arts
Hosted by Amy Chavez, John Ross · arts · EN · 97 episodes
Books on Asia is your guide to finding quality books on Japan and Asia, including travel, literature, current events, and culture. Explore Asia in-depth. Hosted by Amy Chavez.
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
34%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchBooks on Asia is your guide to finding quality books on Japan and Asia, including travel, literature, current events, and culture. Explore Asia in-depth. Hosted by Amy Chavez.
Books on Asia is hosted by Amy Chavez, John Ross. The show has published 97 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Yamagata 1: Samurai, Beef and Basho" (12 October 2026, 34 minutes), "Japan by Charinko: Tom Gibb's 2,500-Km Ride" (28 September 2026, 35 minutes), and "Japanese museums, treasure halls and Nara e-hon" (21 September 2026, 29 minutes).
Books on Asia publishes roughly weekly, with episodes averaging 31 minutes across 97 episodes.
Booking probability for Books on Asia is 34%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Books on Asia requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Books on Asia's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for Books on Asia are Artists, Writers & Performers. Books on Asia has an arts audience.
Amy Chavez, John Ross hosts Books on Asia, an arts show with 97 episodes published.
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Episode #97
This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on Yamagata Prefecture, as part of our Travel & Books focus. In this episode, we discuss Michael Booth’s Sushi and Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking , (also known as Super...
Episode #96
Japan by Charinko: Tom Gibb’s 2,500-Kilometer Ride John Ross chats with Tom Gibb about his cycling adventures in Japan, the subject of his newly released Charinko . In the summer of 2005, Tom set off to see Japan...
Episode #95
Amy and John talk about recent travels in Japan including great museums, treasure halls full of ancient art and manuscripts, and travel by ferry vs. shinkansen. (Don't miss the Paseo ferry if you're traveling between...
Episode #94
Alternative title: Lonely Planet arc—from pre-internet days to Instagram + a new Japanese etiquette tip + a couple more guidebook options Amy opens the show with her recent experience as a tour guide in the Seto Inland...
Episode #93
Adachi Masao (born 1939) has lived one of the most extraordinary lives in Japanese cinema. He has made experimental films, worked with leading figures of the Japanese New Wave, and spent decades in Lebabon alongside the...
Episode #92
Stephen’s childhood in Bendigo, Australia, gave him early exposure to Chinese culture and food. Nineteenth-century gold rushes brought numerous Cantonese workers to the town, and their cuisine has long since become part...
Episode #91
For Tyrel Eskelson, a Canadian academic living in Hokkaido, curiosity about Taiwan-related news stories turned into something of an obsession; there were months of travel, hundreds of conversations, and a book...
Episode #90
Today 31 US bases sit on a landmass smaller than Rhode Island, and Okinawans remain Japan's poorest people. Why is this? And what is the US military presence actually doing there? In his new book Why Are We in Okinawa...
Episode #90
Old Lhasa – A Biography of a Sacred City Michael Aldrich joins John Ross to discuss Old Lhasa: A Biography, his richly detailed portrait of Tibet’s historic capital. It’s the third book in his trilogy on Asian cultural...
Episode #89
China’s Golden Age on the Western Bookshelf China may seem like a big story today, but its presence on Western bookshelves was even greater during the 1930s. Books about China not only appeared on bestseller lists but...
Episode #88
Amy breaks down Japan's most prestigious literary prizes — starting with the twin titans of the Japanese book world, the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes, both announced twice a year, every January and July, on the very same...
Episode #87
John Ross chats with Eryk, his Formosa Files co-host, about the International Booker Prize-winning novel Taiwan Travelogue . Set in colonial Taiwan in 1938, the story is told by narrator Aoyama Chizuko, a young Japanese...
Episode #86
Episode Notes Today we're talking with Tina deBellegarde about short stories: What makes a good short story, and why certain short story writers are so appealing. Tina has been nominated for the Agatha Award for Best...
Episode #84
<p>Whistling Arrows and Heavenly Horses: The Han-Xiongnu War</p> <p>John Ross speaks with Scott Forbes Crawford about his book The Han-Xiongnu War, 133 BC–89 AD. For more than two centuries, Han China fought a bitter...
Episode #83
<p>Amy Chavez talks to Don Weiss, currently mid-way through the Shikoku Pilgrimage — Japan's 1,300 km Buddhist route that has been walked for almost as many years. Pilgrims share their journey with Kobo Daishi, patron...
Episode #82
<p>Sima Qian – China’s Grand Historian (with Tim McGirk)</p> <p>John Ross chats with repeat guest Tim McGirk about Sima Qian (c. 145–86 BC), the Father of Chinese History. He earned this accolade for his monumental...
Episode #81
<p>M. G. Sheftall has lived in Japan since 1987. He has a PhD in international relations and modern Japanese history from Waseda University in Tokyo. Since 2001, he has been a professor of modern Japanese cultural...
Episode #80
<p>Sightseeing Japan</p> <p>John Ross is joined by Jason Nieling and Paul Bresin of the Sightseeing Japan Podcast, which started back in 2019 and now has over 160 detailed but fun episodes. The two Japanophiles discuss...
Episode #79
<p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Simon Elegant’s City on Fire: A Novel of Hong Kong <br> John chats with writer and journalist Simon Elegant about his third novel, a crime thriller set during the Hong Kong protests of 2019. City on...
Episode #78
<h2> </h2> <p>Amy Chavez talks with Jane Lawson about her book Secret Japan: An Insider's Guide to Deeper Travel in the World's Most Fascinating Country (Simon & Schuster, 2026).</p> <p>Jane encourages people to get off...
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