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A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020

‘Mightily impressive … a marvellous read’ Waldemar Januszczak, Sunday Times

From the acclaimed author of Japan Story, this is the history of Japan, distilled into the stories of twenty remarkable individuals.

The vivid and entertaining portraits in Chris Harding’s enormously enjoyable new book take the reader from the earliest written accounts of Japan right through to the life of the current empress, Masako. We encounter shamans and warlords, poets and revolutionaries, scientists, artists and adventurers – each offering insights of their own into this extraordinary place.

For anyone new to Japan, this book is the ideal introduction. For anyone already deeply involved with it, this is a book filled with surprises and pleasures.

Publisher Review

Skilled, ambitious, mightily impressive ... Harding turns out to be as adept at describing the country's artistic development as he is at unpicking its brutal politics. Another of his talents is a sharp eye for the telling quote that makes these distant presences tangible ... a marvellous read, full of startling information. -- Waldemar Januszczak * Sunday Times *