If you are interested in the book, please do ask your library to order a copy, and I also have a code for 30% off from UC Press if you are based in North America!

I’m also excited to be talking about the book with Tessa Morris-Suzuki at an MJHA event in May, chaired by Joseph Seeley. There will be other events, but I’m on leave in Japan this yr and trying to make the most of the freedom to finish up 1 project and start work on another 8/

I’ll be talking about the book at AAS in Vancouver in March 2026, on a panel chaired by Laura Hein, with other wonderful historians of East Asia, Sakura Christmas, Holly Stephens, and Kristin Roebuck, whose new books I can’t wait to read. 7/

Right now I’m happy to look at the beautiful cover - and many thanks must go to Busan Museum of Art and the family of Yang Dalsuk for allowing me to use his incredible watercolor of wartime shantytowns - p’anjach’on - from 1950. 6/

It’s a weird feeling looking at the sentences and paragraphs and chapters of something you know so well, transformed into an actual book - I’m not sure I’m used to it yet, and as a Virgo, I’m afraid to read too much in case I find typos… 5/

These projects really aren’t possible without support from institutions, peers, colleagues, friends and family, and I’m very aware of the privilege of being able to spend time working on this project as academia, and the humanities in particular, are so under attack. 4/

So, like any academic book, this has been a long time coming, and along the way there have been so many people who have helped make it possible. While I’ve tried to thank everyone in the acknowledgements, let me issue a blanket thank you here! 3/

The seeds for the project were planted nearly 20 years ago now when I was assigned a position as an English teacher in Kurume, Fukuoka. The project grew through time at SOAS, Kyudai, Harvard, a blissful JRF at Trinity, and through the first four years of my current position. 2/

Truly - like some kind of black hole every journalistic discussion of Japan & nature is sucked into

Thank you!!!! I need to start my own 自己PRキャンペーン