterfly), things are bleak, but not quite as depressing and anger-inducing as the original Madame Butterfly. It seems there is a lot of "gaman" (enduring) among Japanese women.

Most of the women interviewed in this book are divorced single mothers, although some are still married and some don't have children. If you know Japanese culture well, you can guess most of the reasons why there is not much sex going on.

Goodbye Madam Butterfly Sex Marriage and the Modern Japanese Woman.

Kawakami tells 11 tales from her interviews with the women. Actually, one story is told from the perspective of a man who runs a clinic for male "sex volunteers." One of his (unpaid) volunteers sees his job as a kind of "rehabilitation program" for women not getting regular sex. He handles (so to speak) all kinds of women.

"…we can never fail, even if they are very fat, very ugly or physically disabled," he said. How altruistic of him.

The chapters are unrelated to each other, other than having lack-of-sex related themes.

While in some books skipping the preface isn't a bad idea, doing so with the book would be a mistake. There is a lot of good background information and explanation for the reasons of what is upcoming.

Readers might expect that since the book was written by a woman who interviewed unhappy women, that men would really come in for a kicking. Well, yes, they do, but the blame for the unhappiness seems to be shared pretty equally. Also, the way some women treat other women will make you cringe.

Kawakami's writing style is simple and direct. There is little to no analysis, either of each individual case or of Japanese society in general. Readers may wish there had been a bit of analysis, but that didn't happen.

Final note: How little sex is happening in Japan? In early 2026 the Japanese government announced that the number of children in Japan has declined…for the 44th straight year.

Review by Marshall Hughes, author of Rural Reflections: What 11 Years in Provincial Japan Taught Me.

Buy this book from Amazon USA | UK | Japan

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Monday, April 20, 2026

Memoirs of a Kamikaze Book Review

Japan Book Review: Memoirs of a Kamikaze: A World War II Pilot's Inspiring Story of Survival, Honor and Reconciliation

Memoirs of a Kamikaze

by Kazuo Odachi

ISBN: 978-4-8053-1575-0
Tuttle Publishing, 2020
192 pp; hardcover

"Our order was simple: die."

What were the mindsets and motivations of Japan's World War II kamikaze pilots? Since it is impossible to ask "successful" kamikaze pilots, we'll have to go with the words of their "unsuccessful" brothers, the ones who didn't die. Were these pilots all really volunteers?

Kamikaze Kazuo Odachi, the author who survived eight suicide missions because he was unable to find targets worth killing himself for, said he and his fellow pilots did indeed volunteer…"as if we had a choice."

Memoirs of a Kamikaze is a fascinating look into the life of a brave, altruistic and resilient, if not fatalistic, warrior.
Odachi joined the military at age 16 wanting to become a pilot and defend the honor of Japan. He didn't join the kamikaze corps; he was gently pushed into a corner where he had little choice.
The first half of the book takes the reader from his volunteering to join the military, through his training as a zero pilot to his last, aborted mission. He was wheeling his zero down the runway with a specific target in mind when he his mission was called off. The war had ended.

The second half of the book is about Odachi after he returns from the war. He had actually decided to stay in Taiwan for the rest of his life, becoming a farmer and marrying a local girl, but American troops came to the village where he was and put the kibosh on that idea. Readers interested solely in the kamikaze part of the book may be tempted to stop reading at the halfway point, but Odachi's life proves to be interesting until the end.

He becomes a police officer in Tokyo and steadily works his way up the chain of command, becoming a top-notch investigator and solving some important and famous cases. The last part of the book focuses on his life-long love of kendo, and even that is informative, insightful and entertaining at times.

Odachi himself didn't write the book. After having kept his kamikaze background secret for the better part of 70 years, he finally opened up at age 87 and told two authors his story. The book was originally written in Japanese, then translated into English in 2020. The translators did a remarkable job with the voice used throughout the book. Odachi's voice changes from sounding like a teenaged kamikaze pilot at the start of the book, to sounding like a middle-aged police detective and finally sounding like a wise, sharp-minded kendo master approaching 90.

Odachi's strength of mind is inspiring. The book has numerous interesting historical insights and perspectives.
Reading this book will make many people wish they could have shared a meal with him and picked his brain, and that is the sign of a worthwhile book.

Review by Marshall Hughes, author of Rural Reflections: What 11 Years in Provincial Japan Taught Me.

Buy this book from Amazon USA | UK | Japan

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Thursday, March 12, 2026

Sansho Japanese Mountain Pepper

Japanese Mountain Pepper - Sansho 山椒

Sansho fruits on a tree

Sansho, known as Japanese Mountain Pepper or simply Japanese Pepper in English, is one of the essential spices of Japan. Traditional Japanese eel dishes would be unthinkable without sansho, sansho is an integral component of the widely used shichimi togarashi (Seven Peppers).

Sansho also works great on Western dishes like steak and other meats, it works perfectly with fish of all sorts as well as in salads. The edible leaves of the plant look delicious on any food platter - from sashimi to ham to cheese. The varieties of the use of sansho are almost endless with both Japanese and international dishes.

Sancho tree in Japan

What is Sansho?

Biologists use the Latin name Zanthoxylum piperitum for the plant. It is a tree which can grow up to three meters high. It can be easily recognized by its particular pinnated (feather-like) set of leaves and it sports long and quite sharp thorns.

The plant is native to Japan as well as parts of South Korea and a few areas in China. Known as chopi in Korean, sansho is also in heavy use in the cuisine of the Southern part of the peninsula.

Sansho is closely related to Sichuan peppers though their taste differs. Sichuan peppers fit the spicy foods of southwest China while sansho caters to the more subdued and refined tastes of Japan.

Bamboo sprouts with sancho leaves

Male and Female Plants

Sansho plants come in two varieties - male and female. Only the female plants feature blossoms (in about April), and only the female plants are able to grow fruits and seeds. Their leaves are larger, darker, and harder than those of their male counterparts.

The male plants on the other hand produce soft and light-colored leaves throughout the spring season. Those leaves are cherished in Japanese cuisine. In department stores, they are often sold in quite extravagant packaging for an according price.

Casual meat platter with sansho leaves

Sansho Leaves

This means that sansho from the male and female varieties is sold and used in quite different ways.

In April and May, male sansho leaves are available – going to a farmers' market you find them at a much lower price than at the department stores. Those leaves are fresh and they provide the very best of the sansho taste and smell. They are typically referred to as hana-zansho (flower sansho).

Typically, Japanese will place those leaves on one of their palms, then strongly clap hands. That brings out the full taste the best, it is said. If you get the chance to try your hand on that old custom, you will certainly attest to its veracity.

Those leaves go especially well with the fresh bamboo sprouts heading out of the ground at the same time.

They are very decorative and you often see them in advertising, sometimes used to advertise foods that call for sansho but are offered in different seasons. Like eel, a dish most commonly consumed in summer.

Unripe sansho fruits for sale in a Japanese farmers' market

Unripe Sansho Fruits

In June and July, unripe green sansho fruits become available at Japanese farmer's markets and department stores.

Those fruits, called ao zansho (green sansho) are often boiled in a broth with soy sauce and kombu (kelp) to make a tsukudani (rice topping). Mixed with tiny chirimen fish, they make great chirimen zansho, a famed Kyoto dish.

Ground sansho produced by SB on a Japanese supermarket shelf

Budoh Sansho

Sansho trees grow all over Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu. The center of sansho production however is Wakayama Prefecture in Western Japan, south of Osaka. Wakayama cultivates about 80% of Japan's sansho.

Wakayama is also home to a special type of sansho, known as budoh sansho (grape shansho). The fruits of budoh sansho are much larger than average sansho fruits, they look more like grapes, hence the name. The budoh sansho variety is particularly sought after - it is not only larger but also offers a spicier taste than the average sansho.

Budoh sansho is sold both in unripe and in mature form.

Sansho rinds packed by Mascot

Ground Sansho

Harvest time for the ripe sansho fruits is in about October. That is when the by then dry reddish fruit rinds break open and reveal a black seed inside.

That seed is inedible and thus gets discarded. The valuable part of the fruit is the dry rind.

Most commonly that rind is ground into a more or less rough powder. Unlike the fresh leaves and unripe fruits, that powder can be purchased and used throughout the year.

Ground sansho is an elemental part of shichimi togarashi, ground sansho is no doubt the most commonly used form of sansho in Japanese kitchens today.

That's what is sprinkled on the dishes in summer in most eel restaurants, that's what you find as a condiment on the tables of Japanese udon and soba noodle restaurants.

The most common variety of ground sansho in Japan is the one manufactured by spice giant SB. Their sansho powder, labeled in hiragana letters as さんしょう, is available in every supermarket. That is the sansho most Japanese use at home.

Sansho Rinds

The main selling point of ground sansho is its convenience. You get the sansho taste on your dishes quickly and reliably.

For the real aficionado, however, ground sansho does not fly. Too much of the taste and fragrance of the sansho invariably evaporates during processing and storing.

Under the name Japanese Pepper, Japanese spice maker Mascot sells the original dried rinds. Rinds of Wakayama budoh sansho, the large and spicy variation of the plant.

You get the real rinds tightly packed into a glass jar. Keep them dry and only use the portion for the meal you plan. Grind them in a suribachi mortar. The suribachi will bring out the best of the taste - especially if it is one of those traditional Japanese mortars that come with a pestle made of fragrant sansho tree wood.

Buy Sancho

Goods from Japan offers a variety of Japanese spices and condiments.

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by Johannes Schonherr

Sunday, February 01, 2026

Family Mart Line Socks

Family Mart Line Socks ファミリーマートソックス

Convenience stores are ubiquitous in Japan. In large cities you won't have to walk for more than a minute or two to reach the nearest konbini as they are called in Japan, the countryside is also dotted with them.

Convenience stores are generally open 24/7, in smaller towns they may be the only option to buy food, beer or cigarettes late at night. There, they are islands of light and warmth in a cold winter night.

The food on sale ranges from heated nikuman pork buns to bento boxes to onigiri rice balls to sandwiches to a large variety of snacks. Cheese tara are always on offer. The coffee is freshly brewed on site.

You can pay your bills at the counter. Yes, those electricity bills, etc. arriving at your home mailbox. You can ship packages from convenience stores, you can buy concert tickets there.

The ATMs at the convenience stores are usually the only ones processing foreign credit cards late at night, thus providing cash to foreign visitors at all times. Cash often needed at those cozy izakaya bars where cards are rarely accepted.

In short, Japanese convenience stores offer crucial lifelines at all times, even if all you need is a free, clean toilet or a free WiFi connection.

There are three major convenience store chains in Japan: Seven Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson. They all offer the same services, some details differ.

Family Mart

The Family Mart chain for example is famous for their roasted chicken, known as Famichiki.

Family Mart is the second largest of the three chains (Seven Eleven is the largest) and it has been an innovator in the industry since its inception.

The first Family Mart opened in 1973 near Iriso Station in Sayama City, just north of Tokyo. In the heart of the Sayama Tea area.

Today, Family Mart operates about 16,4000 stores in Japan and another 8,000 or so in foreign markets like Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, there are close to 3000 stores in mainland China alone.

Family Mart Apparel

What of the above makes Family Mart a fashion hub, though, you may rightly ask. Maybe a place to buy some fresh socks after a long hike in summer but not much more?

For decades, it was exactly like that. But then, Family Mart shifted gears. Fashion was to become one of their trademarks.

Basic fashion, of course, things residents and visitors alike needed quickly and on a daily basis. Like, yes, socks.

In 2021, Family Mart teamed up with Tokyo designer Hiromichi Ochiai and tasked him with a fashion line fitting the Family Mart image.

Family Mart Line Socks

Ochiai started out with the by now iconic Family Mart Line Socks. Thick unisex white socks made of wool and polyester, antibacterial and deodorizing, featuring towards their calf ends the green and blue lines that mark every Family Mart store.

People familiar with Family Mart (virtually everybody in Japan) would immediately recognize the source of the the socks. No logo was needed to achieve this effect.

Covid

The socks hit the shelves at the height of the Covid pandemic. It was a time when shopping trips went down to the barest minimum. People tried to avoid crowded trains, crowded department stores and so on and reduced their shopping to small stores in their immediate environs as much as possible.

Getting on a train to buy socks was out of the question. Many went to the convenience stores looking for reliable daily-use products beyond food and stationery.

That Family Mart was suddenly offering cheap, warm quality socks with a simple but easily recognizable design was greatly helpful at the time. People snapped them up and started to write about them on their blogs and in their discussion forums, creating quite a hype.

Convenience Wear

Meanwhile, Hiromichi Ochiai had bigger plans. In collaboration with Family Mart, he started a new fashion brand named Convenience Wear.

He designed towels, underwear, boxer shorts, T-shirts, sweat shirts, tank tops, hoodies, cardigans and even light jackets. All in basic black or white with a few sparse color lines thrown in. All quality products. Simple, durable, convenient.

If anyone wanted to, it would be possible to almost completely dress in Family Mart / Ochiai's Convenience Wear items.

Seasonal & Regional Products

Family Mart and Ochiai quickly understood that with the big fan base that had built up on the original Line Socks, seasonal and regional variations were to become much sought-after products.

That's exactly the way they went. Offering Line Socks with the colors of the lines geared towards the season, offering special editions for, say, the Fuji Rock Festival, as well as special editions for different regions. They also went into partnerships with the Simpsons and other major pop cultural players.

All of that of course being a tried and tested concept in Japan, best known in the food and snack sector.

It worked out with the Line Socks just as well, with fans searching out all the different varieties.

Foreign Visitors

Once the Covid pandemic was over, millions of foreign visitors entered Japan again. Soon more than ever before, lured by a cheap Yen and government policies focusing on aggressive tourist promotion.

The number of foreign visitors went through the roof. They are still getting higher year by year, all records are constantly broken.

Wherever those visitors are coming from, whatever their way of traveling is (tour group or individual?), they will all end up visiting a number of convenience stores during their stay in Japan.

Stores, they will tell stories about to their friends back home. Those always open, always reliable stores found to be everywhere.

Many of those visitors decided to buy their travel souvenirs right there at the convenience store rather than searching for something meaningful at a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine.

The Family Mart Line Socks quickly caught their eyes. They were useful, they were easy to pack into the suitcase even in big amounts, they were profoundly Japanese. Insignias of the modern Japan. Easy and convenient gifts or memories.

That foreign visitors picked up the Family Mart Line Socks in such a great number led eventually major news outlets like the BBC in Britain and CNN in America to investigate the matter … publishing major online texts that further enhanced sales among visitors.

Whatever their wording, those news outlets all agreed on one basic thing: that, yes, the Family Mart Line Socks made great souvenirs / gift. Easy to purchase, convenient, useful, stylish… and absolutely Japanese.

Buy Iconic Convenience Socks from Japan

Goods from Japan offers a variety of Japanese clothing including tabi socks and tabi shoes.

Family Mart Line Socks in White & Black

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by Johannes Schonherr

Friday, January 23, 2026

Japan's Longest Day Book Review

Japan Book Review: Japan's Longest Day: Intrigue, Treason and Emperor Hirohito's Fateful Decision to Surrender

Japan's Longest Day

by Kazutoshi Hando and Yukinobu Hoshino

ISBN: 978-4-8053-1779-2
Tuttle Publishing, 2023 (English version)
480 pp; paperback

In the closing days of World War II, a few days after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had completely eviscerated any faint hopes that Japan could win or even continue the war, the Japanese cabinet met to discuss and vote on the surrender of Japan and acceptance of the conditions set out in the Potsdam Conference. The vote was a tie, and nobody knew what to do or what was next.

Finally, Emperor Hirohito took decisive action, telling the cabinet members that the war had been lost and Japan would agree to the surrender terms. The fighting would end.

However, not everyone agree. In fact, some high-ranking military leaders decided to try to overthrow Hirohito and his planned surrender, continuing the war until every single Japanese was dead, if necessary. That was the only "honorable" possibility. Known historically as the Kyujo Incident, Japan's Longest Day is about this incident.

The day in question was August 14-15, 1945. Hirohito's recorded announcement of surrender was to be played on the 15th. On the night of the 14th Major Kenji Hatanaka and his men spent several hours searching for Hirohito's recording, a recording which was to be played for the nation at noon the next day. Unable to find the recording, the men occupied the NHK Building in an attempt to prevent the broadcast. Hatanaka had support from some factions of the military, but not quite enough to complete his coup. He abandoned the idea, went outside and killed himself.
It is important to know that while the general story is fairly well documented, parts of this graphic novel are speculation. The author opines that Hirohito had been blackmailed from the start to not oppose the war, even though he was generally against it. Potential historical reasons are given.

Two movies have been made about the Kyujo story: The 1967 film entitled, "Japan's Longest Day" and the 2015 film entitled, "The Emperor in August." Both movies are done in Japanese.

The overly picky could point out a few minor annoyances with the manga. First, there are half a dozen or so typos. Secondly, and perhaps it is a necessity and not an annoyance, is that the reader is swamped with many names and titles to keep straight.

One interesting touch is that the manga opens backwards from Western tomes, meaning the spine is on the right, not the left; so, the manga opens like old-style Japanese books did. This add to the authentic Japanese feeling of the manga, which was originally published in Japanese.

Japan's Longest Day is a gripping look at the anatomy of political decision-making under extreme duress. It shows that wars' conclusions can be as perilous and uncertain as wars' geneses. History buffs will be intrigued.

Review by Marshall Hughes, author of Rural Reflections: What 11 Years in Provincial Japan Taught Me.

Buy this book from Amazon USA | UK | Japan

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Saturday, January 03, 2026

Ishigaki Sea Salt Okinawa Japan

The Taste of the Southern Seas - Ishigaki Sea Salt 石垣島

History | Okinawa | Buy Ishigaki Sea Salt

by Johannes Schonherr

Ishigaki Sea Salt, harvested from the crystal clear waters of Nagura Bay on the subtropical island of Ishigaki in the far southwest of Japan is a strong-tasting, mineral-rich salt bringing the fragrance of Japan's southern seas right to your palate.

The fragrance of a southern island famous for its coral waters, fresh seafood but also for the beef raised further inland. It's a very fine, powder-like salt produced in a small local facility - but wait, maybe we should give the salt a bit of historical context first.

Ishigaki coastline, Okinawa

History

Driving around the Japanese countryside, you sometimes spot a vintage grocery store proudly displaying the words 酒タバコ塩 in a prominent spot next to the name of the business. Those words mean "liquor, tobacco, salt". They also signify that the business had its full accreditation afforded by the government since liquor, tobacco, and salt were under strict state control.

While this is still the case with liquor and tobacco, the Japanese government eventually relaxed the regulations in the case of salt. In 1997, the government lifted all restrictions.

Ishigaki sea salt factory

Soon, small privately-owned sea salt processing facilities sprang up all along Japan's coasts. Stop at any rural seaside michi-no-eki (roadside rest house featuring a permanent and often quite large local farmer's market) and you will find packages of the locally produced sea salt.

From Okhotsk Sea Salt on the northern shore of Hokkaido taken from the waters bordering Siberia all the way down the non-industrial areas of the Sea of Japan coast to Kyushu. There, Amakusa Sea Salt from the Amakusa Islands in Nagasaki is especially sort after. The scenic Japanese Inland Sea has its very own culture of producing sea salt and so does Okinawa.

With that great diversification of locally produced salts, soon a Japanese salt gourmet culture sprang up. People began to compare which salt fitted which dishes best. Salt aficionados took long tours to visit famous salt spots to build up salt collections for their kitchens - so they could choose which salt to use for which dish.

Salt cooker and salt processing by hand

Okinawa

Okinawa became the center of this salt-sampling culture. Paradise Plan, a small company producing especially mild sea salt in a flaky form named Yukishio (Snow Salt) on the island of Miyakojima, was the first to act on the trend. They opened a store named Masuya (salt store) in Naha, the capital of Okinawa, offering 120 kinds of salt sourced worldwide.

From Himalayan rock salt to North American and Mediterranean to obscure stone salts hammered out of the Argentinian Andes, the Naha Masuya had it all. Still, their focus was on local Okinawa salts. By now, you can find Masuya salt stores in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, employing salt sommeliers who take care of all your salty needs.

Salt cleaning by hand

Ishigaki Sea Salt

One of the most featured salts in any Masuya store is Ishigaki no Shio, Ishigaki Sea Salt from the island of Ishigaki in the Yaeyama archipelago in southern Okinawa.

Located close to Taiwan, Ishigaki has its very own traditional culture. The Yaeyama Islands were once home to 13 different languages, most of them today being considered extinct or close to it.

Walking through the market in Ishigaki City, however, you will overhear plenty of frantic haggling using speech that is decidedly neither Japanese nor Chinese. Those market ladies still make good use of those old languages academic linguists keep worrying about.

Sun drying Ishigaki salt

Enter Tokuhide Togo, a native of the island. A former diver, he was always interested in what the sea had to offer. After the liberation of the salt law in 1997, he turned his occasional experiments with extracting salt from the sea into a business.

Togo's Ishigaki Salt has a much stronger taste than the Miyakojima salt and is a fine powder, applicable to everyday use and simply called Ishigaki no Shio (Ishigaki Salt).

Visitors to the small factory are welcome. There is a small on-site store selling not only the salt in its various forms but also sweets produced using the salt. Delicious stuff. Ishigaki salt cookies are highly recommended.

Ishigaki Sea Salt production steps

A diagram explains, in brief, the patented manufacturing method of the salt: seawater is taken from the bay, sand and stones are filtered out, the water is collected in a tank. The water gets evaporated, thus concentrating the salt. The salt is dried in a sunlit room. Then, it's on to packing and the product is ready for sale.

Pipes take fresh water from the sea

A large glass front gives you a peek inside the main processing room where you can see workers in protective gear handle the salt. Stroll down to the shore. There you see two pipes leading into the clean natural bay. Those are the pipes that take the seawater in for salt production. In the far distance, you see another, smaller but hilly island. To the right, you can see the Omoto-dake, at 526 meters the highest mountain in all of Okinawa. From there, the Nagura River flows down into the sea, assuring a constant cleaning of the water in the bay. Quite a peaceful scenery.

Buy Ishigaki Sea Salt

While a visit to the Ishigaki Sea Salt factory is highly recommended, you can easily buy the salt online from Goods from Japan.

If you are interested in other Japanese sea salts as well, building up a small collection for your kitchen, Goods from Japan will cater to all your needs. Just contact us, we are more than happy to help.

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Thursday, December 25, 2025

Mashi: The Unfulfilled Baseball Dreams of Masanori Murakami

Japan Book Review: Mashi: The Unfulfilled Baseball Dreams of Masanori Murakami, the First Japanese Major Leaguer

Mashi: The Unfulfilled Baseball Dreams of Masanori Murakami, the First Japanese Major Leaguer

by Robert K. Fitts

ISBN: 978-1-4962-1951-0
University of Nebraska Press, 2014
232 pp; paperback

Part-pioneer, part-legend, part wide-eyed innocent kid and (unintentionally) part-baseball troublemaker, Japan's Masanori "Mashi" Murakami had one of the most interesting and consequential careers in baseball history.

In 1964, the Nankai Hawks of Japan's Pacific League sent their promising 19-year-old left-handed pitcher with two other young players to America to improve their skills. While the two other players struggled, Murakami thrived for the Class A (low minor leagues) Fresno Giants, the San Francisco Giants' affiliate.

Mashi: The Unfulfilled Baseball Dreams of Masanori Murakami.

On August 29, Murakami struck out 10 of the 12 batters he faced for a four-inning save. By September 1st, he was pitching in the majors.

The S.F. Giants, deep in a pennant race, desperately needed a left-handed reliever, so bypassing their AA and AAA players, they shockingly called up Murakami. Murakami was thrust into high-pressure situations armed with little more than a savage curveball and pinpoint control. He spoke very little English and knew next to nothing about America.

At that season's end, the Giants offered Murakami a contract for the 1965 season. He quickly signed, even though he was then unable to read English. Problematically, he was already under contract to return to the Nankai Hawks for the 1965 season. The conflict quickly drew the attention of both Japan and America's baseball commissioners, and a legal battle ensued.

It was finally decided that Mashi would pitch for San Francisco for one more year, then return to Japan. Still, the bad blood between the two commissioners and the two leagues resulted in no more Japanese players being allowed to play in America for 30 years. The next Japanese to play in America was the famous Hideo Nomo.

Author Fitts' research for the book is remarkable. He interviewed Murakami three times over a period of 10 years, and gained access to Murakami's diaries. Other players and team personnel made themselves available for interviews, too, and Fitts must have spent many hours poring through old newspaper clippings.

The details on a number of famous incidents – for example the Giants-Dodgers game in 1965 where Giants' star pitcher Juan Marichal cracked Dodgers' catcher John Roseboro over the head with his bat - are fantastic. As a former sportswriter myself who grew up near San Francisco, I knew a lot about this incident, but still got some new information from Fitts.

The book is not just about baseball. There are numerous insights into 1960s social turmoil, but not enough to slow down the pace of the book. Of course, Murakami's personal life is covered, too, starting from when he was just four years old.

The appendix (filled with Murakami's stats) and attributions to his research are impressive.

Note: Mashi is one of three books written by Fitts about Japan and baseball. The others are Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, and Assassination During the 1934 Tour of Japan, and Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Baseball. These books can be purchased by clicking on the links above.

Review by Marshall Hughes, author of Rural Reflections: What 11 Years in Provincial Japan Taught Me.

Buy this book from Amazon USA | UK | Japan

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A Geek in Japan: Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony

Saturday, November 08, 2025

A Geek in Japan Book Review

Japan Book Review: A Geek in Japan: Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony

by Hector Garcia

ISBN: 978-4-8053-1129-5
Tuttle Publishing, 2010
160 pp; paperback

A Geek in Japan is a vibrant, visually stunning guide exploring Japanese culture through the eyes of, it would appear, a knowledgeable, hardcore Japanophile, who melds tradition and modernity with enthusiasm and insight.

Helping the book's appeal is its large size of 19x25 cm, or 7.5x10 inches. This allow for hundreds of large, colorful and easy-to-see photos. The sidebars and infographics are equally impressive.

A Geek in Japan

The book covers a lot of ground, starting with the origins of Japanese culture, the traditional arts and the unique Japanese character, including the famous work culture. Then, the geekier parts kick in with sections on society today, the world of manga and anime (what would a book about geeks and Japan be without discussing manga and anime?), modern music and media, and finally travel in Japan in general and in Tokyo in specific.

One of the book's strong suits is its handling of Japanese aesthetics and values; for example ideas such as wabi-sabi (the art and beauty of imperfection) and omotenashi (hospitality), which are found in everything from architecture to interpersonal relationships. Of course, Japan's two major religions of Shinto and Buddhism are discussed, including how they coexist and still influence festivals and daily rituals.

While most of the book is fun and entertaining, there are a few places that dip into the darker side of Japan; for example, suicides and their aftermath, especially for those who cease their existence by jumping in front of trains in Tokyo. Sometimes, their families are fined up to ¥100 million "to cover the cost of cleaning services and delays across the lines."

There are only two possible "issues" about the book, and both are pretty insignificant.

First, since the book was published in 2010, there are a few things that are a bit dated. Tsukiji, long known as the place for 5 a.m. trips to see the active fish market, has closed down. Also, while listing "current" singers and groups, the names Orenji Renge and Kumi Koda among others are mentioned. Today's young and hip probably don't know these names. Also, Yamamba and other short-lived fashions are a bit out of date.

Second, while an impressive number of subjects are covered, none are covered in depth, as no section extends beyond one page. Still, that is a little like criticizing McDonalds for not serving gourmet food: that's not the purpose of the whole thing.

Even self-declared Japanophiles can learn something from the book. After all, who among us can quickly explain the difference between gothic, amaloli, classic, wa, qi and erotic lolitas?

Overall, this book never disappoints.

A Geek in Japan is one of a series of books by Tuttle Publishing. There are also similar looking and similarly laid out "Geek" books about Korea, Thailand, China and Indonesia.

Review by Marshall Hughes, author of Rural Reflections: What 11 Years in Provincial Japan Taught Me.

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