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A Brief History of Japan

A Brief History of Japan

Samurai, Shogun and Zen

by Jonathan Clements

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Should I read this?

appears in Japan History, About Japan, and History.

This fascinating history tells the story of the people of Japan, from ancient teenage priestqueens to teeming hordes of salarymen, a nation that once sought to conquer China, yet also shut itself away for two centuries in selfimposed seclusion.First revealed to Westerners in the chronicles of Marco Polo, Japan was a legendary faraway land defende...

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appears in Japan History, About Japan, and History.

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Appears In

Pachinko
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Begins close to Sunja’s life and then stretches across generations to track a Korean family living in Japan, alternating intimate domestic scenes with broader historical pressures. Its useful part is the sustained emotional accumulation: small acts of endurance and sacrifice pile up into a textured portrait of belonging, exile, and family duty. Its main limitation is scope and pacing—repeated setbacks and many named characters can feel relentless, and long historical stretches slow the momentum for readers who want tighter plotting.

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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.

A Brief History of Japan

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