Reading about Japan is one of the best ways to get excited for your trip, and we’ve put together a comprehensive Japan reading list for serious book lovers and light readers alike.
Japan guidebooks can be a great resource for research and travel planning, but it’s also incredibly fun (and often enlightening) to read fiction and non-fiction books from and about Japan.
So we’ve compiled a recommended reading list for Japan, including books on Japanese food, culture, history, a variety of fiction and literature, and more! For travelers who prefer visual content, we’ve also included a short list of films and shows to watch before your trip.
- Japanese Literature and Fiction
- Best Books on Japanese Culture
- Books on Japanese Food and Drink
- Japanese Art, Fashion & Design Books
- Best Books on Japanese History
- Japan Travelogues and Memoirs
- Unique Magazines Featuring Japan
- Recommended Japanese Films and TV Shows
Note: These are not affiliate links and we don’t earn commissions (or referral fees, etc.) if you buy any of them. If you purchase, try and request the books through your local bookstore (most local bookshops can get most books), or borrow from your library.
Originally written in 2017, this post was updated and republished on March 27, 2025.
Japanese Literature and Fiction
Japan is blessed with an incredible wealth of classic and modern literature. The sampling below will help get you started with some of the greatest Japanese novels, prose, and poetry.
- Anthology of Japanese Literature: From the Earliest Era to the Mid-Nineteenth Century, by Donald Keene
- Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata
- Essays in Idleness: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenko, Translated by Donald Keene*
- Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu, by Chikamatsu Monzaemon
- Four Seasons in Japan, by Nick Bradley
- I Am a Cat, by Soseki Natsume
- In Praise of Shadows, by Junichiro Tanizaki
- Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto
- Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, by Kenzaburo Oe
- Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami
- Shogun, by James Clavell
- Snow Country, by Yasunari Kawabata (a modern classic by the Nobel Prize winner)
- The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa, edited and translated by Robert Hass
- The Housekeeper and the Professor, by Yoko Ogawa (Ogawa-san is widely considered one of Japan’s best contemporary writers)
- The Makioka Sisters, by Junichiro Tanizaki
- The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches, by Matsuo Basho and Nobuyuki Yuasa
- The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, Translated by Ivan Morris (another Japanese classic for fans of ancient literature)
- The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, by Yukio Mishima
- The Sound of Waves, by Yukio Mishima (a classic by the legendary author)
- The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami (arguably still the best of Haruki Murakami’s novels)
*This book is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it helped inspire my own love for Japan, and is worth reading if you are interested in literature, history, Buddhism, and philosophy.
Best Books on Japanese Culture
The country’s unique and diverse culture is one of the things we love most about Japan. The books below — which span topics ranging from gardens to Zen, and tattoos to anime — provide an immersive introduction to a breadth of fascinating topics related to Japanese culture.
- A Geek in Japan, by Hector Garcia
- Geisha, 25th Anniversary Edition, by Liza Dalby
- Houses and Gardens of Kyoto, by Thomas Daniell
- Japanese Gardens: Tranquility, Simplicity, Harmony, by Geeta K. Mehta and Kimie Tada
- Japanese Tattoos, by Brian Ashcraft
- Japanese Zen Gardens, by Yoko Kawaguchi
- Kyoto: Seven Paths to The Heart of The City, by Diane Durston
- Kyoto Gardens: Masterworks of the Japanese Gardener’s Art, by Judith Clancy
- Living in Japan, by Alex Kerr and Kathy Arlyn Sokol
- Mindfulness Travel Japan, by Steve Wide and Michelle Mackintosh
- Old Kyoto: The Updated guide to Traditional Shops, Restaurants, and Inns, by Diane Durston
- The Japanese Garden, by Sophie Walker
- The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture, by Roger J. Davies and Osamu Ikeno
- The Obsessed: Otaku, Tribes, and Subcultures of Japan, edited by Gestalten & Irwin Wong
- Tokyo Geek’s Guide: The Ultimate Guide to Japan’s Otaku Culture, by Gianni Simone
- Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, by Jake Adelstein (written by one of the foremost English-speaking experts on Japan’s underworld)
- Yakuza: Japan’s Criminal Underworld, by David E. Kaplan and Alec Dubro
- Zen and Japanese Culture, by D.T. Suzuki
- Zen Gardens and Temples of Kyoto, by John Dougill, with photographs by John Einarsen
Books on Japanese Food and Drink
A selection of our favorite books on Japanese food and drink, to simultaneously whet your appetite and give you deeper insight into Japan’s incredible culinary culture.
- Drinking Japan: A Guide to Japan’s Best Drinks and Drinking Establishments, by Chris Bunting
- Food Artisans of Japan: Recipes and Stories, by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
- Food Sake Tokyo, by Yukari Sakamoto
- Gyoza: The Ultimate Dumpling Cookbook, by Paradise Yamamoto
- Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook, by Mark Robinson (see our full article on the izakaya experience in Japan!)
- Japan: The Cookbook, by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
- Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura, and More, by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat
- Kansha: Celebrating Japan’s Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions, by Elizabeth Andoh (learn more about traveling through Japan with special dietary requirements)
- monk: Light and Shadow on the Philosopher’s Path, by Yoshihiro Imai
- Oishii: The History of Sushi, by Eric C. Rath
- Rice, Noodle, Fish, by Matt Goulding (a fun and fascinating culinary coffee table book)
- Stories of Japanese Tea: The Regions, the Growers, and the Craft, by Zach Mangan
- Sushi, by Kazuo Nagayama
- Sushi Shokunin: Japan’s Culinary Masters, by Andrea Fazzari
- The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, by Stephen Lyman and Chris Bunting
- The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes, by Julia Momosé and Emma Janzen
- Tokyo Cult Recipes, by Maori Murota
- Tokyo Local: Cult Recipes From the Street that Make the City, by Caryn Liew and Brendan Liew
- Tokyo New Wave: 31 Chefs Defining Japan’s Next Generation, by Andrea Fazzari
- Tsukiji, by Olivier Desmet
- Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen, by Elizabeth Andoh
- Water, Wood & Wild Things, by Hannah Kirshner
Japanese Art, Fashion & Design Books
So much has been written about Japanese fashion and design, and if you want to understand everything from the nuances of kimonos to Harajuku street-style, these fascinating books have you covered.
- Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style, by W. David Marx
- Emergent Tokyo: Patterns of Spontaneous Micro-Urbanism, by Jorge Almazn, Joe McReynolds, Naoki Saito and Studiolab
- Forms of Japan, by Michael Kenna
- Ghibliotheque: The Unofficial Guide to the Movies of Studio Ghibli, by Jake Cunningham and Michael Leader
- Handmade in Japan, edited by Irwin Wong
- Hayao Miyazaki, by Jessica Niebel
- Hello Sandwich Japan: A Travel Guide, by Ebony Bizys
- Iro: The Essence of Color in Japanese Design, by Rossella Menegazzo
- Japanese Dress in Detail, by Josephine Rout and Anna Jackson
- Kimono Design: An Introduction to Textiles and Patterns, by Keiko Nitanai
- Shōwa Guide Tokyo, by W. David Marx and Roni Xu
- The Art Lover’s Guide to Japanese Museums, by Sophie Richard
- The Monocle Book of Japan
- Tokyo Chic, by Andrea Fazzari
- Tokyo Fashion City: A Detailed Guide to Tokyo’s Trendiest Fashion Districts, by Philomena Keet
- Views from Japan, by Ben Richards
- WA: The Essence of Japanese Design, by Stefania Piotti and Rossella Mennegazzo (a gorgeous and illuminating coffee table book)
Best Books on Japanese History
A basic understanding of Japanese history is essential to making sense of contemporary Japan, and the books below provide insight into some of the country’s most crucial historical periods.
- Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, by John W. Dower (essential reading for history buffs, a Pulitzer Prize-winning tome)
- Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, by Herbert P. Bix
- Hiroshima, by John Hersey
- Japan at War: An Oral History, by Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook
- Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima, by Stephen Walker
- The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi, by William Scott Wilson
- The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan, by Ivan Morris
- Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion: The Creation of the Soul of Japan, by Donald Keene
Japan Travelogues and Memoirs
These varied and colorful firsthand accounts are an invaluable way to vicariously experience Japan through the keen eyes of an eclectic collection of observers.
- Abroad in Japan, by Chris Broad
- Chronicles of My Life: An American in the Heart of Japan, by Donald Keene
- Confessions of a Yakuza, by Junichi Saga
- Dave Barry Does Japan, by Dave Barry
- Lost Japan: Last Glimpse of Beautiful Japan, by Alex Kerr
- Minka: My Farmhouse in Japan, by John Roderick
- The Inland Sea, by Donald Richie
- The Japan Journals: 1947-2004, by Donald Richie
- The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto, by Pico Iyer
- The Roads to Sata: A 2000-Mile Walk Through Japan, by Alan Booth
- Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster’s Daughter, by Shoko Tendo
Unique Magazines Featuring Japan
For travelers who love to leaf through magazines, here are some of our favorite print editions featuring Japan.
- Fare, a food-focused travel magazine.
- Lodestars Anthology Japan, an independent magazine for curious travelers.
- Sankaku, a Japan-based publication celebrating people and craft.
- Storied, a design-focused magazine for the conscientious traveler.
Recommended Japanese Films and TV Shows
Below you’ll find several of our favorite Japanese filmmakers and a selection of the best Japanese films, along with a couple of shows:
- Akira Kurosawa: Perhaps the most renowned Japanese director of all time, with too many remarkable films to list.
- Anthony Bourdain: Go back and watch Bourdain’s Japan episodes on his shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown.
- Hayao Miyazaki: The one-and-only Studio Ghibli is behind some of the world’s most beautiful animated films including Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Totoro, and countless others.
- Hirokazu Kore-eda: Brilliant contemporary director, with notable films including Shoplifters and Nobody Knows.
- Jiro Dreams of Sushi: This highly recommended modern documentary is about much more than just sushi.
- Seijun Suzuki: Fans of Quentin Tarantino should not overlook Suzuki’s action-packed films including Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter.
- Shogun: A stunning, award-winning adaptation of James Clavell’s classic novel. Terrace House: Definitely not for everybody, but those who love it swear by this famously slow-paced yet surprisingly intriguing “reality show” (start with the season Boys & Girls in the City).
- Tokyo Olympiad: Beautiful account of the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games by director Kon Ichikawa.
- Yasujiro Ozu: Another legendary Japanese director, with classic films such as Tokyo Story and Late Spring.
- Your Name: A moving anime romantic film that features body-swapping and stunning animated scenery. Directed and written by Makoto Shinkai.
Experience Japan’s Culture Before You Travel
Whether you relish the feel and smell of paper in your hands, or prefer the convenience and portability of a mobile device, we hope our recommended Japan reading list helps you prepare for your adventures!
While Amazon may be the easiest way to order books online, we recommend making the extra effort to order from your local bookstore (or support your local library)!
