Cooperative Collection Development -- CCD: Japanese Culture & Manga

National Geographic requests the pleasure of your company on a journey to the faraway island notion of "Nippon." Japan's name means "origin of the sun" (often translated as Land of the Rising Sun)-a term born of Japan's location to the east of the ancient empires to China. Take a trip through history to discover the influence that the Chinese exerted on their island neighbours throughout antiquity. Enjoy the scenic island landscape, richly celebrated in Japanese art and literature. Scale the heights and get to know the hilly topography--mountains cover over 75 percent of Japan's landscape. Visit the National Parks that now preserve the country's treasured natural heritage. Meet Japan's industrious people, mainly plains and lowland dwellers. Visit the teeming cities on the river deltas and coastlines, which are among the most populous places on the planet. Follow the remarkable rise of Japan's modern economy, based mainly on the manufacture of high-quality, high-tech consumer goods. Learn how exports to the world's largest markets--including the United States--have made Japan a global economic power; and how the country's average income levels and standards of living are now among the highest in the world. Experience this ethnically homogenous culture, with its unique language and alphabet, and observe the rites and rituals of its two main faiths--Buddhism and Shinto, a religion which originated in Japan.

Traveling to Japan has never been so much fun--visit the land of anime, manga, cosplay, hot springs and sushi! This graphic Japan travel guide is the first of its kind exploring Japanese culture from a cartoonist's perspective.Cool Japan Guide takes you on a fun tour from the high-energy urban streets of Tokyo to the peaceful Zen gardens and Shinto shrines of Kyoto and introduces you to: the exciting world of Japanese food--from bento to sushi and everything in between. theotaku (geek) culture of Japan, including a manga market in Tokyo where artists display and sell their original artwork. the complete Japanese shopping experience, fromcombini (not your run-of-the-mill convenience stores!) todepato (department stores with everything). the world's biggest manga, anime and cosplay festivals. lots of other exciting places to go and things to do--like zen gardens, traditional Japanese arts, and a ride on a Japanese bullet train. Whether you're ready to hop a plane and travel to Japan tomorrow, or interested in Japanese culture, this fun and colorful travelogue by noted comic book artist and food blogger Abby Denson, husband Matt, friend Yuuko, and sidekick, Kitty Sweet Tooth, will present Japan in a unique and fascinating way.

Pre-order from AmazonPre-order from Your Local, Independent Bookstore via IndieboundOh, boy-obento! These cute, yummy, healthy lunches are all the rage in Japan, where mothers think of them as an expression of love for their children. Yum-Yum Bento Box is one of the first cookbooks in English devoted to these healthy and adorable meals-they're fresh, they're tasty, and they're almost too cute to eat!Each step-by-step recipe in Yum-Yum Bento Box is simple and adaptable. Readers will learn how to form their favorite foods into a variety of shapes-from zebras, panda bears, and monkeys to kitties, piggies, and puppy dogs. Chapters include instructions for classic bento boxes and character-driven bentos (called Kyaraben), plus shopping advice, general tips and tricks, and much more. Stop wasting money on prepackaged lunches-and start making beautiful, healthy bentos!

The ultimate guide to creating chibis! They populate manga with chunky bodies, oversized heads, and huge expressive eyes. They're schoolgirls and schoolboys, magical girls and mad scientists, fairies and fighter princesses, cyborgs and sci-fi secret agents, bikers and bad samurais, robots and rebel leaders. They've even got chubby pets and zany monster sidekicks! They're chibis! Excruciatingly cute, highly stylized, and beloved in all manga genres (fantasy, magical girls, shounen, anthro, sci-fi-, and more), without them, manga would barely exist. And now you can learn, step by step, how to draw virtually every chibi out there, how to "chibify" ordinary manga characters-and how to invent your very own designs! Covering facial expressions, those iconic manga eyes, costumes, character interaction, and story settings, Manga for the Beginner Chibishas it all.

I wish we had never met. I wish we could meet once more.' Years ago, Shoya Ishida led his peers in tormenting a hearing-impaired classmate, Shoko Nishimiya. When she transfers schools, Shoya finds he has gone from bully to bullied, and is left completely alone. Now Shoya struggles to redeem himself in Shoko's eyes and to face the classmates who turned on him. He learns sign language to apologise to Shoko for his behaviour, and so begins a relationship that will change his and Shoko's lives forever.'

A story of two people determined to hold on to one another. Mitsuha, a high school girl from a town deep in the mountains, dreams of an unfamiliar life in Tokyo. Taki, a high school boy from Tokyo, dreams that he is a girl living in the mountains. As the two begin swapping lives, a miraculous story is set in motion.

After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, plucky high schooler Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out...into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan, and it isn't long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Sohmas have a secret of their own--when touched by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac! A perennial favorite of fans and librarians alike, Natsuki Takaya's beloved bestselling Fruits Basket series returns to print in gorgeous deluxe English-language omnibus editions with beautiful full-color illustrations that are not to be missed!

A new manga from the creator of the acclaimed A Silent Voice (Kodansha Comics), featuring intimate, emotional drama and an epic story spanning time and space. A lonely boy wandering the Arctic regions of North America meets a wolf, and the two become fast friends, depending on each other to survive the harsh environment. But the boy has a history, and the wolf is more than meets the eye as well To Your Eternity is a totally unique and moving manga about death, life, reincarnation, and the nature of love.