Why Be Happy?


Book Description

This beautiful and practical guide to ukeireru, the Japanese principle of acceptance, offers a path to well-being and satisfaction for the anxious and exhausted. Looking for greater peace and satisfaction? Look no further than the Japanese concept of ukeireru, or acceptance. Psychologist Scott Haas offers an elegant, practical, and life-changing look at ways we can reduce anxiety and stress and increase overall well-being. By learning and practicing ukeireru, you can: Profoundly improve your relationships, with a greater focus on listening, finding commonalities, and intuiting Find calm in ritualizing things such as making coffee, drinking tea, and even having a cocktail Embrace the importance of baths and naps Show respect for self and others, which has a remarkably calming effect on everyone Learn to listen more than you talk Tidy up your life by downsizing experiences and relationships that offer more stress than solace Cultivate practical ways of dealing with anger, fear, and arguments -- the daily tensions that take up so much of our lives By practicing acceptance, we learn to pause, take in the situation, and then deciding on a course of action that reframes things. Why Be Happy? Discover a place of contentment and peace in this harried world.




Preserving the Japanese Way


Book Description

This beautifully illustrated guide by the author of Japanese Farm Food includes essential Japanese pantry tips and 125 recipes. In Preserving the Japanese Way, Nancy Singleton Hachisu offers step-by-step instructions for preserving fruits, vegetables, and fish using the age-old methods of Japanese farmers and fishermen. The recipes feature ingredients easily found in grocery stores or Asian food markets, such as soy sauce, rice vinegar, sake, and koji. Recipes range from the ultratraditional— Umeboshi (Salted Sour Plums), Takuan (Half-Dried Daikon Pickled in Rice Bran), and Hakusai (Fermented Napa Cabbage)— to modern creations like Zucchini Pickled in Shoyu Koji, Turnips Pickled with Sour Plums, and Small Melons in Sake Lees. Hundreds of full-color photos offer a window into the culinary life of Japan, from barrel makers and fish sauce producers to traditional morning pickle markets. More than a simple recipe book, Preserving the Japanese Way is a book about community, seasonality, and ultimately about why both are relevant in our lives today. “This is a gorgeous, thoughtful—dare I say spiritual—guide to the world of Japanese pickling written with clarity and a deep respect for technique and tradition.” —Rick Bayless, author of Authentic Mexican and owner of Frontera Grill




Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering


Book Description

Historian John W. Dower’s celebrated investigations into modern Japanese history, World War II, and U.S.–Japanese relations have earned him critical accolades and numerous honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Bancroft Prize. Now Dower returns to the major themes of his groundbreaking work, examining American and Japanese perceptions of key moments in their shared history. Both provocative and probing, Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering delves into a range of subjects, including the complex role of racism on both sides of the Pacific War, the sophistication of Japanese wartime propaganda, the ways in which the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is remembered in Japan, and the story of how the postwar study of Japan in the United States and the West was influenced by Cold War politics. Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering offers urgent insights by one of our greatest interpreters of the past into how citizens of democracy should deal with their history and, as Dower writes, “the need to constantly ask what is not being asked.”




The Japanese Way, Second Edition


Book Description

Have a successful trip to Japan by learning its culture and the ways of its people The Japanese Way is your handy guide to understanding how people from every corner of Japan think, do business, and act in their daily lives--helpful advice if you are traveling for business or pleasure. Organized alphabetically, the book is an indispensable reference to the common as well as the divergent cultural traits of the Japanese. The book shows you how the Japanese celebrate holidays, interact with one another, resolve daily problems, and view and deal with the outside world. You'll also get insight on the rich and varied historical traditions that have shaped the modern culture of Asia’s most progressive nation. Includes the 89 "trait" chapters address specific characteristics of the Japanese people to explain their culture to Western readers Features a free 15-minute download based on the first 10 chapters Topics include: Pronunciation and Romanization; 89 Key Traits of the Japanese; Sources and Related Readings




The Ikigai Journey


Book Description

In The Ikigai Journey, authors Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles take their international bestseller Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life a step further by showing you how to find your own ikigai through practical exercises, such as employing new habits and stepping outside your comfort zone. Ikigai is the place where our passion (what we love), mission (what we hope to contribute), vocation (the gifts we have to offer the world) and profession (how our passions and talents can become a livelihood) converge, giving us a personal sense of meaning. This book helps you bring together all of these elements so that you can enjoy a balanced life. Our ikigai is very similar to change: it is a constant that transforms depending on which phase of life we are in. Our "reason for being" is not the same at 15 as it is at 70. Through three sections, this book helps you to accept and embrace that--acting as a tool to revolutionize your future by helping you to understand the past, so you can enjoy your present. Section 1: Journey Through the Future: Tokyo (a symbol of modernity and innovation) Section 2: Journey Through the Past: Kyoto (an ancient capital moored in tradition) Section 3: Journey Through the Present: Ise (an ancient shrine that is destroyed and rebuilt every twenty years) Japan has one of the longest life spans in the world, and the greatest number of centenarians--many of whom cite their strong sense of ikigai as the basis for their happiness and longevity. Unlike many "self-care" practices, which require setting aside time in an increasingly busy world, the ikigai method helps you find peace and fulfillment in your busy life.




Inventing the Way of the Samurai


Book Description

Inventing the Way of the Samurai examines the development of the 'way of the samurai' - bushido; - which is popularly viewed as a defining element of the Japanese national character and even the 'soul of Japan'. Rather than a continuation of ancient traditions, however, bushido; developed from a search for identity during Japan's modernization in the late nineteenth century. The former samurai class were widely viewed as a relic of a bygone age in the 1880s, and the first significant discussions of bushido at the end of the decade were strongly influenced by contemporary European ideals of gentlemen and chivalry. At the same time, Japanese thinkers increasingly looked to their own traditions in search of sources of national identity, and this process accelerated as national confidence grew with military victories over China and Russia. Inventing the Way of the Samurai considers the people, events, and writings that drove the rapid growth of bushido, which came to emphasize martial virtues and absolute loyalty to the emperor. In the early twentieth century, bushido; became a core subject in civilian and military education, and was a key ideological pillar supporting the imperial state until its collapse in 1945. The close identification of bushido; with Japanese militarism meant that it was rejected immediately after the war, but different interpretations of bushido; were soon revived by both Japanese and foreign commentators seeking to explain Japan's past, present, and future. This volume further explores the factors behind the resurgence of bushido, which has proven resilient through 130 years of dramatic social, political, and cultural change.







The Book of Five Rings


Book Description

Miyamoto Musashi's Go Rin no Sho or the book of five rings, is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Chanakya's Arthashastra. The five "books" refer to the idea that there are different elements of battle, just as there are different physical elements in life, as described by Buddhism, Shinto, and other Eastern religions. Through the book Musashi defends his thesis: a man who conquers himself is ready to take it on on the world, should need arise.




The Way of Whisky


Book Description

Winner of the André Simon John Avery award 'This book is incredible' - Alex Kratena An in-depth, personal journey around Japan's whisky distilleries. Award-winning author and Japanese whisky expert, Dave Broom, tells their story and unveils the philosophy that lies behind this fascinating whisky culture, and how it relates to many Japanese concepts. Dave looks at the history and output of each distillery, considering the elements that make that particular whisky what it is, and including tasting notes. Features on aspects of Japanese life and culture that are crucial to a wider understanding, from the importance of the seasons to the role of craftsmanship, add to the picture. And interwoven throughout the book is the fascinating narrative of the journey across Japan which Dave made with photographer Kohei Take, offering further insight into the country which creates this wonderful drink and making this a must-have edition for any whisky lover, whisky drinker, whisky collector or Japanophile.




The Book of Ichigo Ichie


Book Description

Find happiness by living fully in the present with this definitive guide to ichigo ichie--the Japanese art of making the most of every moment--from the bestselling authors of Ikigai and The Four-Way Path. Every moment in our life happens only once, and if we let it slip away, we lose it forever--an idea captured by the Japanese phrase ichigo ichie (pronounced itchy-GO itchy-A). Often spoken in Japan when greeting someone or saying goodbye, to convey that the encounter is unique and special, it is a tenet of Zen Buddhism and is attributed to a sixteenth-century master of the Japanese tea ceremony, or "ceremony of attention," whose intricate rituals compel us to focus on the present moment. From this age-old concept comes a new kind of mindfulness. In The Book of Ichigo Ichie, you will learn to... appreciate the beauty of the fleeting, the way the Japanese celebrate the cherry blossoms for two weeks every April, knowing they'll have to wait a whole year to see them again; use all five senses to anchor yourself in the present, helping you to let go of fear, sadness, anger, and other negative emotions fueled by fixating on the past or the future; be alert to the magic of coincidences, which help us find meaning among the disconnected events of our lives; use ichigo ichie to help you discover your ikigai, or life's purpose--because it's only by learning to be present, to be tuned into what catches your attention and excites you in the moment, that you can identify what it is that most motivates you and brings you happiness. Every one of us contains a key that can open the door to attention, harmony with others, and love of life. And that key is ichigo ichie. A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE