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10 Best Japan History Books

Goal: Find the best Japan History books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).

Method:

  1. Search for "best japan history books" and study the top 5+ pages.
  2. Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
  3. Rank the results neatly here.

10 Best Japan History Books

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1

Pure Invention

How Japan Made the Modern World

by Matt Alt

2

The Rape of Nanking

The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

by Iris Chang

Also recommended by:

Jocko Willink, Jordan Peterson

3

A Brief History of Japan

Samurai, Shogun and Zen

by Jonathan Clements

4

Bending Adversity

Japan and the Art of Survival

by David Pilling

5

The Book of Five Rings

by Miyamoto Musashi

6

Ikigai

The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

by Héctor García

Also recommended by:

Ryan Hoover

7

A Modern History of Japan

From Tokugawa Times to the Present

by Andrew Gordon

8

Embracing Defeat

Japan in the Wake of World War II

by John W. Dower

9

Japanese Tattoos

History * Culture * Design

by Brian Ashcraft

10

Lost Japan

Last Glimpse of Beautiful Japan

by Alex Kerr

Sources

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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