Burritt Sabin was born in New York City and came to Japan as a naval officer in 1975. His professional career in Japan started as a journalist, and he quickly moved into writing and historical research. The first book we’re going to discuss today is about Yokohama, one of the first Japanese ports to open to foreign trade in the 1850s. A Historical Guide to Yokohama: Sketches of the Twice-Risen Phoenix is a window into a time when Japan was rapidly opening up to the world. (The book is in English, despite what the Amazon listing says.)The other book we’ll talk about is Kamakura: A Contemplative Guide,which highlights the first samurai capital in the 12th century. Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo chose this city for the seat of his military government, ushering in the Kamakura Period in 1185.Subjects covered in the podcast:1. Townsend Harris and the opening of Japan (Yokohama)2. The meeting of Sun Yat-sen and Miyazaki Toten in Yokohama3. The Hotel New Grand in Yokohama4. The Great Buddha of Kamakura5. Natsume Soseki's and Suzuki Daisetz's sojourn at Kigen-in, Kamakura6. The Kamakura bunshiSabin also discusses his three favorite books on Japan:1. The Death of Old Yokohama in the Earthquake of 1923 by Otis Manchester PooleA gripping account in real time of a man navigating the post-quake hellscape in an attempt to reach his family.2. Aru Shisei no To: Koshikata wa kanashiku mono kiroku (A Waif of the Streets: Record of a Sad Passage) by Hasegawa ShinHasegawa Shin (1884~1963) recounts growing up in poverty in late-19th century Yokohama, teaching himself to read and write and later becoming a leading popular playwright.3. Sugao Kamakura (The True Face of Kamakura) ed. by Osaragi JiroAn insightful collection of essays on Kamakura by writers who have made the city home.Be sure to check out Burritt Sabin's books A Historical Guide to Yokohama: Sketches of the Twice-Risen Phoenix (2002) and Kamakura: A Contemplative Guide (2021), available on Amazon or at your favorite bookstore. The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Amy Chavez is author of Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan and The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. Check out theBooks on Asia website for book reviews and podcast episodes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service.

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