Perhaps you are already familiar with both of the titles I am going to suggest.

James Clavell's historical novel Shogun fascinated me. When I read it some twenty or more years ago, it got me thinking about a country about which I knew very little.

More recently people have had a similar reaction to Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

I enjoyed both novels thoroughly.

Rosefolly

I loved Memoirs of a Geisha. One of my favorites.

I don't think I have read too many books about Japan and its culture. I did read one last year though, called The Tea House Fire, by Ellis Avery. I so looked forward to reading this book that I requested B&N to hold one for me as soon as they got it (I hardly ever do that, especially for a modern book). It focused on the Japanese ritual of Tea Cerimony. Interesting, though the author did drag it out a little too long.
I loved the first part, found the first half enjoyable, but was frankly baffled by the last portion and some strange scenes.
CMK

The Gardens of Kyoto by Kate Walbert (fiction).

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd

Although I haven't gotten past the first 100 pages or so myself, you might try Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji, a story of the medieval japanese court which I believe was written in the 11th century and is considered to be the world's first novel. I have the Royall Tyler translation, which I found very readable, but the story is long and meandering.

Definitely read Geisha by Liza Dalby. She's an American anthropologist who studied the geisha culture and wrote her thesis about it. The book interweaves her experiences as an apprentice geisha with descriptions of their history and role in Japanese society. She also wrote Kimono, a history of that garment. It's more academic than Geisha, but well worth reading if you like fashion history.

Arthur Waley's translation of The Tale of Genji is beautiful--a work of fine English literature in its own right, and I have always preferred it. Still have the first copy I bought.

Japanese Inn takes you through a long period in the history of an inn along the ancient main highway, a little bit like what Michener did with many locales in the U.S. Even my mother loved it. Tuttle published this book and many others.

There are many translations of Japanese literature now. As a cat lover, I have always loved I Am a Cat by Natsume Soseki, one of the most famous Japanese novelists. It is a somewhat satirical book supposedly written by a stray cat taken in by a school teacher and was originally published serially in a newspaper. Others of Soseki's books tend to be rather too grim for my taste, but you might be interested in them.

I think The Makioka Sisters is interesting for its picture of the young women in a family earlier in the last century. This is by Junichiro Tanizaki.

My favorite modern Japanese writer, Morio Kita, has a very humorous style and I have enjoyed everything I have read of his. The House of Nire, and maybe others by him, are available in English translation.

twobigdogs, this thread started a while ago. You still interested?

If so: Ivan Morris The World of the Shining Prince;
The Nobility of Failure. The first is a book about the context in which The Tale of Genji was written, giving the history and culture of 11th C. Japan; the second follows the Japanese motif of the failed hero in history from the 8th to the 20th centuries.

Richard Sansom, Japan, a short cultural history. If you're feeling really adventurous, his three-volume history of Japan is about as detailed as anyone could want.

With the recent explosion of Japanese pop culture in America there are a bunch of specialized books on cinema, comic books, and modern cultural phenomena. A good look at modern Japanese social life is Alex Kerr's Dogs and Demons.

I just finished The Commoner by Schwartz. It's a fictionalized account of the marriage of the current Empress as a commoner into the Royal Family.

I liked it.

What about "Audrey Hepburn's Neck" by Alan Brown? More contemporary culture really, but interesting all the same.

I liked Cloud of Sparrows (& sequel Autumn Bridge) by Hawaiian writer Takashi Matsuoka. It's an adventure about American missionaries in 1860s Japan.

Yes! Thank you, I am still very interested and will add these titles to my list. I just found a neat coffee table book about samurai. Since I have very little knowledge, even the pictures teach me much!

Thank you for finding this thread and adding to it.
PAM

Anything by Gail Tsukiyama is worth reading, but in particular her newest..."The Street of a Thousand Blossoms"...is so rich with Japanese history and culture. I loved this book.