Lesley Downer

A definitive new history of Japan, where ancient meets cutting-edge in unique and startling ways. Zen, haiku, martial arts, sushi, anime, manga, film, video games ... Japanese culture has long enriched our western way of life. Yet from a western perspective, Japan remains a remote island country that has long had a complicated relationship with the outside world. Even at...

An epic story of forbidden love in a time of war by the author of The Last Concubine, one of the bestselling hardcover debuts of 2008. 1868. In Japan's exotic pleasure quarters, sex is for sale and the only forbidden fruit is love... Hana is just seventeen when her husband goes to war, leaving her alone and vulnerable. When enemy...