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      • Lifestyle, Sport & Leisure
        February 2022

        Inside Your Japanese Garden

        A Guide to Creating a Unique Japanese Garden for Your Home

        by Joseph Cali, Sadao Yasumoro

        Learn how to create a tranquil outdoor space at home with this practical and inspiring guide!With instructive drawings and step-by-step techniques, Inside Your Japanese Garden walks you through designing and creating your very own Japanese garden. From small projects like benches and gates, to larger undertakings like bridges and mud walls, this book provides a wide variety of ways to enhance the space around your home, no matter the size. Instructions on how to work with stone, mud and bamboo—as well as a catalogue of the 94 plant varieties used in the gardens shown in the book—round out this complete guide.This book also features 20 gardens that author Sadao Yasumoro has designed and built in Japan, and some—like those at Visvim shop in Tokyo and at Yushima Tenjin in Tokyo—are open to the public. From small tsuboniwa courtyard gardens to a large backyard stroll garden with water features, stairs and walls, these real-life inspirations will help spark your own garden plan.These inspirational garden projects include: Tea Garden for an Urban Farmhouse featuring a clay wall with a split-bamboo frame and a stone base The Landslide That Became a Garden with a terraced slope, trees, bushes, long grasses and moss A Buddha's Mountain Retreat of Moss and Stone with vertical-split bamboo and brushwood fencing Paradise in an Urban Jungle with a pond, Japanese-style bridge, and stone lanterns Each garden is beautifully photographed by Hironori Tomino and many have diagrams and drawings to show the essential elements used in the planning and construction.

      • Lifestyle, Sport & Leisure
        March 2022

        The Art and Science of Judo

        A Guide to the Principles of Grappling and Throwing

        by Jiichi Watanabe

        "There have been many books on judo—some highly competent, others well-written or well-illustrated, some fit for beginners, others for the advanced student. To have all these in a single volume is unusual."—San Francisco ChronicleThe Art and Science of Judo is a revealing Japanese martial arts manual that focuses primarily on the scientific principles at work in Judo.In this book, highly-respected Judo instructors Jiichi Watanabe and Lindy Avakian delve deeply into the mechanics of Judo, offering clear-cut scientific explanations for the numerous techniques involved in throwing and grappling. By understanding the science behind the art, you will become prepared to perform the right moves at the right time and successfully meet the challenge of responding to your opponent.The book has over 200 illustrations and 40 photos which show the forces that are employed when performing common Judo throwing and grappling moves such as hip throws, foot sweeps, collar holds, and many more. In addition to the precise explanations of judo's physical aspects, you'll also find detailed insights into the psychological factors related to judo's underlying philosophy.Topics include: How dynamics are applied to Judo The three principles for practicing Judo The three laws of motion and how they apply to Judo Different kinds of force found in Judo techniques How to effectively practice throwing and grappling A new foreword by Judo instructor Neil Ohlenkamp offers insight on the book's importance as a resource for every Judo practitioner and instructor. The Art and Science of Judo is a fascinating and valuable work, which will help you achieve success by not only understanding what techniques to master but also why they work and when to use them.

      • Food & Drink
        March 2022

        Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth

        by Nancy Matsumoto

        This stunning guide invites you into the story of sake—an ancient beverage finding its way in a modern world.Whether you're a sake novice or an experienced connoisseur, Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake offers fascinating insights, practical tips, and rich stories about this popular beverage.Authors and experts Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay personally undertook the challenge of visiting 33 artisanal sake breweries in Japan, the US, and Canada to interview makers and document every stage of the sake brewing process. Nancy's celebrated journalistic background combined with Michael's sake sommelier experience have led to an engaging and informative look at the world of sake.With over 300 color photos and a lively narrative, this fascinating book provides: A comprehensive introduction to the science and history of sake brewing in Japan A look at how fine craft sakes are brewed today using traditional methods and no additives—only rice, water, koji, and yeast Histories of Japan's venerable breweries, some of them over 300 years old! An answer to why some breweries are able to turn out a superior quality of sake A discussion of rice varieties and "terroirs" where exceptional sakes are produced Current trends in the world of sake, including the fine sakes now brewed outside Japan Tasting notes and recommendations for top craft sakes you have not heard about yet This book also includes personal recipes from several top Japanese brew masters along with food-pairing tips and the authors' own personal recommendations for the best sake bars in Japan and overseas!

      • Travel & Transport
        March 2022

        Uniquely Japan: A Comic Book Artist Shares Her Personal Faves

        Discover What Makes Japan The Coolest Place on Earth!

        by Abby Denson

        Lavishly decorated manhole covers, pink polka-dotted backhoes, toilets with warmable seats, blow dryers (and other bells and whistles). It's just another day in Japan, where the futuristic and zany stands side-by-side with the rooted and the venerable, and there's a festival going on somewhere almost every day of the year.In Uniquely Japan, Abby Denson—author of Cool Japan Guide and Cool Tokyo Guide—uses her own personal drawings and photos to highlight the things that make Japan truly different from every other place on the planet. From the ramen and sushi we've all come to love to the fantastic creatures who now star in their own video games and anime, the comic artist takes you on a romp through Japan's distinctive popular and traditional culture.Here are just a few of the favorite bits and pieces Abby presents: Vending machines for everything from eggs to electronics Tiny alleyways where you may come across a shrine—or a hip-hop bar Silly mascots promoting serious businesses Whimsical architecture for neighborhood police stations Stamps for your name (no signature is complete without one), or to collect at railway stations and castles Colorfully painted, hardworking construction vehicles that beep and talk as you pass by And, of course, the ridiculously delicious food: noodles, bento boxes, and gorgeous sweets

      • Travel & Transport
        April 2022

        The Widow, The Priest and The Octopus Hunter

        35 True Life Stories from Japan

        by Amy Chavez

        Get to know the inhabitants of a tiny Japanese island—and their unusual stories and secrets—through this fascinating, intimate collection of portraits.When American journalist Amy Chavez moved to the tiny island of Shiraishi (population 430), she rented a house from an elderly woman named Eiko, who left many of her most cherished possessions in the house—including a portrait of Emperor Hirohito and a family altar bearing the spirit tablet of her late husband.Why did she abandon these things? And why did her tombstone later bear the name of a daughter no one knew? These are just some of the mysteries Amy pursues as she explores the lives of Shiraishi's elusive residents.The 35 revealing accounts in this book include: The story of 40-year-old fisherman Hiro, one of two octopus hunters left on the island, whose brother died tragically in a boating accident A friendly Buddhist priest, now in his eighties, who reflects on his childhood during the war years, witnessing fighter pilots readying themselves to die, and the ever-present, gnawing hunger he felt A "pufferfish widow," so named because her husband died after accidentally eating a poisonous pufferfish. A tombstone maker's wife, 85, recalls what it was like to arrive on Shiraishi for the first time to marry a man she had never met before Interspersed with the author's reflections on her own life on the island, these stories paint an evocative picture of the dramatic changes which have taken place in Japanese society across nearly a century. Fascinating insights into local superstitions and folklore, memories of the war and the bombing of nearby Hiroshima, and of Shiraishi's heyday as a resort in the 1960s and 70s are interspersed with accounts of common modern-day problems like the collapse of the local economy and a rapidly-aging community which has fewer residents each year.

      • Food & Drink
        May 2022

        Japanese Superfoods

        Learn the Secrets of Healthy Eating and Longevity - the Japanese Way!

        by Yumi Komatsudaira

        Discover the secrets of Japanese superfoods and learn how you can incorporate them in your daily meals!Yumi Komatsudaira grew up in her family's seaweed shop, snacking on the green treats on which her family built their health-based culinary business. Now she shares the secrets of healthy eating that have guided the Japanese for ages.Superfoods are the life-giving ingredients that our bodies need for balance, wellness, healing, and longevity. Cholesterol-reducing, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, gut-healthy—the list of their benefits goes on and on. The Japanese—who face fewer health issues, less obesity, and have longer lifespans than those in other countries—have long known the power of these key ingredients.In this book, Komatsudaira combines her extensive expertise with ocean vegetables and Japanese cooking to show you how to create simple, delicious, and super-healthy Japanese-style meals at home.The power-packed, super-nutritive dishes include: Red Quinoa Salad with Hijiki and Kabocha My Grandma's Scattered Sushi Bowl Napa Cabbage, Potato and Bacon Miso Soup Edamame Hummus Yakitori Grilled Chicken Wings Okinawa-Style Braised Kombu and Pork Matcha Cheesecake Kombu Smoothies with Lemon Yogurt and Blueberries Unlock the power of nature's goodness, Japanese style. Japanese Superfoods allows you to discover a healthier way to eat while opening a whole new world of flavor and power-packed nutrition.

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