{"title":"Japanese classics","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis list introduces Japanese classics through court diaries, novels, folk tales and essays for readers new to the tradition. Start with Botchan for a blunt young teacher's clashes with students and colleagues in a country town.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-book-of-tea","title":"The Book of Tea","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if a humble bowl of tea holds a whole way of seeing the world?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn The Book of Tea, Kakuzo Okakura invites you to look beyond the drink. Writing for Western readers, he explores Japanese culture through the tea ceremony and the philosophy he calls Teaism. This is no brewing manual. Tea opens a door into history, art, and the search for beauty in simple, imperfect things.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOkakura connects Taoism and Zen with the tea room, flowers, and the art of looking closely. Tea masters, monks, and emperors enter his reflections, while his gentle criticism of Western hurry asks you to pause. At stake is a way of living: whether beauty belongs only to grand objects, or also to small, passing moments.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA philosophy in a cup\u003c\/strong\u003e – Explore Teaism, Okakura’s vision of how a simple ceremony carries spiritual and ethical meaning.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe thought behind tea\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow the connections Okakura draws between Taoism, Zen, and Japanese art and ritual.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRoom for quiet beauty\u003c\/strong\u003e – Enter the tea room, where emptiness and simplicity shape the experience of beauty.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArt that invites sympathy\u003c\/strong\u003e – Consider why Okakura sees appreciation as a meeting between the viewer and the artist.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLife as an art\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet tea masters who make the care of everyday living an art in itself.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love quiet reflection, anyone curious about Japanese culture, design, or Zen, and tea drinkers seeking depth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page now, and let a bowl of tea lead you toward a quieter way of looking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"eBook","offer_id":58289377444188,"sku":"LOA-C1867-EB","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":58289377476956,"sku":"LOA-C1867-AU","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":58289377509724,"sku":"LOA-C1867-PB","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":58289377542492,"sku":"LOA-C1867-HC","price":20.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/loa-top-01867-en_142add4e-e40d-4677-b7bb-8579625e26f5.jpg?v=1792697442"},{"product_id":"bushido-the-soul-of-japan","title":"Bushido, el alma de Japón","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat teaches a warrior when to draw a sword—and when kindness demands more courage?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Bushido, the Soul of Japan, Inazo Nitobe explores the moral code of the samurai. His starting point is a question: how do Japanese children learn right and wrong without religious lessons at school? He finds his answer in Bushido, the way of the warrior, a tradition of habits and ideals rather than written law.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNitobe leads you through justice, courage, kindness, politeness, honesty, honor and loyalty. He considers a young samurai’s training, the sword, women’s place and ritual suicide. Comparisons with European chivalry and Christian ethics help readers outside Japan approach his subject. This is an affectionate account that also acknowledges flaws, not a history built around battles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCourage joined to kindness\u003c\/strong\u003e – Explore why Nitobe sees bravery as a virtue only when it serves what is right.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMore than good manners\u003c\/strong\u003e – Discover an ideal of politeness rooted in sympathy and care for another person’s feelings.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCharacter before learning\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow Nitobe’s account of training that puts the formation of character before the pursuit of knowledge.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe weight of honor\u003c\/strong\u003e – Consider how personal dignity, loyalty and fear of shame shape Nitobe’s portrait of samurai life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthics across cultures\u003c\/strong\u003e – See how Nitobe uses European chivalry and Christian ethics to explain the samurai’s moral world.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers curious about Japanese history, samurai ideals, unwritten rules of character, and the connections between ethical traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page and explore the virtues and tensions at the heart of Nitobe’s samurai ideal.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534562394460,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/01081_en_ebook-front_c22.jpg?v=1792174892"},{"product_id":"kwaidan-stories-and-studies-of-strange-things","title":"Kwaidan: relatos y estudios sobre cosas extrañas","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA blind musician plays for an audience that should not exist, and the unseen world draws close.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, Lafcadio Hearn gathers Japanese ghost stories where ordinary lives meet strange forces. Hoichi, a blind musician at a seaside temple, is called away at night. In Yuki-Onna, a spirit enters a hut during a blizzard and decides who will live.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther tales lead along lonely roads and into dreams. Mujina follows an old merchant on the Akasaka road; The Dream of Akinosuke opens a lifetime within a farmer's sleep. Oshidori explores attachment beyond death. Short studies of small creatures follow the stories, while calm telling and clear detail let unease grow without fast shocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eInside this book\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAn audience beyond life\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow Hoichi as his musical gift draws listeners whose presence turns talent into danger.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe woman in snow\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet Yuki-Onna, whose arrival in a blizzard binds Minokichi to a life-shaping promise.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRoads into the unknown\u003c\/strong\u003e – Travel with solitary figures whose search for shelter brings them close to the uncanny.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA lifetime within sleep\u003c\/strong\u003e – Enter Akinosuke's dream of a distant kingdom, where one sleep holds a long life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFear in quiet details\u003c\/strong\u003e – Discover how simple scenes and restrained telling make the everyday world feel unsettlingly close to ghosts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love short, eerie tales and folklore, or want a first doorway into Japanese storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page and let Hoichi lead you toward the strange world just beside the everyday.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534591000924,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/01609_en_ebook-front_c06.jpg?v=1792174929"},{"product_id":"diaries-of-court-ladies-of-old-japan","title":"Diarios de damas de la Corte del antiguo Japón","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBehind the ceremonies of Japan’s Heian court, three women reveal love, sharp judgments, and a hunger for stories.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan brings together the diary of Izumi Shikibu, the diary of Murasaki Shikibu, and the Sarashina diary. These women share a courtly world, but each sees it differently. Their private voices lead you beyond ceremony into grief, desire, and the close observation of other people.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIzumi Shikibu tells of a love affair that shocks the capital, with secret meetings and questions about where she will live. Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji, watches Empress Shoshi’s household and judges fellow writers. In the Sarashina diary, Sugawara no Takasue’s daughter looks back on a life that begins with a long journey and a longing for stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eInside this book\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLove against the rules\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow Izumi Shikibu into an affair where private longing meets the demands of a household.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA watchful court writer\u003c\/strong\u003e – See an empress’s household through Murasaki Shikibu’s close attention to ceremony and the people around her.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSharp portraits of women\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet fellow writers through Murasaki’s frank judgments of their writing and character.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA life shaped by stories\u003c\/strong\u003e – Travel toward the capital with Takasue’s daughter and discover her hunger for tales.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThree distinct private voices\u003c\/strong\u003e – Set these accounts beside one another and find different views of the same courtly world.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers curious about everyday court life, lovers of poetry and The Tale of Genji, and anyone drawn to quiet, fragmentary personal accounts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page now and step into the court through the words of women who lived there.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534607384924,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/04678_en_ebook-front_c26.jpg?v=1792174951"},{"product_id":"japanese-fairy-tales","title":"Cuentos de hadas japoneses","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if a peach holds a brave boy, and a kindness to a turtle opens a palace beneath the sea?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Japanese Fairy Tales, Yei Theodora Ozaki brings together old stories from Japan in clear, warm English. Little Peachling emerges from a giant peach and sets out to face ogres with three animal friends. Kintaro grows up on a mountain, where his enormous strength goes hand in hand with friendship among animals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther tales lead into stranger, quieter wonders. Urashima Taro helps a turtle and travels to the Dragon King's palace, where Princess Otohime welcomes him. In The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, a gentle old man's care for a small bird stands against cruelty and greed. Throughout the collection, ordinary acts of kindness meet a world alive with spirits, speaking animals, and magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eInside this book\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eKindness put to the test\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet kind old couples and cruel neighbors in tales where generosity and greed bring different rewards.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAnimals with their own plans\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow badgers, monkeys, and foxes as they speak, scheme, and change shape.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeroes with strange beginnings\u003c\/strong\u003e – Discover Little Peachling and Kintaro, boys whose unusual beginnings lead into courage and wonder.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWonders beneath the sea\u003c\/strong\u003e – Visit the Dragon King's palace with Urashima Taro and share the wonders Princess Otohime reveals.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA child in bamboo\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet the humble bamboo cutter who finds a tiny glowing child and raises her as his daughter.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for folk tale lovers, parents seeking stories to share aloud, and anyone curious about Japanese tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page now and step into a world where a small kindness can lead somewhere extraordinary.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534635893084,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/01250_en_ebook-front_c15.jpg?v=1792174988"},{"product_id":"shadowings","title":"Sombras","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if the dead are not distant shadows, but neighbors whose lives still touch your own?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Shadowings, Lafcadio Hearn brings together short tales of ghosts, spirits and strange fates with studies of the beliefs behind them. His Japan is a place where the dead remain close to daily life. These pieces invite you into old stories that unsettle even as they reveal the traditions that give them meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeneath the hauntings lie Buddhist ideas about karma, rebirth and a self less fixed than it seems. Hearn explores a moral world in which, according to these beliefs, actions carry consequences across lifetimes. He writes as a guide for unfamiliar readers, offering a Western view of old Japan rather than a scholar's neutral survey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eInside this book\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe dead next door\u003c\/strong\u003e – Enter tales where spirits and visitors from another world remain close to everyday life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDeeds that reach beyond\u003c\/strong\u003e – Explore how Buddhist beliefs about karma give these strange fates their moral weight.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA less certain self\u003c\/strong\u003e – Consider Hearn's interest in rebirth and the unsettling idea that identity is not fixed.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStories beside their beliefs\u003c\/strong\u003e – Move between old tales and short studies that illuminate the traditions beneath their hauntings.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA guide with limits\u003c\/strong\u003e – Encounter Hearn's vision of Japan while keeping his sometimes romantic view in mind.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love ghost stories, folklore and religion, or want to explore old Japan through a Western eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page and let Hearn lead you into a world where the dead stay near.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534658765148,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/02609_en_ebook-front_c28.jpg?v=1792175018"},{"product_id":"botchan","title":"Botchan","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if telling the truth makes you the most troublesome person in the staff room?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBotchan leaves Tokyo to teach mathematics in a faraway country town. Hot-headed and blunt, he dislikes the place and refuses to flatter anyone. Students test him, colleagues scheme, and his quick temper makes every slight harder to swallow. He tells the story himself, saying exactly what he thinks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Natsume Sōseki’s short comic novel, honesty meets a world of polite lies. The smooth senior teacher Red Shirt arouses Botchan’s distrust, while the bluff Porcupine shares his blunt manner. Behind Botchan’s reckless pride stands Kiyo, the old servant whose kindness gives him something his family does not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA voice without filters\u003c\/strong\u003e – Botchan’s quick, plain speech brings you close to his anger, pride, and comic misjudgments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA staff room of schemers\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet teachers whose nicknames expose the habits Botchan finds so hard to tolerate.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHonesty with rough edges\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow a young man who hates deceit but is far from a saint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eKindness beyond the family\u003c\/strong\u003e – Discover Kiyo’s steady affection for a reckless boy she insists on seeing as honest.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe sting of belonging nowhere\u003c\/strong\u003e – Recognize the discomfort of working among strangers whose rules you neither like nor trust.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love a lively, funny narrator and a simple story with a sharp edge, especially anyone who feels out of place at work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page now and meet a teacher who cannot keep his thoughts to himself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534699888988,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/12292_en_ebook-front_c04.jpg?v=1792175105"},{"product_id":"unhuman-tour","title":"Viaje inhumano","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if you could leave ordinary life behind and see the world only as art?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Natsume Sōseki’s Unhuman Tour, an unnamed young painter and haiku poet walks into the mountains of southern Japan in spring. He wants distance from the demands of everyday feeling. Mountain paths lead him toward a remote hot-spring inn, where he hopes to look at life as a picture, a poem or music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the village offers more than quiet views. Nami, the inn’s beautiful daughter, puzzles him, while gossip shapes what he hears about her. A talkative barber brings comedy; a calm temple priest suggests another kind of stillness. As a distant war and the modern world press closer, the painter’s wish to stand apart becomes a question worth following.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA slower way of seeing\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow a mountain walk that moves through mood, memory and thought rather than a busy plot.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe mystery of Nami\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet a woman whose presence and village reputation challenge the painter’s detached gaze.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComedy among quiet moments\u003c\/strong\u003e – Step into the barber shop, where a stream of chatter brings everyday life close.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArt beyond the frame\u003c\/strong\u003e – Explore what happens when a painter tries to turn everything he sees into beauty.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStillness with a question\u003c\/strong\u003e – Consider whether looking at life as art can offer enough distance from human feeling.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love reflective Japanese literature, questions about art and attention, or a quiet escape from busy days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page and join the painter on a mountain path toward a different way of seeing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534730133852,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/12070_en_ebook-front_c28.jpg?v=1792175145"}],"url":"https:\/\/libraryofalexandria.com\/es\/collections\/japanese-classics.oembed","provider":"The Library of Alexandria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}