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Philosophy & Religion A Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Terms Hisao Inagaki A vital resource for students of Buddhism and Japanese Culture, revised and expanded. Read More Hojoki Kamo-no-Chomei A luminous translation of the classic Buddhist poem. Read More Of Arcs and Circles Marc Peter Keane A renowned designer of Japanese gardens contemplates wildness, humanity, beauty, the liquid state of the world. Read More The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler's Cross T.K. Nakagaki A remarkable cross-cultural history that rescues the swastika, an ancient Buddhist symbol, from its deployment by the forces of hate. Read More A Glossary of Zen Terms Hisao Inagaki Of special interest to scholars and students of Zen classics, a glossary of specialized vocabulary to aid understanding and practice. Read More Japaneseness Yoji Yamakuse Can traditional Japanese life concepts--like loyalty, harmony, meticulousness--make sense in Western societies? Read More Sacred Sanskrit Words Leza Lowitz A simple guide to over 160 key spiritual concepts behind yoga and other branches of Eastern wisdom. Read More Yamamba Rebecca Copeland and Linda C. Ehrlich Women, Magic, Wisdom: Explore a Japanese myth through the words and images of key scholars and artists. Read More A Straight Road with 99 Curves Gregory Shepherd & Ruben LF Habito From fascination to disillusionment and back, a memoir of one man's quest for Zen and spirituality in America and Japan. Read More My Heart Sutra Frederik L. Schodt A cultural and personal journey into the famous sutra that teaches "form is emptiness; and emptiness is form." Read More Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth Stuart D. B. Picken The first book in English to apply ancient Japanese Shinto traditions to daily spiritual fulfillment. Read More Yoga Heart Leza Lowitz The much-anticipated follow-up to the author's highly popular Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By. Read More Chinese Proverbs and Popular Sayings Larry and Qin Herzberg A collection of 600 proverbs in Chinese and English, capturing the enduring wisdom of China, for travelers and language students. Read More Naikan, Anniversary Edition Gregg Krech This new edition marks the 20th anniversary of this important and influential book with new and updated materials. Read More The Art of Setting Stones Marc Peter Keane Philosophical essays on the beauty and meaning of traditional Japanese gardens. Read More Load More Titles Collections JAPAN JAPAN LANGUAGE LANGUAGE CHINA CHINA LITERATURE LITERATURE TRAVEL TRAVEL CULTURE FOOD & DESIGN CULTURE FOOD & DESIGN FILM ANIME & MANGA FILM ANIME & MANGA PHILOSOPHY & RELGION PHILOSOPHY& RELIGION

Travel A Diplomat in Japan Sir Ernest Satow The classic historical account of Japan’s first encounters with the West. Read More Discovering Yamaguchi Sake Jim Rion A new and remarkable look at the sake produced in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture Read More Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide Judith Clancy Enjoy delicious Japanese food in some of Kyoto's most tucked-away and spectacular townhouses. Read More The Forgotten Japanese Miyamoto Tsuneichi, translated by Jeffrey Irish A revealing look at rural lives and lifestyles that have all but disappeared today. Read More Tokyo Stroll Gilles Poitras The ultimate guidebook to walking the streets of Tokyo that Japan lovers and the curious have been waiting for. Read More Amy’s Guide to Best Behavior in Japan Amy Chavez Going to Japan? This unfussy modern guide guarantees you keep it polite and get it right! Read More Eating Wild Japan Winifred Bird A delicious collection of essays, recipes, and practical plant information exploring Japan's thriving culture of foraged foods. Read More Kyoto Stories Steve Alpert An American student in 1970s Kyoto rambles among the city’s beauties and traditions, learning as he goes. Read More The Inland Sea Donald Richie The complete version of the travel writing classic with photography by Yoichi Midorikawa. Read More Unbeaten Tracks in Japan Isabella L. Bird The first-hand account of an intrepid woman's exploration of Japan's interior in 1878. Read More China Smart Larry and Qin Herzberg Essential essays on all things Chinese that inform and entertain travelers, students, and anyone working or living in China. Read More Exploring Kyoto Judith Clancy The Japan travel classic and cultural guide gets you wandering from downtown quarters to remote mountaintop temples.... Read More Off the Beaten Tracks in Japan John Dougill Observations on the people, culture, and history of Japan from a long-time resident riding the rails along the less-traveled western coastline. Read More The Mikado's Empire William Elliot Griffis In its day the most popular book on the culture and history of then-mysterious Japan. Read More China Survival Guide Larry and Qin Herzberg This updated edition of the best-selling travel guide to China is your ticket to the trip of a lifetime. Read More Japan from Anime to Zen David Watts Barton An accessible compendium of the most important aspects of Japanese arts, culture and history, for quick reference or a longer, in-depth read, for actual and armchair travelers alike. Read More Tenryu-ji Norris Brock Johnson A beloved Japanese Zen temple, viewed through its monks, gardens, prayers, and art. Read More Tokyo Junkie Robert Whiting 60 years of observation: an American journalist’s memoir about Tokyo’s modern urban transformation, its criminal underworld and, oh yes, baseball. Read More Load More Titles Collections JAPAN JAPAN LANGUAGE LANGUAGE CHINA CHINA LITERATURE LITERATURE TRAVEL TRAVEL CULTURE FOOD & DESIGN CULTURE FOOD & DESIGN FILM ANIME & MANGA FILM ANIME & MANGA PHILOSOPHY & RELGION PHILOSOPHY& RELIGION

SBP 2023-2024 Catalog Division to Unification in Imperial China (vol. 2) The Three Kingdoms to the Tang Dynasty (220–907) Author Jing Liu The second volume in this fun, comic-style series that explores China's transition from the Three Kingdoms to the Tang Dynasty. Who founded China? Are Chinese people religious? What is Chinese culture and how has it changed over time? The Understanding China Through Comics series answers these questions and more. Division to Unification in Imperial China is series volume two. It explores one of China's more chaotic periods when Chinese culture flourished while civil wars and foreign invasions repeatedly thwarted attempts at unification. Volume 1: Foundations of Chinese Civilization Volume 3: Barbarians and the Birth of Chinese Identity Volume 4: The Making of Modern China Volume 5: The Way Forward Preview Goodreads Details PUBLISH DATE 11/8/16 PISBN PRICE 9781611720303 $14.95 GENRE Nonfiction EISBN PRICE 9781611729207 $9.95 DIMENSIONS 6 x 8" HARDCOVER ISBN PRICE NA NA # OF PAGES 168 AUDIOBOOK ISBN PRICE NA NA Praise "A great way to learn about China's vast history!" —Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club "Excels at clarifying the often-confusing transitional periods between dynasties… An excellent introduction to the large trends of early Chinese history." —School Library Journal "Chinese language is being taught in all but one state... A comic format teaching China's history is the perfect companion." —US-China Review "Combines breezy style with historical rigor to strike just the right gong-tone for a middle school audience approaching the vast scope of Chinese history." — Education About Asia 5/5 Stars "An invaluable source... Chinese history is a vast subject, but Jing Liu has a skillful ability to condense it all into an interesting and manageable narrative." —Kids' Book Buzz "The combination of silhouettes—often threatening, martial ones—with open-faced, expressively individualized figures of many social classes adds dramatic tension while neatly balancing the big-picture narrative. There's a lot to absorb even in this abbreviated form, but the visual approach lightens the load considerably." — Kirkus Reviews "The lucid, economical text makes one eager for successive volumes." — Booklist "Simple and effective…This direct, appealing introduction to the foundations of one of the world’s oldest civilizations is recommended for teens and adults." — Library Journal "Given China's superpower ambitions, it goes without saying that our politicians must pick up a copy." —HuffPost "A clear and concise survey of Chinese history and culture that is sure to please." —The Comics Grinder 4.5/5 Stars "A very nice way to establish a foundation to understanding China’s history and a possible gateway to more intense study and comprehension of a very complex subject." — Portland Book Review "The book does what it says it does: a child will come away with a basic understanding of early Chinese history, what makes the Chinese tick as a people and culture." —Asian Review of Books "It is certainly a fascinating look at Chinese history, and doing it in comics has certainly made it more accessible to people, especially for the Western world." —Radio Australia Teacher and Professor Testimonials "This book is “The Magic School Bus” for those starting to explore Chinese culture." —Dan Cao, Instructor at Confucius Institute at UC Davis "An excellent history that clearly explains the great (and ordinary) people who have made China what it is and the conflicts and debates that have shaped Chinese history. There is nothing else like it in English or Chinese." —Alan Baumler, Professor of History at Indiana University of Pennsylvania "No more burying yourself in text-heavy history books to learn about China, this comic-style book manages to be rich in information and bring Chinese history to readers in a more clear, fun, and accessible way than it’s ever been done before. Easily integrated into a social studies or Chinese culture curriculum, I can’t wait to get a copy for my class." —Grace Zeng, Chinese Teacher and Middle School Chinese Curriculum Area Leader at International School of Beijing "Jing Liu has brought to life the long and complex early period of Chinese history in this wonderful graphic novel. Foundations of Chinese Civilization is a delight to read; humorous, informative, and truly captivating." —Alexandra Pearson, Founder of The Bookworm Literary Festival "Since the 1990s, Jing Liu has been entertaining and informing foreigners about China with his cartoons. His new series of comic books is a fun, easy, accessible way to gain a basic understanding of Chinese history and culture." —Jeremy Goldkorn, Founder of Danwei "This comic series is fantastic to use in the classroom. My students are drawn to this book - not only do they enjoy this graphic-novel style, it also helps them understand difficult historical concepts. What a fun supplement to the regular textbook!" —Leslie Burgoine, Middle School History Teacher, Portland, Oregon "I was really impressed with how the author explained, taught, explored and visually told the story of China. Impressive and very informative. It was not only a page turner for me, but my students would run into class to get their hands on a copy to keep reading!" —Sasha Johnson, World History Teacher at Black Pine Circle School, Berkeley, CA Video Book Photos Retail Outlets Books sold at E-Books sold at Audiobooks sold at About the Author(s) Jing Liu An artist and entrepreneur from Beijing, China, currently uses his artistry to tell the story of China. Learn More

SBP 2023-2024 Catalog The Thorn Puller ​ Author Hiromi Ito Translator Jeffrey Angles A MONKEY FICTION TITLE RECIPIENT OF THE SAKUTARO HAGIWARA PRIZE AND THE MURASAKI SHIKIBU PRIZE Caught between two cultures, award-winning author Hiromi Ito tackles subjects like aging, death, and suffering with dark humor, illuminating the bittersweet joys of being alive. The first novel to appear in English by award-winning author Hiromi Ito explores the absurdities, complexities, and challenges experienced by a woman caring for her two families: her husband and daughters in California and her aging parents in Japan. As the narrator shuttles back and forth between these two starkly different cultures, she creates a powerful and entertaining narrative about what it means to live and die in a globalized society. Ito has been described as a “shaman of poetry” because of her skill in allowing the voices of others to flow through her. Here she enriches her semi-autobiographical novel by channeling myriad voices drawn from Japanese folklore, poetry, literature, and pop culture. The result is a generic chimera—part poetry, part prose, part epic—a unique, transnational, polyvocal mode of storytelling. One throughline is a series of memories associated with the Buddhist bodhisattva Jizo, who helps to remove the “thorns” of human suffering. Preview Goodreads Details PUBLISH DATE 12/13/22 PISBN PRICE 9781737625308 $18.95 GENRE Literary Fiction EISBN PRICE 9781737625315 $9.95 DIMENSIONS 5.5 x 8" HARDCOVER ISBN PRICE 9781737625322 $45.00 # OF PAGES 300 AUDIOBOOK ISBN PRICE NA NA Praise Recipient of the 2020-2021 William F. Sibley Memorial Subvention Award for Japanese Translation "The Thorn Puller is a masterpiece... a novel about some of literature’s greatest themes—love, human connection, death, and the meaning of suffering." —Allison Fincher, Asian Review of Books "A brilliantly poetic translation . . . explored with biting humor and sharp wit." —Marissa Moss, New York Journal of Books "In Ito’s literary vision, life unfolds more as a stream of language than a series of plot points. With each phase of life she records, Ito shows how language emerges from the rituals of social reproduction that mark the coming and going of generations, from childbirth to eldercare. " —Eva Rosenfield, Chicago Review "A strong affirmation of life. Working collaboratively with the author, Jeffrey Angles, a recognized poet in both English and Japanese, has done a wonderful job translating this work. Ito is a poet of some renown... “Sometimes I dare to imagine I’m an independent woman,” says the narrator. Despite all the forces clamoring for her attention, she is, and that is both the strength and appeal of this novel." —Erik R. Lofgren, World Literature Today "Overflowing and contradictory, worn down with fatigue, yet brimming with energy, The Thorn Puller combines a confessional story of a woman dealing with family commitments in two countries with vibrant excursions into Japanese folklore and history." —Richard Medhurst, Nippon.com "With ruthless honesty and wicked humor, Ito exposes the frustration and inconvenience of being a caregiver, juxtaposing it with the sorrow of watching a loved one deteriorate." —Foreword Reviews, starred review “Poet Ito makes her English-language fiction debut with a lyrical account of a woman caught between two cultures and her family’s demands … Fans of Japanese literature will enjoy this impressionistic project." —Publishers Weekly "Ito's chameleonic prose confronts mortality, cultural conflicts, religious comforts, and waning relationships, embellished with all manner of welcoming, unfiltered, surprisingly humorous honesty about the universally quotidian, from pimple-popping to good sex." —Terry Hong, Booklist "The Thorn Puller is a beautiful work, sad and soothing all at once. It is a brave work, as Hiromi Ito shares so much of her life with readers. It carries readers into a mystical world of Japanese folklore, classical literature, and myth. At the same time, it is remarkably contemporary, reminding us all of our own frailties and strengths." —Rebecca Copeland, Kyoto Journal "A glorious, immersive read, packed with laugh-out-loud moments and the kind of reflections that anyone who has married across cultures will recognize." —Iain Maloney, Metropolis "Absurdly comedic and heartbreaking... The Thorn Puller is an enjoyable and affecting narrative about the meaning of living and aging in our globalized era." —Bonnie Nadzam, Lion's Roar "With frank, humorous prose that sinuously morphs into the musical cadence of poetry, The Thorn Puller tackles subjects like aging, death, and suffering from a transnational perspective that also illuminates the bittersweet joy of being alive." —Alyssa Pearl Fusek, Unseen Japan "With a great deal of arresting material, The Thorn Puller is a fascinating piece of work." —M.A.Orthofer, The Complete Review "The Thorn Puller is a benchmark book. Some reviews compare Hiromi Ito to Haruki Murakami and Yoko Tawada, but make no mistake, Ito is her own person, with her own style, and she sets her own standard for storytelling that will be a measure for aspiring authors." —Linda Gould, White Enso "Expansive and brilliantly crafted... I was enthralled by The Thorn Puller for its melodic, mesmerising voice, for the wisdom it imparted, and Ito’s inescapable creative genius." —Elizabeth Meehan, Litro Magazine “The sparks of humor fly as Japanese medieval narrative and Judeo-Christian culture collide in modern-day domestic disputes. Ito may have written this book in prose, but we never forget that she’s a poet. There is a special music even in the complaints, scolding, arguments, phone conversations, and gossipy moments. As the narrative unfolds, Ito draws not only upon voices of her family members and others around her, she gathers in countless voices, including those of the dead. And how wonderful to find the rhythm of the Japanese reproduced so marvelously in this translation!” —Yoko Tawada, author of The Emissary “Ito’s work, which has long drawn us in, reaches a crescendo here, working off a base in fractured daily life: minefields of love and hate, frailty and death, identities and languages heard and unheard, a clash of cultures and religions in the context of the day by day. And all of this she sets against deep images of Japanese lore and literature, ancient and immediately modern, prose transformed into poetry: a contemporary master at the height of her many long-honed powers.” —Jerome Rothenberg, editor of the poetry anthology Technicians of the Sacred “When she was young, Hiromi Ito wrote about sex, menstruation, and childbirth. Later she wrote about child-rearing, affairs, and menopause. In The Thorn Puller she has written about parental caregiving and aging. Poets are amazing—their experiences become art, and what’s more, Itō has created a completely original literary style, which no one could imitate even if they tried. The Thorn Puller is a great achievement.” —Chizuko Ueno, author of The Modern Family in Japan Video Book Photos Retail Outlets Books sold at E-Books sold at Audiobooks sold at About the Author(s) Hiromi Ito Hiromi Ito came to national attention in Japan in the 1980s for her groundbreaking poetry about pregnancy, childbirth, and female sexuality. Learn More Jeffrey Angles Jeffrey Angles is a writer and professor of Japanese at Western Michigan University. Learn More

SBP 2023-2024 Catalog Humphrey the Lost Whale A True Story Author Wendy Tokuda Illustrator Hanako Wakiyama Author Richard Hall The heartwarming true story of a wrong-way humpback whale who is helped and cheered back to freedom in San Francisco. Humpback whales are magnificent creatures that sing beautiful songs to each other underwater. In the whole world there are very few of them, so each one is quite special. And they are intelligent. Every winter they travel south, every summer they head north, and they always know the way. But even whales can make mistakes . . . In October 1985 a forty-five-foot long, forty-ton humpback whale wandered into San Francisco Bay and for twenty-six days struggled mightily to find his way back to the ocean. This true, illustrated story of Humphrey's adventure has been a children's favorite for more than twenty-five years. The 2014 edition has updated news on whales but retains the beloved art and text for big-ocean-mammal lovers everywhere. Adopted for Reading Rainbow. Preview Goodreads Details PUBLISH DATE 9/29/14 PISBN PRICE 9781611720174 $9.95 GENRE Nonfiction EISBN PRICE 9781611725117 $3.99 DIMENSIONS 8 x 10.25" HARDCOVER ISBN PRICE NA NA # OF PAGES 36 AUDIOBOOK ISBN PRICE NA NA Praise "A light-hearted approach to the problem of beached whales, Humphrey's story allows librarians to give a happy 'yes' to that often-asked question, 'Is this a true story?'" —School Library Journal "What happens to Humphrey makes a fascinating and delightful story for young and old alike." —KidsGrowth.com "A perfect gift for animal loving children." —The Portland Book Review Video Book Photos Retail Outlets Books sold at E-Books sold at Audiobooks sold at About the Author(s) Wendy Tokuda A well-known Bay Area media personality with numerous broadcasting awards. Tokuda wrote two children's books with Richard Hall: Shiro in Love and Humphrey the Whale , which remains in print after more than 20 years. Learn More Richard Hall An award-winning TV and film producer in Los Angeles, California. Learn More Hanako Wakiyama Developed a love of art early on, and her first illustration project, Wendy Tokuda's Humphrey, the Lost Whale: A True Story, was published shortly after she completed college. Learn More

SBP 2023-2024 Catalog Dragon Palace ​ Author Hiromi Kawakami Translator Ted Goossen A MONKEY FICTION TITLE Included in The New Yorker's Best Books of 2023 Stories from a Japanese master of transformative fiction, where reality, myth, and human foibles meet shifting dimensions of gender, biology, and destiny. From the bestselling author of Strange Weather in Tokyo comes this otherworldly collection of eight stories, each a masterpiece of transformation, infused with humor, sex, and the universal search for love and beauty—in a world where the laws of time and space, and even species boundaries, don’t apply. Meet a shape-shifting con man, a goddess who uses sex to control her followers, an elderly man possessed by a fox spirit, a woman who falls in love with her 400-year-old ancestor, a kitchen god with three faces in a weasel-infested apartment block, moles who provide underground sanctuary for humans who have lost the will to live, a man nurtured through life by his seven extraordinary sisters, and a woman who is handed from husband to husband until she is finally able to return to the sea. Read the excerpted story, "The Kitchen God" in The New Yorker . Preview Goodreads Details PUBLISH DATE 09/19/2023 PISBN PRICE 9781737625353 $18.95 GENRE Literary Fiction EISBN PRICE 9781737625360 $9.95 DIMENSIONS 8 x 5" HARDCOVER ISBN PRICE 9781737625377 $35.00 # OF PAGES 160 AUDIOBOOK ISBN PRICE NA NA Praise "Spirits, animals, and people cohabit the universe of these eight stories, which capture with quirky insight and deadpan humor the strangeness of human relationships." —The New Yorker "Kawakami’s work always challenges our society’s expectations of women." —Leland Cheuk, NPR "Hiromi Kawakami returns to a world of fluid transfiguration with supernatural strangeness and knowing humor." —Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times “Unsettling and provocative… prominent Japanese writer Kawakami and lauded Canadian professor-translator Goossen reprise their successful collaboration for People from My Neighborhood with another addictively strange collection.” —Terry Hong, Booklist “An absurdist take on the human psyche.” —Walter Sim, The Straits Times "Dragon Palace features eight surreal, emotionally affecting stories set in a world where the mystical and mundane rub elbows." —Jaclyn Fulwood, Shelf Awareness "A short story collection tied together by an atmosphere of legends and metamorphosis." —Richard Medhurst, Nippon.com "Dragon Palace showcases Kawakami’s knack for blending folklore and surrealism into modern day social politics and life experience." —Books and Bao "A surreal and imaginative collection of stories that blur the line between human and nonhuman and explore the relationships we form with others and with ourselves throughout our lives." —Allison Mcclung, World Literature Today "Unique and attention-grabbing, Dragon Palace is a collection of open-ended fantasy tales about thwarted love and lost opportunities." —Eileen Gonzalez, Foreword Reviews “A vivid, disturbing collection” —M.A.Orthofer, The Complete Review "Exceedingly unique... Kawakami melds the mundane and banal with the surreal and fantastic, to good effect." —Cameron Bassindale, The Japan Society Review “A fascinating collection of oddities in which some stories are humorous and accessible while others are more poetic and surreal.” —Contemporary Japanese Literature " The stories in Dragon Palace use the absurd to shine a light on the disaffected parts of ourselves, our feelings of isolation and estrangement in a world where kindness and love seem in short supply." —Ian Mond, Locus Magazine "Kawakami's stories seduce... offering tales of individuals’ interactions with shapeshifting animals, five hundred-year-old men, magical beings, and mythical Japanese deities." —JP Cavender, Necessary Fiction Video Book Photos Retail Outlets Books sold at E-Books sold at Audiobooks sold at About the Author(s) Hiromi Kawakami Hiromi Kawakami is one of Japan’s most popular novelists. Learn More Ted Goossen Ted Goossen is the editor of The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories and has translated many writers including Haruki Murakami. Learn More

SBP 2023-2024 Catalog Yoga Heart Lines on the Six Perfections Author Leza Lowitz The much-anticipated follow-up to the author's highly popular Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By. These sixty poems on the Buddha's six "perfections," or qualities for a meaningful life—generosity, kindness, patience, joy, stillness, wisdom—were written over years of yoga and meditation practice, inspired by Tibetan Heart Yoga, nature, Buddhism, Osho, Tantra, ancient Japanese and Chinese poetry, Rumi, Kabir, haiku, love, and life. They seek to capture a journey from the physical body to the subtle body to the light body, until the heart bursts open into the beautiful radiance of divine energy in the world. Preview Goodreads Details PUBLISH DATE 7/19/11 PISBN PRICE 9781933330938 $12.95 GENRE Poetry EISBN PRICE 9781611725124 NA DIMENSIONS 5 x 7" HARDCOVER ISBN PRICE NA NA # OF PAGES 112 AUDIOBOOK ISBN PRICE NA NA Praise "Yoga Heart is a tiny treasure to hold and to behold. Even the typography and colors are food for contemplation...highly recommended for people who will not only read the lines for enjoyment, but also use them for contemplation and right action in life." —New York Journal of Books Video Book Photos Retail Outlets Books sold at E-Books sold at Audiobooks sold at About the Author(s) Leza Lowitz Collaborated with her husband Shogo Oketani, on a book about kanji for tattoos, a collection of poetry by a pacifist Japanese soldier, and a Young Adult trilogy about a young female ninja's quest to save her ancestral land. Learn More

Stone Bridge Press Authors William Elliot Griffis From his wikipeida page: William Elliot Griffis (September 17, 1843 – February 5, 1928) was an American orientalist, Congregational minister, lecturer, and prolific author. Griffis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of a sea captain and later a coal trader. During the American Civil War, he served two months as a corporal in Company H of the 44th Pennsylvania Militia after Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania in 1863. After the war, he attended Rutgers University at New Brunswick, New Jersey, graduating in 1869. At Rutgers, Griffis was an English and Latin language tutor for Tarō Kusakabe, a young samurai from the province of Echizen (part of modern Fukui). After a year of travel in Europe, he studied at the seminary of the Reformed Church in America in New Brunswick (known today as the New Brunswick Theological Seminary). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Elliot_Griffis Titles by Author The Mikado's Empire William Elliot Griffis In its day the most popular book on the culture and history of then-mysterious Japan. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors John Gauntner John Gauntner is recognized as the world's leading non-Japanese sake expert and educator. He has lived in Japan since 1988, and has worked in the sake industry promoting and educating since 1994. He has written seven books, including two ebooks, across two languages and hundreds of articles on the topic, and is known for his for his uniquely concise and passionate way of conveying all aspects of sake, sake enjoyment, sake culture, sake history, and brewing technology. John also conducts several Sake Professional Courses each year for sake professionals and aficionados. Known as "The Sake Guy," John is the only non-Japanese certified Master of Sake Tasting in the world, and has also achieved the very difficult Sake Expert Assessor certification from Japan's National Research Institute of Brewing. No other non-Japanese in the world has both of these certifications. He also received the Sake Samurai award in 2006, the first year it was awarded. John has been quoted and/or mentioned in sake related articles in countless publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, Forbes, Business Week , and Rolling Stone . He has spoken at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Universities, Wharton School of Business, and countless other venues across the US and Japan. Much of each winter he is traveling around Japan, visiting breweries regularly and constantly learning. Other efforts at educating and edifying about sake include a free monthly sake newsletter ( www.sake-world.com ) and various digital products and e-books. John is also author of Sake's Hidden Storie and The Sake Notebook , both self-published ebooks, and coauthor of Sake Pure and Simple . https://sake-world.com/ Titles by Author Sake Confidential John Gauntner An American sake expert takes you to a whole new level of insider knowledge and expertise. Read More

SBP 2023-2024 Catalog The Way of Taiko (Out of Print) Author Seiichi Tanaka Forward Heidi Varian THIS TITLE IS OUT OF PRINT Japanese taiko drumming, an ancient sacred harvest-time practice, has evolved into a form of mental, physical, and martial arts training combining rhythm, harmony, and movement. This book is for anyone who plays taiko or is fascinated by the instruments, dances, and compositions of a typically powerful taiko performance. Preview Goodreads Details PUBLISH DATE 10/1/13 PISBN PRICE 9781611720129 $19.95 GENRE Nonfiction EISBN PRICE NA NA DIMENSIONS 7 x 7" HARDCOVER ISBN PRICE NA NA # OF PAGES 136 AUDIOBOOK ISBN PRICE NA NA Praise "This beautifully designed paperback . . . is the first book on the subject to appear in English. . . . [and] presents a succinct overview of taiko, and how it has evolved into a form of mental, physical, and martial arts training that generates rhythm, harmony, and movement." —Spirituality and Practice "Varian presents an understanding of Taiko to a beginner by basically presenting everything they need to know to get started, not only in appreciation, but also the use of Taiko for their own purpose and enjoyment." —Reader Views "Packs a punch with gorgeous photographs, a brief history of taiko drumming, drums and accompanying instruments used in taiko, costumes, drumming techniques and glossary. … a great introduction to the art of Japanese drumming." —World Music Central.org "The little volume rests perfectly in your hand. The cover photograph of a man poised to strike a big drum stirs your curiosity. You open the book. Oh, wow. . . . Will captivate anyone with an iota of interest in the music of the 'fat drum.'" —Asian Reporter Video Book Photos Retail Outlets Books sold at E-Books sold at Audiobooks sold at About the Author(s) Seiichi Tanaka Seiichi Tanaka is Founder and Director, San Francisco Taiko Dojo, the most prominent taiko group outside Japan. Learn More Heidi Varian Began a taiko career in the 1980s, performing in feature film soundtracks, recordings and live events worldwide with San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Learn More

SBP 2023-2024 Catalog Yoga Poems Lines to Unfold By (Out of Print) Author Leza Lowitz THIS TITLE IS OUT OF PRINT The sixty poems in this book are windows into the mind/body/spirit experiences that come about through yoga practice. Each poem is named for a posture or breath exercise and is inspired by the physical properties of the pose or some aspect of breathing that led the poet to deeper understanding. Listening to these poems read aloud, or contemplating them on one's own, will help yoga students understand their own struggles and inspire them on the way to personal transformation. Preview Goodreads Details PUBLISH DATE 9/1/06 PISBN PRICE 9781933330112 $9.95 GENRE Poetry EISBN PRICE 9780893469726 NA DIMENSIONS 5 x 7" HARDCOVER ISBN PRICE NA NA # OF PAGES 128 AUDIOBOOK ISBN PRICE NA NA Praise "Any student of yoga will find treasures to cherish within its pages." —The Yoga Journal , September/October 2000 Video Book Photos Retail Outlets Books sold at E-Books sold at Audiobooks sold at About the Author(s) Leza Lowitz Collaborated with her husband Shogo Oketani, on a book about kanji for tattoos, a collection of poetry by a pacifist Japanese soldier, and a Young Adult trilogy about a young female ninja's quest to save her ancestral land. Learn More

SBP 2023-2024 Catalog The Heron Catchers ​ Author David Joiner 2023 American Writing Awards Finalist | 2023 Foreword Indies Awards Finalist Joiner's second novel set in the fabled Kanazawa area is an intimate yet understated look at an American who seeks recovery after his marriage to a Japanese woman has failed. After Nozomi abandons Sedge and their marriage, taking all their money and leaving him with a ceramics shop he can’t manage alone, her brother and his wife offer him a lifeline at their Japanese hot spring inn until he can get back on his feet. As he proceeds forward from this devastation in his life, he becomes involved with the wife of the man Nozomi ran off with as well as her stepson, a troubled 16-year-old whose jealousy and potential for violence contrasts with his interest in birds, origami, and the haiku of Matsuo Basho. What unfolds in the shadow of “the immortal mountain of cranes” will change their lives forever. Set in Kanazawa and Yamanaka Onsen near the Sea of Japan, The Heron Catchers explores the importance of recognizing suffering both in others and in oneself, of being compassionate, and of trusting those who offer love in the shattering wake of loss. The Heron Catchers is the second in a series of novels set in and around the Japanese city of Kanazawa. Preview Goodreads Details PUBLISH DATE 11/21/2023 PISBN PRICE 9781611720815 $19.95 GENRE Literary Fiction EISBN PRICE 9781611729627 $9.95 DIMENSIONS 8.5 x 5.5" HARDCOVER ISBN PRICE NA NA # OF PAGES 280 AUDIOBOOK ISBN PRICE NA NA Praise "A couple navigates their doomed marriage while living in Yamanaka Onsen, a beautiful yet claustrophobic town where gossip is rife and private lives are public knowledge." —Iain Maloney, The Japan Times "A multi-sided geometry of love and pain set in rural Ishikawa." —DC Palter, Japonica "[The Heron Catchers ] is an emotional drama about the daily lives of ordinary people, but it also manages to be at times amoral, violent, and sensual, and it keeps the reader engaged…reminiscent of the works of Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, and other great writers of the Showa period.” –Daiya Hashimoto, Editor for Booklogia "An enjoyable look at life outside the major Japanese tourist haunts, and an examination of the issues faced by those who attempt to make a life for themselves there." —Tony's Reading List "The Heron Catchers , is at once a novel about a particular place, but is also a novel for us all, as our fates and feelings are intertwined with the natural world. Joiner's deeply felt and sensitive rendering of the inner lives of men and women in midlife, who are more affected by the place they live than they are aware, shifts in subtle waves, like the ocean that borders the town of Kanazawa where much of the novel is set. Closely observed and with care paid to emotional nuances, Joiner has written a book about adult life, and the endless striving we feel for meaningful connection." —Marie Mutsuki Mockett, author of Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye and The Tree Doctor "This slow burn of a novel sears itself into your consciousness with equal parts tension and poignancy. The Heron Catchers skillfully captures one blended, broken family's experience of growth and healing amidst the beauty and precariousness of Kanazawa's natural world." —Leza Lowitz, author of In Search of the Sun: One Woman's Quest to Find Family in Japan "Joiner reels the reader in with characteristic fine plotting, carefully crafted writing, vivid imagery and descriptions of life in the Japanese countryside, and a tone of authenticity belonging to a writer who knows and loves Japan. A riveting and worthy follow-up to Kanazawa.” —Amy Chavez, The Widow, the Priest and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island “David Joiner’s The Heron Catchers introduces us to the quiet green abundance of the Japanese mountains, the slow beauty of pottery, and the pain of love ended. We follow wounded characters, Sedge and Mariko, as they learn to heal after each has suffered from devastating betrayals. Like the herons they ultimately rescue from injuries incurred by natural and human calamities, they too strike out at those who seek to help them. Not unlike the wandering poet Matsuo Basho who steps into the frame of the story here and there, Joiner offers flashes of insights as sharp and beautiful as a heron taking flight. Readers will find in this elegiac, imaginative work, space for reflection and discovery.” —Rebecca Copeland, author of The Kimono Tattoo , co-editor of Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch "An intimate, rewarding novel of people linked by misfortune who search for redemption, wholeness, and purpose. Joiner evokes his protagonist’s inner world vividly among descriptions of the life, culture, festivities, and natural environment of a small hot-spring town near Kanazawa. The Heron Catchers is an engrossing sojourn in one of Japan’s most charming off-the-beaten-path destinations." —Jeffrey Angles, translator of Hiromi Ito’s The Thorn Puller and author of My International Date Line (Winner of the Yomiuri Prize for Literature) Video Book Photos Retail Outlets Books sold at E-Books sold at Audiobooks sold at About the Author(s) David Joiner David Joiner's writing has appeared in literary journals and elsewhere, including Echoes: Writers in Kyoto 2017 , The Brooklyn Rail , Phoebe Journal , The Ontario Review , and The Madison Review. His first novel, Lotusland , set in contemporary Vietnam, was published in 2015 by Guernica Editions. Learn More