Looking for nofiction about Japan for a school project. I'd prefer something about modern Japan, but pretty much everything is ok, provided it's non-fiction. Something about otaku culture would be exceptionally interesting, but everything is ok. Help, anyone, please? Actually, this is a bad place for that, so, does anyone know of any fictional stories that take place in modern Japan or near modern Japan that are available to the mainstream public? I could use one of those as well.
Well, Densha Otoko (Train Man) is the first thing that comes to mind (especially because I'm currently reading it!). It delves deep into the "core" of otaku culture, and in the end makes us feel a little better about ourselves.
There's a book series called Culture Shock. The series is designed for travelers and is designed to help them understand the basics of that culture. Get the Japan Version.
Cruising The Anime City: An Otaku Guide To Neo Tokyo (Paperback)
by Patrick Macias (Author), Tomohiro Machiyama (Author)
this is the guide book for american who want to visit mecca of Otaku in Japan.
I can recommend The Roads to Sata and Looking For The Lost, both by Alan Booth. He walked (yes, walked) the entire length of Japan, making his way through a lot of remote regions and small villages. Hitching Rides With Buddha by Will Ferguson is the same idea, only with hitchhiking. That book is more lighthearted though, Ferguson is a humor writer in the style of Dave Barry.
I second Hitching Rides With Buddha. Awsome book.
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun is one of the greatest stories ever. Yea, it's about the Japanese.
Government and Local Power in Japan 500 to 1700: A Study Based on the Bizen Province, by J.W. Hall