My Ghanaian Colleague Asked Me Tonight, What Is the One Book about Japan that I Should Read? Here’s My Answer, BWI

Hands down, it’s Fūshi Kaden. You are lucky, because a translation came out last year. Available here.

And if that doesn’t inspire you, find the 31-syllable poetry of Ōtomo no Yakamochi.

Finally, the short story written by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa about Satan in Japan. If you don’t get it, well, that’s the point of the story.