Books on Japan curiosities?

Hi,

I'm saving up for my dream trip to Japan, but it's still a long way! I have read many of the popular guides and made many plans. I am looking for something though that would have more curiosities and interesting facts, more than museums/restaurants and accomodations.

Any suggestions?

BTW I love reading on paper so, no, blogs or kindle books are not what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance

Because I'm a Japanese in Japan who reads Japanese, I'm no expert when it comes to books for non-Japanese people wanting to know about Japan.

But have you read novels staged in Japan? How about manga? I believe things like that would tell you more about people's daily lives and their emotions. It could be fiction or non-fiction, and the author can be foreign or domestic.

I Googled "modern Japanese authors" and happened to find this:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/japanese/famous-japanese-authors/

I think you are likely to get better answers if you come back with some more information about what specifically it is about Japan you are interested in, why you plan to visit, etc. There are hundreds, possibly thousands of potential topics to recommend books for so if you are more specific then I am sure you will get better recommendations.

Probably my favourite book related to Japan - if you're interested in life in the late Edo period - is Musui's Story. It is a really weird memoir (probably full of embellishments) by a fairly useless low-level samurai who didn't really fit into Japanese society. It is amusing and kind of sad. And an easy read even for someone who doesn't know about pre or early-modern Japan, and the English translation is excellent.

It sounds like you are more looking for city/cultural guidebooks or something? But that is just the first book I think of when someone asks me for a book about Japan.

Dogs and Demons:Tales from the Dark Side of Japan
by Alex Kerr

Dogs and Demons is a very popular book, especially because there weren't anything else of that kind available in English back in the days. But you have to keep in mind that the information is dated, to say the least, and as a Japanese resident, I never felt that it was really accurate. Just my two cents.

The Roads to Sata
by Alan Booth

If you really want to know about japan ,its people, its culture, history than one publication company will give you all of your answers And that is kodansha publication

Millions of people worldwide love kodansha publication in this matter