Japan flag Biography books from Japan

Recommended biography books (4)
Travel the world without leaving your chair. If you are into biography here are some biography books from Japan for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge.

1.

Geisha : A Life by Mineko Iwasaki EN

Rating: 4.5 (3 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
A Kyoto geisha describes her initiation into an okiya at the age of four, the intricate training that made up most of her education, her successful career, and the traditions surrounding the geisha culture.

2.

Rental Person Who Does Nothing : A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
Profiled in The Times, The Independent and by BBC Reels I’m starting a service . . . available for any situation in which all you want is a person to be there. Maybe there’s a restaurant you want to go to, but you feel awkward going on your own. Maybe a game you want to play, but you’re one person short. Or perhaps you’d like someone to keep a space in the park for your cherry blossom viewing party . . . Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told by his boss that he contributed nothing to the company he worked for and that it made no difference whether he showed up or not. He began to wonder whe... continue

3.

Samurai! by Saburo Sakai, Martin Caidin, Fred Saito EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
Saburo Sakai was Japan's greatest fighter pilot to survive World War II. A veteran of more than two hundred dogfights, Sakai reportedly shot down sixty-four Allied planes, but he is best known for flying his crippled Zero nearly 600 miles to safety while partially paralyzed and nearly blind from multiple wounds.

4.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
'Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional' A compelling mediation on the power of running and a fascinating insight into the life of this internationally bestselling writer. A perfect reading companion for runners. In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and on his writing. Equal parts travelogue, training log and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month... continue