x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Books on Asia

Amy Chavez, John Ross

Books on Asia is your guide to finding quality books on Japan and Asia, including travel, literature, current events, and culture. Explore Asia in-depth. Hosted by Amy Chavez.

arts books

All Episodes

00:28:47

Lauren Scharf on Japanese traditional houses: minka...

Books on Asia ·

2025/10/27

Lauren Scharf talks about Japan's minka, kominka and akiya houses in Japan.MinkaCon 2025, is an event to be held from Nov. 7-9, in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture. The two-and-a-half-day event features discussions, presentations, workshops and a writers panel for those interested in life in the Japanese countryside and preserving traditional Japanese houses. There will be a bevy of authors present, many of whom we've featured in previous episodes of the Books on Asia podcast: Azby Brown, author of Just

en

00:35:29

A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa

Books on Asia ·

2025/10/21

A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa (by Yao-Chang Chen, translated by He Wen-ching)Sitting in for Amy is the duo John Ross & Eryk Michael Smith of Plum Rain Press and the Formosa Files podcast. They discuss their very first book release, a historical novel set in southwestern Taiwan in the mid-1600s. The Dutch East India Company’s presence there (1624-1662) came to an end after a series of battles and an epic nine-month siege by the Ming loyalist warlord Koxinga (aka Zheng Chenggong), born from

en

00:32:28

Sally Burdon: Asia Bookroom and rare books

Books on Asia ·

2025/10/14

Asia Bookroom exhibits their most precious items at rare and antiquarian book fairs in Melbourne, Sydney, and Hong Kong. Look for them at the Sydney Rare Book Fair from Oct. 23-25. In this podcast we discuss some of the items on offer at the Sydney Rare Book Fair:The Disputed Islands Controversial Japanese Map by Hayashi Shihei from around 1790. This is a manuscript copy (written by hand), and includes the Takeshima/Dokdo islands indicating they belong to Korea.A silk sample book from the 1950sA

en

00:43:15

Jake Adelstein: The Devil Takes Bitcoin

Books on Asia ·

2025/10/06

Adelstein introduces the people behind Mt. Gox, one of the world's largest Bitcoin exchanges, based in Tokyo and run by Frenchman Mark Karpeles. As a reporter for The Daily Beast, Japan-based Adelstein starts researching Mt. Gox, to figure out how it got hacked, and how it collapsed i 2014 with over 650,000 Bitcoins gone missing. He covers the laws, customs and quirks of Japan's hostage-justice system and how the entire investigation into Karpeles and Mt. Gox played out. And yes, it includes

en

00:43:53

Stephen Mansfield on The Modern Japanese Garden

Books on Asia ·

2025/09/29

In this episode we cover traditional Japanese gardens and how ancient gardens were related to nature, geomancy, literature and Japanese concepts of wabi-sabi, yugen, and mono no aware. but how garden design shifted from symbolism and representation to a more naturalistic style as seen in Murin-an, a garden in kyoto. Essays on garden design include entries by Ogawa Jihei (1860-1933), Kengo Kuma, Mira Locher, Japanese monk & garden designer Masuno Shunmyo, and garden historian, critic, and author Tim

en

00:30:20

Book Talk: Korea

Books on Asia ·

2025/09/22

Books discussed include:Korean Wilds and Villages (1938) by Swedish zoologist Sten BergmanThe Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why it Matters, by BR MeyersAbsurdistan, by (2006) by Gary ShteyngartCat's Cradle, by Kurt VonnegutThe Cuttlefish (2005) by Chris TharpThe Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press.Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's

en

00:33:25

Hector Garcia—The Spirit of Shinto

Books on Asia ·

2025/09/15

Amy Chavez and Hector Garcia discuss his recently released book, The Spirit of Shinto, and how Shinto’s worldview permeates pop culture—anime, manga, films—where good and evil often blur, echoing the idea that kegare (dirt, corruption) must be cleansed rather than destroyed. Unlike Western religions where God is above, Shinto gods exist among people, as seen in Makoto Shinkai’s films or games like Ghost in the Shell and Nintendo’s video games. Hector, a Tokyoite himself, urges people to seek the

en

00:51:09

Guitarist Marty Friedman and Dreaming Japanese

Books on Asia ·

2025/09/09

Amy Chavez opens the show by asking Friedman to give a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away on July 25, 2025. Friedman then turns to the reason for writing his book, co-authored by music journalist John Weiderhorn. Friedman talks about the co-writing process and describes it as “putting his musical abilities into words.” His latest solo release, Drama, he calls his best and most romantic work to date — a largely orchestral album that stretches beyond his usual style.Beyond music, Friedman

en

00:37:59

Ginny Takemori on Translating Cats

Books on Asia ·

2025/09/01

A few of Takemori's favorite books on Japan are:Hitomachi, a photo book by Araki NoboyoshiWalking The Kiso Road by William Scott Wilson (See our podcast episode with the author)The Catalpa Bow by Carmen BlackerTakemori's upcoming translations are Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka (Penguin Modern Classics, Sept. 2025), Hollow Inside by Asako Otani (2026) and Family of the Wasteland by Atsushi Sato (May 2027).Read a book review of Mornings Without Mii (previous title Mornings With My Cat Mii)

en

00:17:34

Lina Terrell on Translating Okinawa

Books on Asia ·

2025/05/07

Lina Terrell is a translator of Japanese historical texts. Today we are going to talk about her recently released translation of The Legacy of the Ryukyu Kingdom: An Okinawan History (JPIC, 2025) by Takara Kurayoshi, a native of Okinawa. Before Okinawa, the unified and independent Ryukyu Kingdom existed for 400 years. What was this island nation like and what kind of world did it exist in? Author and Okinawa native Takara Kurayoshi plumbs the depths of Okinawa's distant and obscure past.Amy and Lina

en

00:35:10

Igor Prusa "Scandal in Japan"

Books on Asia ·

2025/03/31

Igor Prusa, Ph.D. is a Czech scholar in Japanese and media studies, currently affiliated with Ambis University Prague and Metropolitan University Prague. He received PhDs in media studies at Prague’s Charles University and at the University of Tokyo. His research interests include media scandals in Japan and anti-heroism in popular fiction. Today we're going to talk about his new book, Scandal in Japan: Transgression, Performance and Ritual (Routledge, 2024). He recently started teaching a course at

en

00:25:11

Baye McNeil talks about Racism in Japan

Books on Asia ·

2025/02/19

In this episode of the Books on Asia podcast, Amy Chavez talks with Baye McNeil talk about being a black minority in Japan, Japanese views of black people, the "African Samurai," the arrival of Commodore Perry in 1854 (who brought a minstrel show with him who performed "blackface"), and some of the media's portrayals of black people in both the US and Japan. He cites the original Calpis beverage label with a blackface character and mentions tropes in Japanese television. He suggests Japanese change

en

00:24:29

Michael Pronko's New Books: Shitamachi Scam and Tokyo...

Books on Asia ·

2025/01/27

Podcast host Amy Chavez talks with Michael Pronko, a Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir, and music. He is professor of American Literature at Meiji Gakuen University. During his over 20 years in the country, he has written for Newsweek Japan, The Japan Times, and Artscape Japan, and has been featured on NHK TV and Nippon television. He also runs the website Jazz in Japan, which covers the vibrant jazz scene in Tokyo and Yokohama. Today, we're going to talk about Pronko's fiction, as well as his

en

00:23:58

Paul Martin on Japanese Swords

Books on Asia ·

2024/12/16

Paul Martin is a Japanese sword expert who has worked at the British Museum and traveled extensively in Japan to study swords and armor. Martin's new book Japanese Swords and Armor covers 30 famous samurai warriors and their swords, armor, and other artifacts associated with them, from antique sets to modern treasures, each with its own historical and cultural significance. The book was originally published in both Italian and French, and will now be available in English from by Tuttle Publishing in

en

00:25:05

Burritt Sabin on Yokohama and Kamakura

Books on Asia ·

2024/10/30

Burritt Sabin was born in New York City and came to Japan as a naval officer in 1975. His professional career in Japan started as a journalist, and he quickly moved into writing and historical research. The first book we’re going to discuss today is about Yokohama, one of the first Japanese ports to open to foreign trade in the 1850s. A Historical Guide to Yokohama: Sketches of the Twice-Risen Phoenix is a window into a time when Japan was rapidly opening up to the world. (The book is in English,

en

00:33:17

Lesley Downer and How Empresses shaped Japan

Books on Asia ·

2024/09/24

Amy Chavez speaks with Lesley Downer, an expert on Japanese culture and history who writes both fiction and non-fiction. Her novels transport readers to the intriguing world of 19th-century Japan, while her non-fiction takes us along the Narrow Road to the Deep North with poet Matsuo Basho; behind the scenes of the Japanese geisha community; and into the intrigues of the richest family in Japan. In this episode, she discusses her just-released The Shortest History of Japan: From Mythical Origins to

en

00:32:31

Robert Whiting—Gangsters, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies

Books on Asia ·

2024/08/13

Amy Chavez talks with Robert Whiting about his recently released book Gangsters, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies: The Outsiders Who Shaped Modern Japan (Tuttle, April, 2024). They talk about strong women characters such as an Australian bar hostess named Maggie who became famous for using scissors to cut off customers' neckties and a female yakuza gangster who carried a revolver in her purse. And if you think Japan doesn't have a drug problem, think again. Whiting talks about North Korean drug

en

00:08:11

The Healing Power of Female Poet Otagaki Rengetsu

Books on Asia ·

2024/07/30

In this episode of the Books on Asia podcast, host Amy Chavez talks to author John Stevens about his new book The Lotus Moon: Art and Poetry of Buddhist Nun Otagaki Rengetsu (Floating World Editions, Aug. 2023).Book's Features:The most comprehensive English-language presentation of the work of famed nun and artist Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875)• Presents 90 of Rengetsu's painting and pottery works in over 242 full-color photos• Written by Professor John Stevens, the foremost Western authority on

en

00:36:50

Angus Waycott Walks Sado Island

Books on Asia ·

2023/12/14

Author and travel-writer Angus Waycott talks about his 8-day walk around Sado Island off Niigata Prefecture in the Japan Sea. He gives us in-depth accounts of: a mujina (tanuki-worshipping) cult, funa-ema (literally "ship horse pictures"), exile (including those of Zeami and Buddhist priest Nichiren), and the controversy behind the Kinzan gold mine and its "slave labor," all topics that he recorded in his book Sado: Japan's Island in Exile, originally published by Stone Bridge Press in 1996 and

en

00:37:43

The Future of Books and AI

Books on Asia ·

2023/11/15

We talk with publisher Peter Goodman and author/translator Frederik L. Schodt about artificial intelligence as it relates to writing and publishing books.Frederik L. Schodt's book The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution was recently listed as one of the books used to train generative AI. Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press (our podcast sponsor), publishing books about Asia for over 30 years. Both of these guests offer their views on AI, the use of

en

52 results

Similar Podcasts

Start The Breakthrough Full Audiobook Now, Thriller Fans!

thebookvoice.com

Get Hooked On The Life-Enhancing Full Audiobook Experience!

thebookvoice.com

西四五条

主播郑捕头

Podcast Patapoe

0d0a

On Mic Podcast

Jordan Rich