Japanese vegetarian cookery

Lesley Downer

Jonathan Cape Ltd.

In 1689 Matsuo Basho, a Japanese poet, set out on his last and longest journey, to the remote northern provinces. His account, rich in strange, surreal and comic encounters along the road, is a famous work in Japanese literature. Three hundred years later, inspired by Basho's writing and her writing for Japan, Lesley Downer set off in his footsteps. Walking and hitchhiking hermit priests, meeting people who had never seen a Westerner and dining on flowers and sauteed grasshoppers, she discovered a world which most Japanese believe vanished centuries ago.

On the Narrow Road to the Deep North: Journey into a Lost Japan

Travel

Asia

Sceptre

The Shogun's Queen: The Shogun Quartet, Book 1

Transworld

The Last Concubine

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

BANTAM PRESS

The Courtesan and the Samurai

<p>Ever since Westerners arrived in Japan, we have been intrigued by geisha. This fascination has spawned a wealth of fictional creations from Madame Butterfly to Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha". The reality of the geisha's existence has rarely been described. Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but literally "arts people". Their accomplishments might include singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument but, above all, they are masters of the art of conversation, soothing worries of highly paid businessmen who can afford their attentions. The real secret history of the geisha is explored here.</p>

Geisha : The Secret History of a Vanishing World

History

World

Headline Paperbacks

Countries of the World: Japan (Countries of the World)

This book on Japan is part of a series which provides young readers with an illustrated introduction to different countries of the world. It examines different aspects of this country with a population of 125 million, describing its long period of isolated development, contrasting it with more recent historical trends and the country's current position as a dominant world economic power. It looks at the landscape, climate, forests and wildlife, and at topics such as education, sport and leisure, religion and festivals, agriculture, industry and government. The author lived for five years in Japan, studying many aspects of Japanese culture. She contributes articles on Japan to newspapers and magazines.

Japan (Countries of the World)

Hodder Wayland

<p>Madame Sadayakko was the ultimate geisha, so exquisite that the prime minister of the day paid a fortune to deflower her. But she was a rebel who wanted to carve her own path in life. In 1899 she married a subversive avant garde actor and, with a troupe of other actors, they set out on the first ever tour of the West by a Japanese theatre company. Sadayakko took to the stage and became an instant star. She danced for the American President and for the Prince of Wales in London, Picasso painted her, Gide swooned over her and Rodin admired her. But back in Japan, she suffered the stigma of being an ex-geisha and an actor and was forced, in the end, to make a terrible choice - between respectability and love.</p>

Madame Sadayakko : The Geisha Who Seduced the West

Review

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Books by Lesley Downer