Jet Black and the Ninja Wind

Jet Black and the Ninja Wind
Author: Leza Lowitz
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2013-12-24
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 146291344X

**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.

Tomo

Tomo
Author: Holly Thompson
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2012-03-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1611725186

This aptly named fiction anthology—tomo means “friend” in Japanese—is a true labor of friendship to benefit teens in Japan whose lives were upended by the violent earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. Authors from Japan and around the world have contributed works of fiction set in or related to Japan. Young adult English-language readers will be able to connect with their Japanese counterparts through stories of contemporary Japanese teens, ninja and yokai teens, folklore teens, mixed-heritage teens, and non-Japanese teens who call Japan home. Tales of friendship, mystery, love, ghosts, magic, science fiction, and history will propel readers to Japan past and present and to Japanese universes abroad. Edited and with a foreword by Holly Thompson, Tomo contributing authors include Naoko Awa, Deni Bechard, Jennifer Fumiko Cahill, Liza Dalby, Megumi Fujino, Andrew Fukuda, Alan Gratz, Katrina Toshiko Grigg-Saito, Suzanne Kamata, Sachiko Kashiwaba, Kelly Luce, Shogo Oketani and Leza Lowitz, Ryusuke Saito, Graham Salisbury, Fumio Takano, and Wendy Tokunaga, among others. Through understanding comes compassion and the desire to help; portions of the proceeds of Tomo will be donated to ongoing relief efforts for teens in Japan. Holly Thompson is a longtime writing teacher and resident of Japan and author of the young adult verse novel Orchards, which was nominated for a 2012 YALSA/ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults award. She serves as the regional advisor for the Tokyo chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Samurai Revolution

Samurai Revolution
Author: Romulus Hillsborough
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 409
Release: 2014-03-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 1462913512

"With his easily readable and entertaining style, Hillsborough does a great job of elucidating the complex customs that ruled Edo Period life and politics. --The Japan Times"

The Story Cure

The Story Cure
Author: Susan Elderkin
Publisher: Canongate Books
Total Pages: 476
Release: 2016-10-27
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1782115285

The stories that shape our children's lives are too important to be left to chance. With The Story Cure, bibliotherapists Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin have put together the perfect manual for grown-ups who want to initiate young readers into one of life's greatest pleasures. There's a remedy for every hiccup and heartache, whether it's between the covers of a picture book, a pop-up book, or a YA novel. You'll find old favourites like The Borrowers and The Secret Garden alongside modern soon-to-be classics by Michael Morpurgo, Malorie Blackman and Frank Cottrell-Boyce, as well as helpful lists of the right reads to fuel any obsession - from dogs or dinosaurs, space or spies. Wise and witty, The Story Cure will help any small person you know through the trials and tribulations of growing up, and help you fill their bookshelves with adventure, insight and a lifetime of fun.

Kyoto: A Contemplative Guide

Kyoto: A Contemplative Guide
Author: Gouverneur Mosher
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2005-09-15
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1462913105

This Kyoto travel guide presents the best tourists sites in Japan's spiritual and historical capital. With this guide the visitor needs no further assistance to learn all that a place has to offer. It is factual, concise, and complete. This Japan travel book is generously illustrated with photographs, maps, route plans, and building plans, as well as a selection of reproductions from old prints and picture scrolls. The sights were specifically chosen to give foreign visitors a broad understanding of Kyoto's political, religious, and cultural history. Among them are the ancient Phoenix Hall of the Byodo-in, the famous rock garden at Ryoan-ji, the mountain temples of Enryaku-ji, the lavishly decorated Nijo Castle of the Tokugawas, the Silver Pavilion and its remarkable garden, and the "all-time temple," Kiyomizu. Three appendices--a chart of Japanese art periods, a glossary and a list of useful Japanese phrases--further enhance its value.

Breaking Barriers

Breaking Barriers
Author: Aimee Dawis
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 149
Release: 2012-06-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1462914055

As members of a tiny ethnic minority in Indonesia--the world's largest Islamic nation--Chinese-Indonesian women face hurdles of race and gender that others would find insurmountable. In Breaking Barriers, author Aimee Dawis profiles nine highly accomplished women who have overcome these obstacles and thrived. In this book you'll meet: an Olympic gold medalist a world-class concert pianist a media mogul and style icon Plus six other extraordinary personalities in the worlds of business, science, sports, politics and the arts. In these profiles, Dawis shows us how Chinese-Indonesian women serve the needs of family and community while carving out a strong and independent role for themselves in their chosen fields through determination, a belief in their ability and strong pride in their ethnic roots. These Asian women may be members of a minority group, but their stories provide inspiration for future generations of Chinese-Indonesian women, and women everywhere.

Mini Herbal Chinese Cooking

Mini Herbal Chinese Cooking
Author: Editions,
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 147
Release: 2014-01-12
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 1462913946

One of the most basic premises of traditional Chinese medical therapy states, "When illness occurs, first try to cure it with food; only when food fails should one resort to herbal medicines.” Traditional Chinese medicine has been utilized for over 2500 years and is used regularly by millions of people around the world. Herbal Chinese Cooking contains everything you need to make over 30 easy, healthy, and authentic herbal Chinese recipes. Boost your vitality while enjoying a delicious meal. Each recipe has a description of benefits and the ailments treated. Recipes include: Black chicken tonic with red dates White turnip herbal soup Chicken stewed with Job’s tears Curried cinnamon rice Four herb tonic soup Tian Qi chicken soup Miso fish soup with daikon Braised sesame beef with fennel And many more! Also included in this book are unit conversion tables, dual unit measurements, a photo overview of the most essential herbal ingredients, and over 30 large clear photos. Each recipe includes cook time, prep time, and serving sizes. Enjoy!

Photographic Guide to the Birds of Thailand

Photographic Guide to the Birds of Thailand
Author: Morten Strange
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2015-11-03
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1462914349

Tuttle is proud to present the very first comprehensive photographic guide to the birds of mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Borneo. Included are the birds of Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and Indochina, as well as those found in South China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This book covers 668 species and contains more than 700 colour photographs. There is a distribution map for each species. Many of the photographs in this magnificent volume appear for the first time and have been carefully selected to show the most important species. The concise text provides vital information that will ensure accurate identification of species in one of the world's most diverse avifauna regions. Indispensable reading for all bird lovers.

Nightless City

Nightless City
Author: J.E. De Becker
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 505
Release: 2012-11-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1462912508

Organized sex in Japan has always been big business, and nowhere was it more politely offered than in the Yoshiwara Yukwaku (red light district) of Tokyo. The appeal of the Yoshiwara was its women, all the surroundings being a frame for display of their charms. The Nightless City provides us with a fascinating picture of a "floating world" that was as transient as a butterfly. Today its teahouses, establishments of assignation, geisha, courtesans, customers, pimps, love magic, laws, sayings, loves, and hates have vanished. This book, however, is a substantial monument to this remarkable place and its remarkable people. This fabulous book, containing fifty revealing maps and illustrations, is a pioneer social study of a Meiji community which lived close to traditional ways and according to the rules of the profession of pleasure. It is rich in folklore, magical charms, ceremonial, social rules, standards of dress, class stratification, and the rewards and punishments of the Yoshiwara. Yoshiwara had such an honored place in Japanese tradition, that its passing, in 1957, was regretted and lamented by many--Japanese and foreigners alike.

Japanese Ikebana for Every Season

Japanese Ikebana for Every Season
Author: Yuji Ueno
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2014-02-04
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1462914284

The true meaning of Ikebana--the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement--is to take a few beautiful flowers and plants and tastefully present them in very simple containers to enhance home decor. The 53 elegant arrangements featured in Japanese Ikebana for Every Season are perfect for special occasions--Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, birthday, anniversary--or any event that calls for a flower bouquet. The key to good Ikebana arrangements is to understand a few very simple principles--like the idea of mitate, seeing old things with new eyes--and to learn a few easy techniques to stabilize and support plants inside a vase or container. Using common flowers and plants from the garden, a nearby field or forest, or the local florist, anyone can easily create these lovely Ikebana in just a few minutes. Authors Rie Imai and Yuji Ueno explain how to select flowers and containers from things that are already around--and then turn them into something special. The basic instructions in the book cover a wide range of styles that encourage readers to use their own creativity rather than copying traditional and highly technical Ikebana design concepts. No matter what time of year it is and regardless of your taste or budget--the arrangements in this book will lend a touch of Japanese elegance to your home.