The Stone Bridge Podcast

David Joiner is an American novelist who lives in Japan. In January 2022 Stone Bridge Press published his Kanazawa, the story of an American married to a Japanese woman and how they are navigating different views of their future. This year, we will be publishing The Heron Catchers, about an American whose marriage has fractured and now finds himself in a new relationship with a Japanese woman and her troubled son. Both novels are set in and around the western Japan city of Kanazawa, a mid-sized urban area with natural beauty and deep cultural and literary traditions.

In this interview with publisher Peter Goodman, David talks about his novels and about the tricky position of being a non-Japanese, aka "foreigner," writing about Japan. And while many novels by foreigners have as their central theme the protagonist as "different," David says that in his books the emphasis is on people leading normal lives and not the "foreignness" of the narrator.

Also discussed:

• how Japanese sensibilities are captured in English prose with an emphasis on conversation and closely observed details
• David's writing process, and how he "practiced" writing by  transcribing out full copies of translations he enjoyed
• the fiction writing scene, or lack thereof, in Kanazawa, and the legacy of literary native son Izumi Kyoka
• the tricky issue of cultural appropriation
• whether Japanese are interested in how non-Japanese writers depict Japan

Other online interviews with David Joiner can be found at:

Books on Asia podcast:
https://books-on-asia.simplecast.com/episodes/novelist-david-joiner-talks-kanazawa

Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan
https://books-on-asia.simplecast.com/episodes/novelist-david-joiner-talks-kanazawa

David Joiner made his first trip to Japan in 1991--a five-month study program in Hokkaido--and three years later moved for the first of seven times to Vietnam. In Japan, where he has also moved numerous times, he has called Sapporo, Akita, Fukui, Tokyo, and most recently the western Japanese city of Kanazawa home. David's writing has appeared in literary journals and elsewhere, including Echoes: Writers in Kyoto 2017, The Brooklyn Rail, Phoebe Journal, The Ontario Review, and The Madison Review. His first novel, Lotusland, set in contemporary Vietnam, was published in 2015 by Guernica Editions. Kanazawa (2022) and The Heron Catchers (forthcoming) are both published by Stone Bridge Press.

Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California, which for over thirty years has specialized in books on Asia, especially Japan and China. For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

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For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman talks with author Gregg Krech about his just-released Anniversary Edition of Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection.

Topics include:

• What is Naikan? Japanese psychology vs Western practice
• The structure of Naikan practice: the three questions
• Key features of Naikan:
  • Appreciating, not complaining
  • A focus on others instead of oneself
  • Purpose and goals, not just feelings
• Does Naikan have a place in the me-focused Western mentality?
• How Naikan expands consciousness toward a concern for the world and the environment
• Where can you learn more about and practice Naikan?
• Todo Institute marks its 30th anniversary

To obtain a free booklet with ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving,  send a simple request by email to [email protected].

To learn more about Naikan and the Todo Institute, go to thirthythousanddays.com

Learn more about Gregg's book here: Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection

GREGG KRECH is one of the leading authorities on Japanese Psychology in North America and has published five books on this topic. He and his wife, Linda, are founders of the ToDo Institute, a non-profit education and retreat center in Vermont. His work has been featured in The Sun magazine, Tricycle, SELF, Counseling Today, Cosmopolitan, and Experience Life and on public radio and numerous podcasts. In 2022, Gregg Krech was appointed chairperson of a national task force on Buddhism and Mental Health. 

Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California, which for over thirty years has specialized in books on Asia, especially Japan and China. For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman talks with author Eve Kushner, author of Crazy for Kanji, about the Japanese writing system and her efforts to create one essay for each of the 2,000+ characters designated for "everyday use."

Topics include:

• Publisher Goodman confesses his obtuseness in failing to catch the joke behind the name of Eve's website, Joy o' Kanji
• Eve explains where her fascination with kanji came from
• Obscure Japanese words with no English equivalent
• Is it weird for a non-Japanese person to have more interest in kanji than native Japanese do? 
• How are kanji taught to children in Japan?
• Are modern Japanese with laptops forgetting how to write kanji themselves? 
• Cool ways of remembering kanji; why does everyone talk about the Heisig method?
• Kanji as art: each kanji has its own structure, but each one also represents its own linguistic and cultural universe
• Radicals: the building blocks of kanji
• Are kanji in China different from kanji in Japan?

Eve Kushner is a writer and journalist who has written hundreds of articles for dozens of markets. Now she writes exclusively about kanji, working obsessively and quite happily on her huge project Joy o' Kanji. With this undertaking, she aims to write one essay about each of the 2,136 kanji (written characters) used in daily life in Japan. Eve has done interviews in several media, including TV, radio, and print publications such as Newsweek. The Press Coverage page has information about these appearances, as well as links to articles about Eve's work. In 2009 Stone Bridge Press published Eve's magnum opus, Crazy for Kanji: A Student's Guide to the Wonderful World of Japanese Characters.

Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California, which for over thirty years has specialized in books on Asia, especially Japan and China. For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman discusses ramen, sushi, and more with  Denver-based writer and renowned foodie Gil Asakawa, author of Tabemasho! Let's Eat! A Tasty History of Japanese Food in America.

Gil was born in Japan and grew up in the USA, where he experienced the evolution of Japanese food from sparse offerings to the explosion of cuisines and styles that are available today.  The discussion includes:

• Where did your interest in food come from?
• Were there many Japanese restaurants around you growing up?
• Ugh, you eat raw fish? What did your non-Japanese friends think of Japanese food?
• When did American culture shift from confusion and trepidation to interest with Japanese food?
• What's the strange history of the California roll and did an aversion to eating seaweed play a part?
• Ramen: once a cheap street food, now very chichi. What's up with that?
• What's the next big Japanese food trend? Probably not fermented soybean natto, so what is it?
• Racial stereotypes and food packaging: "wonton font" and exotic geisha on snack packages

Gil Asakawa is author of Being Japanese American (Stone Bridge Press, 2004) and co-author of The Toy Book (Knopf, 1991). He is a nationally known speaker and commentator on Japanese American and Asian American identity and issues. He writes a blog, Nikkeiview.com, about pop culture and politics from an Asian American perspective. He lives in Denver.

Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California, which for over thirty years has specialized in books on Asia, especially Japan and China. For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman discusses foraging and gathering edible plants (and seaweed) in Japan with author Winnie Bird, whose book Eating Wild Japan has been described by Elizabeth Andoh as “a delightful homage to those who practice the art of bringing wild foods deliciously to table.”

Winnie brought all her skills as an experienced environmental journalist to bear on her explorations into wild food culture in Japan, and in this podcast she describes the challenges of research and some of the many delights of her discoveries. While residing in a rural city in the mountains, she noticed many of her neighbors gathering native plants to prepare for bento lunches and to use in soups and other family dishes. Over a period of years she traveled into Japanese rural areas to meet these foragers. She heard them discuss the traditions of foraging and learned many of their gathering techniques and recipes.

Winnie also discusses the foraging practices in Japan versus those in the US, where the locavore movement is more of a high-end indulgence, where in Japan local foods are simply a normal part of many rural diets. She talks about substitutions for ingredients not found outside Japan. And throughout she emphasizes the importance that food gathering has had in human culture and how it has been impacted by modern living and development. 

Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, with a Guide to Plants and Recipes by Winifred Bird

Winifred Bird is a writer, translator, lifelong cook, and lover of plants both wild and domesticated. For almost a decade she lived in rural Japan, where she worked as an environmental journalist, grew organic rice and vegetables, and ate as many foraged foods as possible. She lives with her family on an island in Lake Michigan, where she is a contributor to the local newspaper.

Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California, which for over thirty years has specialized in books on Asia, especially Japan and China. For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

Gilles Poitras has traveled to Tokyo and written about Japan …  a lot. Here he talks with Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman about his upcoming book Tokyo Stroll and what fascinates him about this great world metropolis. Gilles is definitely not the tourist on the beaten track riding in buses to the same old temples and fake kimono parlors. He usually bases himself in old-town Asakusa in a little budget ryokan, and then enjoys delicious and cheap street food and checking out the side streets and specialty shops ... just strolling.

Gilles also answers the three key questions a foreign visitor might have: 

• Is Tokyo really super expensive? (Answer: not at all, breakfast for under $10 and dinner for under $20.)
• Can I make myself understood? (Answer: yes, lots of signboards in romanized letters and lots of people get by in English, even a friendly street gangster who directed Gilles and his friends to their hostel!)
• Is the city safe? (Answer: yes, there are tons of people around and Japanese are famously well behaved; and the gangsters don't mess with you either)

We also discuss when Japan will be opening up in full. There’s a lot of pressure from the tourism boards and businesses to get the country open to foreign visitors, but the politicians are taking their time and being cautious. So it’s baby steps for now, but the day of free travel is coming, which is why there’s no better time to start planning your Tokyo trip. Gilles explains how he’s built a whole online map overlay into his book, so once you’ve got it you can find everywhere that’s listed in the book using your phone, whether you’ve got an internet connection or not!

Gilles’s ryokan (more of a hostel actually) recommendation: Taito Ryokan in Nishi Asakusa (5 minutes from Tawaramachi Station). Easy to book using online search engines.

Tokyo Stroll's publication has been delayed several times but is now set for end of November 2022. Over the course of the pandemic, Gilles has been providing regular text and map updates to ensure that the book will be current and accurate when it's finally released. 

Gilles creates and maintains a few online resources, including a supplement that will keep Tokyo Stroll information up to date.

Gilles's home website is at www.koyagi.com/. From there you can access:

• Tokyo Stroll Supplement
• Vicarious Tokyo: Resources of Enjoying a Fabulous City from a Distance
• Guides to Anime and Manga.

Gilles Poitras has produced three books on anime and has written for magazines including NewType USA and Otaku USA and served as a member of the senior board of Mechademia. He has made presentations at various Japan-US friendship groups and at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, has introduced films at the Smithsonian, and has taught a course on anime for Pixar staff. He has conducted numerous guided trips to Japan. He lives in Oakland, California.

Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California, which for over thirty years has specialized in books on Asia, especially Japan and China. For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.

For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.