I really like history, and I think it's important to understand the history and culture of a country if you're interested in learning their language (and planning on spending a significant amount of time there). I'm not looking for a textbook, but something more along the lines of "The Fate of Africa" (post-WWII Africa) or "Hawai'i" by James Michener. I'd like something comprehensive, and fairly in-depth, so if you can recommend two books that span, say, ancient to medieval, and then medieval to modern, that's fine too.

So, do you want historical novels (like the Michener)? If so, something like Clavell's "Shogun" would be a good introduction to the Sengoku--Tokugawa period. Also, there's nothing like reading fiction by actual contemporaries of the era, like "Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikibu, for a look into the Heian period as it was lived by the elite of the time.

If you want something more factual, there are a number of good histories (not textbooks) around. My favorite is James Toland's "The Rising Sun" dealing with World War II, and "Hirohito" by Herbert Bix, one of the best biographies ever. There are plenty of general histories of Japan that you could take a look at, as well. Others may suggest a few of those.

Good reading.

Thanks! I've actually read Genji Monogatari...I guess "Hawai'i" is more of a historical novel, but "The Fate of Africa" is just a history of (most of) the African nations after 1950. I was looking for somethign more like that.

Two books that I enjoyed very much are,

The Rising Sun by John Toland, a great look at WWII through the Japanese perspective but written by an American.

Inventing Japan by Ian Buruma, a look at how Japanese identity is invented and changed through history

Also, Samurai William (forgotten the author ) is very fun and interesting. this is the story of an English samurai at the start of the Edo period