012 Japan Summer Reading Recommendations

06/15/13 • 54 min

In this episode, Nick speaks with members of the Washington, DC-based J Book Club about their summer reading recommendations.

If you would like to support the podcast, please consider purchasing some of the books discussed in this episode using the print and Kindle links below. By doing so, the podcast will receive a small commission to help offset production costs. The books are listed in the order in which they were discussed, regardless of whether they truly match the category under which they are listed.

Introduction to Japan (suggestions for: departing JETs, summer students, first-time visitors, etc.)

Kafka On The Shore – Haruki Murakami – (Kindle Edition)
The House Keeper And The Professor – Yoko Ogawa – (Kindle Edition)
Popular Hits of The Showa Period – Ryu Murakami
The Briefcase – Hiromi Kawakami – (Kindle Edition)
Fear And Trembling – Amelie Nothomb –
Learning to Bow – Bruce Feiler – (Kindle Edition)
For Fukui’s Sake – Sam Baldwin- (Kindle Edition)
Confucius Lives Next Door – T.R. Reid – (Kindle Edition)
Getting Naked With The Father-in-Law – Shaune Sakamoto – (Kindle Edition)

New Books (published in the last year)

The Lake (Kindle Edition) & Kitchen (Kitchen)- Banana Yoshimoto
Manazuru (Kindle Edition) – Hiroko Kawasaki
A Tale For The Time Being (

In this episode, Nick speaks with members of the Washington, DC-based J Book Club about their summer reading recommendations.

Introduction to Japan (suggestions for: departing JETs, summer students, first-time visitors, etc.)

Kafka On The Shore – Haruki Murakami – (Kindle Edition)
The House Keeper And The Professor – Yoko Ogawa – (Kindle Edition)
Popular Hits of The Showa Period – Ryu Murakami
The Briefcase – Hiromi Kawakami – (Kindle Edition)
Fear And Trembling – Amelie Nothomb –
Learning to Bow – Bruce Feiler – (Kindle Edition)
For Fukui’s Sake – Sam Baldwin- (Kindle Edition)
Confucius Lives Next Door – T.R. Reid – (Kindle Edition)
Getting Naked With The Father-in-Law – Shaune Sakamoto – (Kindle Edition)

New Books (published in the last year)

The Lake (Kindle Edition) & Kitchen (Kitchen)- Banana Yoshimoto
Manazuru (Kindle Edition) – Hiroko Kawasaki
A Tale For The Time Being (

Previous Episode

JET Talks by JETAADC – Live Your Dream Q&A

Let me be the first to welcome you to “JET Talks”, a brand new speaker series organized by the JET Program Alumni Association of Washington, DC (“JETAADC”).

JET Talks is modeled after the TED Talks concept and will feature dynamic and interesting speakers with the goal of inspiring innovative ideas and conversations on Japan-related themes. JET Talks is separate from the Let’s Talk Japan podcast but our goals are the same – to get people talking and thinking about Japan.

Shauna Tischler came up with the idea of JET Talks and currently serves as JETAADC’s Thought Leadership Chair. From 2000-03, Shauna worked as an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Program in Gifu Prefecture. Special recognition is also owed to Leigh Ann Mastrini, the current President of JETAADC, and the Japan Information and Cultural Center of Washington, DC for hosting the first JET Talks event.

Regular listeners of the Let’s Talk Japan podcast will recall that in Episode 11, I spoke with director Regge Life about his film Live Your Dream, chronicling the lives of JET Program participants Taylor Anderson and Monty Dickson who passed away in the March 11th 2011 Tohoku earthquake.

Regge was recently in Washington, DC, along with Taylor’s father, Andy Anderson, and Monty’s sister, Shelly Frederickson, to speak at the first JET Talks event – a screening and panel discussion of the film Live Your Dream. More than 120 guests were in attendance and the event was a huge success.

For anyone who has not yet seen Live Your Dream, I encourage you to listen to Let’s Talk Japan episode 11, as it provides a good overview of the film.

In this JET Talks, you will first hear introductory remarks from the JET Talks organizers and panelists, followed by the panel discussion, which followed the screening.

Enjoy the Talk!

Next Episode

Summer Vacation Announcement

Six months have passed since the podcast launched and looking back, I have really enjoyed talking with others who share my interest in Japan and I hope you found the first 12 episodes interesting and informative. It has been quite a learning process and I am working hard to constantly improve the quality of both the podcast’s audio and content.

Just a quick programing note, the podcast is going to be taking a little natsu yasumi to relax and spend time with family this month. As a result, July’s production schedule will not be as regular as in previous months. But don’t worry, I have some great interviews lined up for later this summer and into fall. As always, I welcome your feedback at [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit the iTunes store and leave the podcast a positive rating and review. I also appreciate all the Facebook “likes” and Followers on Twitter.

The podcast will return in a few weeks.