Books on Asia
Amy Chavez, John Ross
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Whistling Arrows and Heavenly Horses: The Han-Xiongnu War
Whistling Arrows and Heavenly Horses: The Han-Xiongnu War John Ross speaks with Scott Forbes Crawford about his book The Han-Xiongnu War, 133 BC–89 AD. For more than two centuries, Han China fought a…
Don Weiss: Future of the Shikoku Pilgrimage
Amy Chavez talks to Don Weiss, currently mid-way through the Shikoku Pilgrimage — Japan's 1,300 km Buddhist route that has been walked for almost as many years. Pilgrims share their journey with Kobo…
Sima Qian–China’s Grand Historian (with Tim McGirk)
Sima Qian – China’s Grand Historian (with Tim McGirk) John Ross chats with repeat guest Tim McGirk about Sima Qian (c. 145–86 BC), the Father of Chinese History. He earned this accolade for his…
Hiroshima's Last Witnesses and Japan's Nuclear Future
M. G. Sheftall has lived in Japan since 1987. He has a PhD in international relations and modern Japanese history from Waseda University in Tokyo. Since 2001, he has been a professor of modern…
Jason Nieling and Paul Bresin of the Sightseeing Japan
Sightseeing Japan John Ross is joined by Jason Nieling and Paul Bresin of the Sightseeing Japan Podcast, which started back in 2019 and now has over 160 detailed but fun episodes. The two…
Simon Elegant’s City on Fire: A Novel of Hong Kong
Simon Elegant’s City on Fire: A Novel of Hong Kong John chats with writer and journalist Simon Elegant about his third novel, a crime thriller set during the Hong Kong protests of 2019. City on…
Jane Lawson: Secret Japan
Amy Chavez talks with Jane Lawson about her book Secret Japan: An Insider's Guide to Deeper Travel in the World's Most Fascinating Country (Simon & Schuster, 2026). Jane encourages people to get…
Replay: Alex Kerr on Finding the Heart Sutra
Amy Chavez talks with Alex Kerr about his book Finding the Heart Sutra: Guided by a Magician, an Art Collector and Buddhist Sages from Tibet to Japan (Penguin U.K., 2020). Kerr is the author of…
Anna Beth Keim: A History of Taiwan Through the Life of Huang Chin-tao
John talks to Anna Beth Keim about her acclaimed biography, Heaven Does Not Block All Roads: A History of Taiwan Through the Life of Huang Chin-tao. Huang Chin-tao (1926–2019) lived through every…
Michael Freiling—100 Poems from Old Japan
Show Notes Mike Freiling was born in San Francisco. His interest in poetry was first kindled in the mid-‘60’s, when he attended high school near the Haight Ashbury district, and attended readings by…
Bruce Rutledge and Chin Music Press
Bruce Rutledge and Chin Music Press John talks to Bruce Rutledge, founder of Chin Music Press, about running an independent Asia-focused press, the origins of the company in Tokyo, and the move to…
Steven Herman: Behind the White House Curtain
Steven Herman spent 1990-2006 in Japan, most of those years with Voice of America. He served as South East Asia Bureau Chief as well as North East Asia Bureau Chief for the Korean Penninsula &…
David Leffman "A Murder in Yunnan"
John Ross speaks with English travel writer and photographer David Leffman about his new book, A Murder in Yunnan: The Unsolved Killing of a British Diplomat on China’s Southwestern Frontier. The…
Anti Foreign Sentiment, Overtourism and Tourist Behvavior
Amy discusses the relationship between anti-foreign sentiment, overtourism, and tourist manners in Japan. Protests in Kyoto, Kamakura, and Tokyo claim that overtourism negatively impacts the daily…
Replay: Angus Waycott Walks Sado Island
On March 1, ferries from Japan's main Island of Honshu to Sado Island (Niigata Prefecture), started running again after their long winter slumber waiting for the frothy Sea of Japan to settle and for…
Robert Norris on Living and Writing in Japan
Robert Norris has lived in Japan since 1983, mostly in Dazaifu, near Fukuoka, Kyushu. After retiring from university teaching in 2016, he returned to his long-standing passion for writing. The result…
T.R.Reid and How to Ski Japan!
In a tribute to the 2026 Winter Olympics being held right now in Cortina, Italy, Amy takes up a discussion of skiing in Japan. Japan has hosted the Winter Olympics 2 times: 1972 (Sapporo) and 1998…
China's Backstory with Lee Moore
John Ross talks to Lee Moore about his book, China’s Backstory: The History Beijing Doesn’t Want You to Read (2025, Unsung Voices Books). The book looks at the four important China-related stories…
Japan Guides and Guidebooks 1891 to 2019
Amy muses on the death of guidebooks due to the internet and reminisces about some oldies but goodies on Japan, from John Murray's Handbook for Travellers in Japan (1891) to more recent guidebooks…
Simon Winchester’s Biography of Joseph Needham (with Tim McGirk)
The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester (with Tim McGirk)John Ross talks with Tim McGirk about Simon Winchester’s masterpiece, The Man Who Loved China. That man was Joseph Needham, an eccentric…
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Books on Asia has published 84 episodes since January 2021, covering topics in Arts, Books.
Books on Asia is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 32m.
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