Allison Markin Powell

When Kaoru receives a letter from his estranged father announcing his return home to Osaka, he is drawn back to the house and memories he has long avoided. Once a close and seemingly perfect family, the Hasegawas were devastated by a tragic accident that fractured their bond and left them struggling with grief and distance. As Kaoru reconnects with his parents and siblings, the family must confront the pain of the past and find a way forward. Through...

"The novella that first propelled Dazai into the literary elite of post-war Japan. Essentially the start of Dazai's career, Schoolgirl gained notoriety for its ironic and inventive use of language. Now it illuminates the prevalent social structures of a lost time, as well as the struggle of the individual against them - a theme that occupied Dazai's life both personally and professionally. This new translation preserves the playful language of the...

"This tour-de-force is widely regarded as the quintessential post-WWII Japanese novel. A plan to kidnap a major corporation's CEO becomes an allegory for the alienation of the individual self, a mirror to modern-day Japanese identity. In 1995 in Tokyo, five men meet at the racetrack every Sunday to bet on the horses. They have little in common except a disaffection with their lives. One is a poorly socialized but genius factory welder. One is a demoted...

"This second half of Lady Joker, by Kaoru Takamura, the Grand Dame of Japanese crime fiction, concludes a breathtaking saga of subterfuge, betrayal, and revenge gone wrong. Inspired by the real-life Glico-Morinaga kidnapping, an unsolved case that terrorized Japan for two years, Lady Joker reimagines the circumstances of this watershed episode in modern Japanese history and brings into riveting focus the lives and motivations of the victims, the perpetrators,...

"Feeling overwhelmed? Step away from life's mounting demands and free yourself up for what matters with this succinct and sensible guide by the Zen Buddhist author of the international bestsellers The Art of Simple Living and Don't Worry. Amid the relentless cycle of news, social media, emails, and texts, it can be hard to know when, if ever, we can step away from everything clamoring for our attention. Renowned monk Shunmyo Masuno offers us a radical...

"On a summer afternoon, Tsukiko and her former high school teacher have prepared and eaten somen noodles together. 'Tell me a story from long ago, ' Sensei says. 'I wasn't alive long ago, ' Tsukiko says, 'but should I tell you a story from when I was little?' 'Please do, ' Sensei replies, and so Tsukiko tells him that, when she was a child, she awakened one day to find something with a pale red face and something with a dark red face in her room,...

Discover why 90% of your worries won’t come true in this highly practical, internationally bestselling guide by the renowned Zen Buddhist author of The Art of Simple Living and How to Let Things Go.
Think of a time when you were worried about something, but then you suddenly realized how insignificant it was. Isn’t it amazing how much lighter you felt? The key is to focus only on the here and now. By doing...

Now an award-winning documentary film by Shiori Itō

Black Box is a riveting, sobering memoir that chronicles one woman's struggle for justice, calling for changes to an industry—and in society at large—to ensure that future victims of sexual assault can come forward without being silenced and humiliated.

In 2015, an aspiring young journalist named Shiori Ito charged prominent reporter Noriyuki

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"Does for mental clutter what Marie Kondo has done for household clutter." —Publishers Weekly
Relax and find happiness amid the swirl of the modern world with this internationally bestselling guide to simplifying your life by the renowned Zen Buddhist author of Don’t Worry and How to Let Things Go.
In clear, practical, easily adopted lessons—one a day for 100 days—renowned Buddhist monk Shunmyo...