Japanese Shinto is the simple belief that the divine dwells in all things around us.

Shinto: The Japanese World of Kami Spirits is a concise guide to the fundamental elements of the Shinto religion--its rich mythology and symbols, intricate rituals, festivals, ancestral spirits, awe-inspiring architecture and a profound belief in the divine presence in the natural world around us.

This modernized classic, with new color and b&w images, and a new foreword by bestselling author Hector Garcia, r...

An extraordinary collection of Japanese folk tales, many in English for the first time!

This book contains 79 stories from the Japanese collection Tales from Shinshu, compiled and edited by award-winning author Noboru Wada. It features traditional tales of yokai, ghosts, mountain witches, demons and apparitions frequently sighted in and around the mountainous Shinshu region in central Japan, such as:

The Legend of the Snow Woman: A beautiful woman appears at Minokichi's door one night in a sn...

A timeless psychological study of a young man's deep alienation from society

Set in the early 20th century, Kokoro opens with a chance encounter on a beach near Tokyo that irrevocably links a young student to a man he simply calls Sensei ("Teacher"). Intrigued by Sensei's aloofness, the student calls upon him with increasing frequency. Eventually, Sensei and his beautiful wife open their home and their lives to him. Only later does the student learn the devastating secret that has haunted Sen...