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Books on Asia: Daily Summaries Delivered
by 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.
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- 1 weeks ago20 min
New Lonely Planet Guides on Japan
Alternative title: Lonely Planet arc—from pre-internet days to Instagram + a new Japanese etiquette tip + a couple more guidebook optionsAmy opens the show with her recent experience as a tour guide in the Seto Inland Sea islands. She also introduces a new Japanese manners tip, a result of her etiquette skills being put to shame recently when she traveled with Japanese people on a business trip.From there she delves into the new Lonely Planet Guidebooks and gets a little nostalgic about the older pre-internet publications and tells why they were better than the new editions. She then pivots and tells us why the new Lonely Planet destination guidebooks are better than the old. In other words, neither is better nor worse; the changes are more a reflection of the times (good riddance to tiny font sizes!)At the end of the show, for those old-schoolers who prefer the old LP guidebook style, she introduces Cicerone guidebooks to fill the gap: fewer photos, but better maps. Less Instagram; a more hands-on approach. And the quality of writing a rare find in guidebooks.See the Show Notes for links on the Books on Asia site at www.booksonasia.net The 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 Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
- 3 weeks ago35 min
Adachi Masao: Pink Films, Red Politics, with William Andrews
Adachi Masao (born 1939) has lived one of the most extraordinary lives in Japanese cinema. He has made experimental films, worked with leading figures of the Japanese New Wave, and spent decades in Lebabon alongside the radical left-wing Japanese Red Army. John talks to Tokyo-based researcher, writer and translator William Andrews about Pink Auteur, Red Outlaw, his new biography of this provocative filmmaker and revolutionary. Recording this episode, John and William faced radical conditions themselves – annoying ambulances, copulating cats, and clanking bottle collection, and more cats – but for you, dear listener, all that artistic struggle was left on the cutting-room floor. William Andrews’ two books mentioned were: Pink Auteur, Red Outlaw: Adachi Masao and Japan’s Cinema of Revolution (Awai Books, 2026). It is the first English-language book devoted to Adachi and draws on extensive interviews and years of research. Dissenting Japan: A History of Japanese Radicalism and Counterculture, from 1945 to Fukushima (Hurst, 2016) William’s three Adachi film recommendations are (in the order discussed): Revolution+1 (2022) – Adachi’s film about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s assassin. A.K.A. Serial Killer – completed in 1969, first publicly shown in 1975, it follows the landscapes associated with a serial killer and is the key film associated with Adachi’s “landscape theory.” Galaxy (1967) – one of Adachi’s early experimental films. The 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 Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
- Aug 17, 202633 min
The Devil’s Chow: A Chinese Food History–Stephen Jack
Stephen’s childhood in Bendigo, Australia, gave him early exposure to Chinese culture and food. Nineteenth-century gold rushes brought numerous Cantonese workers to the town, and their cuisine has long since become part of local life. Decades later, Stephen – a longtime Taiwan resident – would pursue his interest in Chinese food by making extensive journeys across China. John and Stephen talk about the rich heritage of Chinese agriculture before eventually getting to some notable dishes, from the famed Peking duck to the infamous wangji dan (fertilized egg). Stephen tells the surprising story of chop suey – long dismissed as an American invention – and describes his joy at tracking down its roots in Guangdong. They finish with a healthy Chinese-style dessert: fruit, in this case the Chinese gooseberry (and its better-known descendant, the kiwifruit). The Devil’s Chow: A Chinese Food History by Stephen Jack (2026, Cold Press Books) is a lively combination of food history and travel writing, tracing the development of Chinese cuisine from the earliest times to the present. To learn more about Stephen and his writing you can visit: Stephen Jack’s website:https://www.eatingchina.com/devils-chow-chinese-food-history.htm Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Chow-Chinese-Food-History/dp/6269969425 The 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 Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
- Aug 10, 202634 min
Taiwan 22: Travels in Paradox—Tyrel Cameron Eskelson
For Tyrel Eskelson, a Canadian academic living in Hokkaido, curiosity about Taiwan-related news stories turned into something of an obsession; there were months of travel, hundreds of conversations, and a book (published by John at Plum Rain Press). In this BOA chat, Tyrel talks about his search to better understand the island nation and its people. Among the topics covered are Taiwan’s Japanese colonial legacy, the 228 Incident of 1947, the Battle of Kinmen, and why the book is called Taiwan 22. Taiwan 22 is available as an ebook on the Plum Rain Press website (but not yet on Amazon).https://www.plumrainpress.com/ Tyrel Cameron Eskelson has a YouTube channel called The Interlocutor Podcast, where he talks with writers, historians, and travelers, with an increasing focus on Taiwan, Japan, and China. He has also begun sharing audio versions of these conversations on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The 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 Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
- Aug 3, 202633 min
What's it like to host a US Military Base? Jon Mitchell on Okinawa
Today 31 US bases sit on a landmass smaller than Rhode Island, and Okinawans remain Japan's poorest people. Why is this? And what is the US military presence actually doing there? In his new book Why Are We in Okinawa?: A History of Violence (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026), award-winning journalist Jon Mitchell answers these questions and many more, tracing how the islands were annexed by Japan in the 19th century, occupied by the US through WWII, handed back to Japan in 1972, and now menaced by China — with tensions between the military and Okinawan citizens still simmering today. He gives Okinawans a voice, and we should listen. Because you're going to be shocked by some of what you hear on today's podcast episode. Jon Mitchell is a Welsh journalist based in Japan and a special correspondent for the Okinawa Times. He is the recipient of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan's Freedom of the Press Lifetime Achievement Award, and an expert in the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). He's the author of several Japanese-language books about Okinawa, along with two English-language books: Why Are We in Okinawa? (2026) and Poisoning the Pacific: The US Military's Secret Dumping of Plutonium, Chemical Weapons, and Agent Orange (2020), which won a Society of Environmental Journalists' award. In 2023, he received Japan's most prestigious journalism prize, the Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Journalism Award for public service. Follow him on LinkedIn and visit his website www.jonmitchellinjapan.com The 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 Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
- Jul 27, 202629 min
Old Lhasa: A Biography
Old Lhasa – A Biography of a Sacred City Michael Aldrich joins John Ross to discuss Old Lhasa: A Biography, his richly detailed portrait of Tibet’s historic capital. It’s the third book in his trilogy on Asian cultural centers. He wrote the first two, on Beijing and Ulaanbaatar, while living in those cities, where he worked as a lawyer. There was no opportunity for this with Lhasa, so he had to rely on multiple trips (from his home in Taiwan) and an incredible amount of reading and research. Rather than writing a conventional history, Aldrich set out to present Lhasa as a living character – a city whose temples, alleyways, legends and surviving traditions can still tell their own stories. Books mentioned M.A. Aldrich The Search for a Vanishing Beijing: A Guide to China’s Capital Through the Ages (Hong Kong University Press, 2006) Ulaanbaatar beyond Water and Grass: A Guide to the Capital of Mongolia (Hong Kong University Press, 2018) Old Lhasa: A Biography Originally published by Camphor Press in January 2023 and subsequently reissued in 2025 by Speaking Tiger Books with a new epilogue based on Aldrich’s 2024 return to Tibet. The episode touches on the amazing story of Ekai Kawaguchi (河口慧海 1866–1945), a Japanese Buddhist monk who spent time in Lhasa in the early 1900s. He is the subject of Scott Berry’s A Stranger in Tibet. The 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 Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
- Jul 20, 202619 min
Golden Age of China Books: The 1930s
China’s Golden Age on the Western Bookshelf China may seem like a big story today, but its presence on Western bookshelves was even greater during the 1930s. Books about China not only appeared on bestseller lists but often dominated them. In this short solo episode, John discusses some of the most notable titles of the decade. He begins with Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth and ends with Ruth Harkness’s account of panda collecting. Most of the popular books about China were highly sympathetic to the Chinese people. We take a close look at a striking exception: Ralph Townsend’s now-forgotten Ways That Are Dark, which viciously attacked China and lavished praise on Japan. Show Notes Books mentioned in the episode: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1931) Also by Buck: Fighting Angel: Portrait of a Soul and The Exile (both 1936) Oil for the Lamps of China by Alice Tisdale Hobart (1933) Lost Horizon by James Hilton (1933) Ways That Are Dark: The Truth About China by Ralph Townsend (1933) My Country and My People by Lin Yutang (1935) Lin also wrote: The Importance of Living (1937) The Blue Lotus by Hergé / Georges Remi (1936)News from Tartary: A Journey from Peking to Kashmir by Peter Fleming (1936) Four Hundred Million Customers: The Experiences – Some Happy, Some Sad – of an American in China, and What They Taught Him by Carl Crow (1937) Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow (1937 in Britain, 1938 in the U.S.) The Lady and the Panda: An Adventure by Ruth Harkness (1938) The 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 Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
- Jul 6, 202624 min
Japanese Literary Prizes—How many do you know?
Amy breaks down Japan's most prestigious literary prizes — starting with the twin titans of the Japanese book world, the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes, both announced twice a year, every January and July, on the very same day. Up your knowledge ahead of the next announcement of the winners on July 15, at around 6 pm! Most Japanese literature fans can probably guess who the Akutagawa Prize is named after (hint: Rashomon) — but how many know who the Naoki Prize honors? And while the Tanizaki and Mishima Yukio Prizes might be obvious, can you guess what the Noma Prize is for? Or what genre dominates that newspaper-sponsored heavyweight, the Yomiuri Prize? Amy sorts them all out — the history, the famous winners, and the controversies, including the AI scandal that rocked the Akutagawa Prize when 2024 winner Rie Kudan admitted to using ChatGPT in her prize-winning novel. Plus: how Japan's prize culture differs fundamentally from English-language institutions like the Booker Prize, Pulitzer or Nobel Prize for Literature — and why winning in Japan can launch a career instead of just crowning one. The 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 Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
About Books on Asia
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.
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