**Winner of the 2013-2014 Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature****2015 Sakura Medal Nominee****Shortlisted for the 2014 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award****Nominated for the Cybils Young Adult Bloggers Literary Award**Seventeen-year-old Jet Black is a ninja. There's only one problem—she doesn't know it.Jet has never lived a so-called normal life. Raised by her single Japanese mother on a Navajo reservation in the Southwest, Jet's life was a constant litany of mysterious physical and mental training. For as long as Jet can remember, every Saturday night she and her mother played "the game" on the local mountain. But this time, Jet is fighting for her life. And at the end of the night, her mother dies and Jet finds herself an orphan—and in mortal danger.Fulfilling her mother's dying wish, Jet flies to Japan to live with her grandfather where she discovers she is the only one who can protect a family treasure hidden in her ancestral land. She's terrified, but if Jet won't fight to protect her world, who will? Stalked by bounty hunters and desperately attracted with the man who's been sent to kill her, Jet must be strong enough to protect the treasure, preserve an ancient culture and save a sacred mountain from destruction. In Jet Black and the Ninja Wind, multiple award-winning author, poet and translator team Leza Lowitz and Shogo Oketani make their first foray into young adult fiction with a compulsively readable tale whose teenage heroine must discover if she can put the blade above the heart—or die trying.

Jet Black and the Ninja Wind: British Edition

Children's Books

Lowitz, Leza

Oketani, Shogo

Action & Adventure

Tuttle+publishing

**Winner of the 2013-2014 Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature** **2015 Sakura Medal Nominee** **Shortlisted for the 2014 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award** **Nominated for the Cybils Young Adult Bloggers Literary Award** Seventeen-year-old Jet Black is a ninja. There's only one problem—she doesn't know it. Jet has never lived a so-called normal life. Raised by her single Japanese mother on a Navajo reservation in the Southwest, Jet's life was a constant litany of mysterious physical and mental training. For as long as Jet can remember, every Saturday night she and her mother played "the game" on the local mountain. But this time, Jet is fighting for her life. And at the end of the night, her mother dies and Jet finds herself an orphan—and in mortal danger. Fulfilling her mother's dying wish, Jet flies to Japan to live with her grandfather, where she discovers she is the only one who can protect a family treasure hidden in her ancestral land. She's terrified, but if Jet won't fight to protect her world, who will? Stalked by bounty hunters and desperately attracted with the man who's been sent to kill her, Jet must be strong enough to protect the treasure, preserve an ancient culture and save a sacred mountain from destruction. In Jet Black and the Ninja Wind, multiple award-winning author, poet and translator team Leza Lowitz and Shogo Oketani make their first foray into young adult fiction with a compulsively readable tale whose teenage heroine must discover if she can put the blade above the heart—or die trying.

Jet Black and the Ninja Wind

**Winner of the 2013-2014 Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature** **2015 Sakura Medal Nominee** **Shortlisted for the 2014 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award** **Nominated for the Cybils Young Adult Bloggers Literary Award** Seventeen-year-old Jet Black is a ninja. There's only one problem—she doesn't know it. Jet has never lived a so-called normal life. Raised by her single Japanese mother on a Navajo reservation in the Southwest, Jet's life was a constant litany of mysterious physical and mental training. For as long as Jet can remember, every Saturday night she and her mother played "the game" on the local mountain. But this time, Jet is fighting for her life. And at the end of the night, her mother dies and Jet finds herself an orphan—and in mortal danger. Fulfilling her mother's dying wish, Jet flies to Japan to live with her grandfather, where she discovers she is the only one who can protect a family treasure hidden in her ancestral land. She's terrified, but if Jet won't fight to protect her world, who will? Stalked by bounty hunters and desperately attracted with the man who's been sent to kill her, Jet must be strong enough to protect the treasure, preserve an ancient culture and save a sacred mountain from destruction. In Jet Black and the Ninja Wind, multiple award-winning author, poet and translator team Leza Lowitz and Shogo Oketani make their first foray into young adult fiction with a compulsively readable tale whose teenage heroine must discover if she can put the blade above the heart—or die trying.

Yomimono is a literary journal of eclectic and vibrant writing from Japan and the world.

Yomimono

Literature & Fiction

Kamata, Suzanne

Yejidé, Morowa

Halebsky, Judy

Pierce, Marian

BLACK, Edward

Bird, Marcus

Slater, Ann Tashi

Yoshida, Joanne G.

Joritz-Nakagawa, Jane

World Literature

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Bold, visual, profound, symbolic: Japanese kanji characters communicate powerful graphic messages that look great on skin, walls, stationery, T-shirts, and more Here are dozens of edgy, targeted characters hand-picked to help you find the inner you and express yourself in a distinctive stylish way. With cultural clues, readings, font varieties, and ideas for proper use. Don't embarrass yourself with bad ink!Shogo Oketani is an editor and author in Tokyo, Japan, and a long-time student of Japanese martial arts, philosophy, poetry, and history.Leza Lowitz is the author of twenty books of fiction and poetry and is owner/teacher at Sun and Moon yoga studio in Tokyo, Japan.

Kanji Box: Japanese Character Collection

Arts & Photography

Graphic Design

Stone Bridge Press

Japanese kanji characters combine meaning with beauty and thus offer a unique medium for artistic expression. But if you don’t know the language, how do you find characters that say what you want and are not just a "kanji cliché"? You can start here. This attractive book has over one hundred thirty kanji presented in a simple format for easy use. For example:
Post the kanji for kenshin on a mirror to remind you of your "devotion" to your studies. Embroider bussho on a meditation cushion to help you reflect on "Buddha nature." Tattoo the name Zatoichi on your upper arm as homage to your favorite blind swordsman hero. Show your "love" with a card decorated by ai.
Pick from Warrior, Heart, Nature, and Spirit categories to find the characters that express your sentiments best. Each entry includes historical or etymological background, often with unusual "kanji facts." Then trace, photocopy, or even stencil the clear letterforms—displayed in several different kanji "fonts"—to get just the effect you want. Included is an introduction to kanji, writing tips, and a special supplement on Zodiac kanji (great for birthdays!).
"People are always fascinated by different cultures, and we continue to be awed by the wonderful ways in which East and West have mingled in culture, lifestyle, design, art, and aesthetics. We hope this book will enrich your own experience of kanji in art and design and help you bring your creative gifts to bear in fresh, new ways."—from the Authors’ Introduction
Shogo Oketani and Leza Lowitz are writers and translators who live in the San Francisco Bay area.

Designing with Kanji: Japanese Character Motifs for Surface, Skin & Spirit

History & Criticism

Kazuo Nakamoto's life in inner-city Tokyo is one of tea and tofu, of American TV and rock 'n' roll. Kazuo is nine. It is the mid-1960s, just after the Japan Olympics, and Kazuo dreams of being a track star. He hangs out with his buddies, goes to school, and helps with household chores. But Kazuo's world is changing. This bittersweet novel is a deft portrait of a year in a boy's life in a land and time far away, filled with universal concerns about fitting in, escaping the past (in this case World War II's lingering devastation), and growing up.J-Boys author Shogo Oketani is a writer and novelist who grew up in Tokyo in the mid-1960s.

J-Boys: Kazuo's World, Tokyo, 1965

Literary

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Books by Oketani, Shogo