Books Recommended by the Concierge Vol.19-21
All Shiba Park Hotel guests are welcome to use the Library Lounge on the first floor.
Omotenashi Concierges recommend books to you from Japanese and foreign books.
Please enjoy a moment to read books.
All Shiba Park Hotel guests are welcome to use the Library Lounge on the first floor.
Omotenashi Concierges recommend books to you from Japanese and foreign books.
Please enjoy a moment to read books.
Supervised by Sadasumi Motegi
Futami Shobo Publishing
There are various animal statues in many shrines in Japan. You may be able to guess what kind of animals are in the shrines that you are familiar with, for example guardian dogs (Komainu), lions (Shishi), foxes (Kitsune) and monkeys (Saru). Those animals that are believed to serve Gods are called to be priests (Shinshi). The animal statues are placed in the shrines because the Japanese gods do not appear in human life in the first place, and it is thought that animals related to God convey the will of Gods to people on their behalf. Because this book has illustrations and photographs, and the explanations are easy to understand, it may be easy to read even if you are not familiar with the shrines. There are many priests (animals) such as land creatures, waterside creatures, and sky creatures. Did you know that there are unique priests such as centipedes, octopuses, and crabs? As I read about how animals relate to the shrines, I made new discoveries, so I chose this book as my recommendation this time. I suggest you to visit a shrine in your neighborhood and you may find out what kind of creatures is a priest (Shinshi).
Haruki Murakami
Kodansha Ltd.
Haruki Murakami, who is a very famous novelist in the world. There are many long stories of his works. I felt his metaphorical expression and imagination are hard to understand and that is why I have not read his novel before. Although this is my first challenge to choose his novel as my recommended book this time. If I had selected his best seller “Norwegian Wood” or “1Q84” instead of “Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round”, I am sure I have not been able to finish reading all. So my choice is good for beginners who have not read his novels like me. As he says “I wrote this novel after I heard stories from people”, the combination of the truth and his style turned out to very interesting. Even I wonder if the stories are true or not, I understood the part of feelings of characters. The novel has eight short stories and it can be read rhythmically.
Edo Gaku Editorial dDepartment
MATES UNIVERSAL CONTENTS
We see the various patterns in our life. This book introduces the origin of the patters and it is interesting to know them. Some of them look like Japanese patterns but actually they are originated in other countries. It also looks like a just simple line but it has many wishes and meanings. As it is written in concise sentences, this book is easy to read. The patterns are drawn by Hiromi Chikai. Her works are vivid and colorful, so you can enjoy just looking at them. I recommend flipping through pages of book, and then find a favorite patterns and enjoy more with that comments.
