This is an official catalogue of the Japan pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s 12th International Architecture Exhibition held from August, 2010. Metabolism in architecture is a manifesto regarding architecture and the city emerged from Japan to exert a worldwide influence. Its vision for a future city is characterized by large scale, flexible, and expandable structures that transform the city into a living organism. The book provides deep insight into the urban cities and introduces new types of housing works represented by the authors.

The Japan Foundation has been conducting surveys on philanthropic activities of Japanese companies in nine foreign countries, and has published the survey results in order to contribute to the promotion of information sharing among Japanese companies and to a deeper understanding of Japanese companies’ philanthropic activities. The report of the survey conducted in the United States in 2008 and 2009 shows the current philanthropic activities in the States with some case studies, and the consideration of the results of the survey.

The author focuses on the Japanese drama in the first three decades of the twentieth-century, a golden age of the modern Japanese drama. Examining the development of the modern drama as a reaction to both traditional Japanese drama and the European dramaturgy, the book offers translation of nine representative one-act plays of the time.

This is a set of 5 DVDs which introduces the major cultural heritages in Japan. In addition to “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in Kii Mountain Range” that has already been in our collection, the Library newly acquired the followings: “Himeji Castle & Itsukushima Shrine”, “Kyoto & Nara”, “The Shrines and Temples of Nikko & Shurijo Castle” and “The Gassho-zukuri Villages & Hiroshima Peace Memorial Monuments”. Each beautifully presents nature and traditional architecture in Japan.