In this episode of the Books on Asia Podcast, sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, podcast host Amy Chavez talks with novelist David Joiner about his new novel that takes place in Kanazawa, a city in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture.

The novel introduces the city of Kanazawa, its connection to the famous Japanese literary master Izumi Kyōka, and provides the setting for a story that revolves around an American married to a Japanese, and the Japanese family’s dynamics. Highlighted are some of the differences between traditional and modern Japan and the foreigner’s place in it.

At the end of the podcast, Amy asks Joiner what his 3 favorite books on Japan are and he elaborates on his choices:

Sound of the Mountain and Snow Country, both by Yasunari Kawabata.
Dawn to the West by Donald Keene
The Roads to Sata, by Alan Booth

Read a review of David Joiner’s novel Kanazawa by Tina DeBellegarde on the Books on Asia site.

The Books on Asia Podcast is sponsored by Stone Bridge Press. Check out their books on Japan at the publisher’s website. Amy Chavez, podcast host, is author of Amy’s Guide to Best Behavior in Japan and the upcoming The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island (May, 2022). Don’t miss out on upcoming episodes with authors and translators on Asia by subscribing to the Books on Asia podcast.