This is a partial list of the various books I found useful as I prepared to visit Japan as a participant in the FMF (Fulbright Memorial Fund) program in November 1999.
Trying to understand Japanese culture
Non Fiction:
Davidson, Cathy, 36 Views of Mt. Fuji 1993
Feiler, Bruce S. Learning to Bow. An American Teacher in a Japanese School 1991
George, Donald Ed.,Traveler's tales: JapanTravelers' Tales Guides Japan
Japan Travel Bureau, Illustrated "A Look into Japan" Book 1.
Matsumoto, Michihiro The Unspoken Way Haragei: Silence in Japanese Business and
Society
Reynolds, Betty, Clueless in Tokyo: An Explorer's Sketchbook of Weird and wonderful Things in Japan. 1998
SPICE (Stanford Program on International and Cross-cultural Education) The Modernization of Japan: Continuity
and Change, 1990
Various titles on Wood Block Printing.
Fiction:
Golden, Arthur, Memoirs of a Geisha, 1997
Jennings, William Dale The Ronin: A Novel based on a Zen Myth
Kawabata, Yasunari, Thousand Cranes, translated by E.G. Seidenstricker
Ozeki, Ruth L., My Year of Meats, Penguin Books 1999
Shikibu, Murasaki, The Tale of Genji, 1990 Seidensticker, Edward G. Translator
Yoshimoto, Banana, Kitchen, Trans. Megan Backus, 1993
Language:
Barron's Japanese at a Glance: Books and tape.
Japanese Travelmate Phrase book, 1991
Kai, Miwa, Say It In Japanese, Dover 1983
CD Living Language Multimedia, Random House/Syracuse Language Systems JAPAN.
Travel Guides:
McQueen, Ian L,Japan a Travel Survival Kit , Lonely Planet 1989
Reiber, Ruth Frommer's Walking Tours: Tokyo 1995
Traveling as an Attitude:
Brussat, Frederic and Mary Ann Spiritual Literacy Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life 1996
Cousineau, Phil The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred, 1998
Kabat-Zinn Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life 1994