"Mankind is Noodlekind"

For three days in January 2007,the most e-mailed article in The New York Times was "appreciations: Mr. noodle," an editorial noting the passing, at age ninety-six, of Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen. Ando's existence came as a shock to many, but not to Andy Raskin, who had spent three years trying to meet the noodle pioneer.

The Ramen King and I is Raskin's funny and, at times,

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Join sisters Chantelle and Nakia as they travel to Japan and spend three months discovering the culture, food and customs, while making many new friends along the way. From trips to the market to a day in preschool, squat toilets to eating snails, their days are full of adventure. They meet monkeys and ninjas, dress up in kimono, and even take a Taiko drum class. Come discover Japan through the eyes of two young girls and be inspired to become a Little...

Megan explores Buddhist temples, world heritage sites, and bargains at the city's best flea market. She then learns the art of Zen meditation and visits the Gion distract, home to many of Kyoto's few hundred remaining Geisha. She then travels to bustling Osaka, and Iga-Ueno then continuing by train through the Japanese Alps and by ferry to the remote Sado Island. Finally, in Himeji, she witnesses a dramatic fighting festival.

It had never been done before. Not in 2,000 years of Japanese recorded history had anyone followed the Cherry Blossom Front from one end of the country to the other. Nor had anyone hitchhiked the length of Japan. But, heady on sakura and sake, Will Ferguson bet he could do both. The resulting travelogue is one of the funniest and most illuminating books ever written about Japan. And, as Ferguson learns, it illustrates that to travel is better than...

After thirty-two years in Japan, Pico Iyer can use everything from anime to Oscar Wilde to show how his adopted home is both hauntingly familiar and the strangest place on earth. "Arguably the world's greatest living travel writer" (Outside). He draws on readings, reflections, and conversations with Japanese friends to illuminate an unknown place for newcomers, and to give longtime residents a look at their home through fresh eyes. A Beginner's Guide...

"Discover the city of temples, video games, manga, and cosplay with this graphic Tokyo travel guide!"--Amazon.com.

"An intimate voyage into Japanese culture and spirituality, culminating in one of Japan's most sacred places. Marie Mutsuki Mockett's family owns a Buddhist temple 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In March 2011, after the earthquake and tsunami, radiation levels prohibited the burial of her Japanese grandfather's bones. At the same time, Mockett grieved for her American father, who had died unexpectedly. As Japan mourned thousands...