Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world, so when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. For her part, in the convenience store she finds a predictable world mandated by the store manual, which dictates how the workers should act and what they should say, and she copies her coworkers' style of dress and speech...

A little girl is determined to make perfect nigiri sushi for her grandmother, but her efforts only lead to frustration, until a surprising discovery helps her understand that cooking with love is more important than cooking perfect food.

"Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told that he was a 'do-nothing' because he lacked initiative. Dispirited and unemployed, it occurred to him that if he was so good at doing nothing, perhaps he could turn it into a business. And with one tweet, he began his business of renting himself out to do nothing. Morimoto, aka Rental Person, provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. Sitting with a client undergoing surgery, accompanying...

A celebration of all things Japan. Find out what makes Japanese culture unique, where to experience it for yourself and how to absorb some of its wisdom along the way.

"Candice ... guides us through her favorite Japanese traditions and practices for cultivating inner strength and living a gracious life. Interwoven with dozens of recipes for healthy, Japanese-inspired cuisine"--Page 4 of cover.

"First volume of Shigeru Mizuki's meticulously researched historical portrait of twentieth century Japan. This volume deals with the period leading up to World War II, a time of high unemployment and other economic hardships caused by the Great Depression. Mizuki's photo-realist style effortlessly brings to life Japan of the 1920s and 1930s, depicting bustling city streets and abandoned graveyards with equal ease"--Publisher's website.