Book Breaks

Book Break: Peter Mauch, author of "Tojo"

Wednesday, December 09, 2026, 18:00 - 20:30
The army general who became Emperor Hirohito’s prime minister, Tojo Hideki is often remembered as an iron-fisted leader who dragged Japan into World War II and, after spectacular losses, was executed as a war criminal. In this talk, based on his new book Tojo: The...
View
Book Breaks

Book Break: Prize-winning Foreign Writers in Japanese

Wednesday, November 25, 2026, 18:00 - 20:30
The speakers: David Zoppetti, Gregory Khezrnejat, Satoshi Gunji     (英文の後に日本語の案内が続きます。） The mastery of writing in a foreign language for outsiders is always a fascinating journey. To find out more the library will host two non-Japanese authors whose award-winning works of fiction in a language not...
View
Book Breaks

Book Break: Foreigners Writing in Japanese

Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 18:00 - 20:30
The speakers: Martin Fackler, Bryan Dunn      (英文の後に日本語の案内が続きます。） The Club will welcome two Tokyo-based authors who are among the very few foreigners to write books in Japanese. One is Martin Fackler, the former Tokyo Bureau Chief of The New York Times, who has authored...
View
Book Breaks

Book Break: Alex K.T. Martin, author of "Phantom Wolves of Japan"

Friday, September 11, 2026, 18:00 - 20:30
Dead or alive, the Japanese wolf remains one of the country's greatest natural mysteries. Having roamed the mountains and forests of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu for thousands of years, the wolf disappeared as the country rapidly industrialized in the late 19th century. For centuries, rural...
View
Book Breaks

Book Break: William Ireton, author of "The Last Samurai, The Man Who Made 239.3 Billion Yen" (日米映画の架け橋 ラストサムライ 2393億円の男)

Friday, July 17, 2026, 17:45 - 20:30
(英文の後に日本語の案内が続きます。） William Ireton, a legendary hitmaker who, for many years, served as Warner Bros.’ representative in Japan, will speak about his latest book 日米映画の架け橋 ラストサムライ ２３９３億円の男 (Nichibei Eiga no Kakehashi Last Samurai 2393oku Yen no Otoko = A Bridge for Japan-US Cinema: The Last...
View
Book Breaks

Book Break: Takehiro Masutomo, author of "The 'Run Ri (潤日)' Shockwave"

Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 17:45 - 20:30
(英文の後に日本語の案内が続きます。） Why are China’s wealthiest entrepreneurs and liberal intellectuals increasingly viewing Japan not just as a destination, but as a "final sanctuary"? Since its release in January 2025, the investigative bestseller Run Ri (Toyo Keizai Inc.) has sparked a national debate. Author and journalist Takehiro...
View
Book Breaks

Book Break: Stephen Mansfield, author of "The Modern Japanese Garden"

Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 17:45 - 20:30
Photo journalist and author Stephen Mansfield will talk about his background and why he has developed a particular interest in Japanese gardens, mentioning relevant previous experiences, publications, the genesis and evolution of the book, The Modern Japanese Garden (Thames & Hudson, 2025) in the pre-publication...
View
Book Breaks

David McNeill and Stephen McClure, co-authors of "Japanese Rebels"

Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 17:45 - 20:30
Japan is often seen through the lens of an unusually resilient stereotype that classifies it as a nation of risk-averse conformists. In Japanese Rebels: Non-conformists in a Conformist Society (Routledge, April 16, 2026), David McNeill and Stephen McClure challenge that stereotype by showing that there...
View
Book Breaks

Book Break: Jake Adelstein, author of "The Devil Takes Bitcoin"

Tuesday, March 03, 2026, 17:45 - 20:30
After more than a decade of breathless hype, how did Bitcoin—supposedly the clean, liberating future of money—turn into a global engine of scams, cybercrime, and cold-blooded chaos? To answer that, we have to go where the story truly detonated: Japan. In The Devil Takes Bitcoin:...
View