Recently, I have read or I am reading some books about Japan:
Getting Wet -- Adventures in the Japanese Bath
by Eric Talmadge
Everything about the tradition and continued enjoyment of onsens in Japan!
The Tale of Murasaki: A Novel
by Liza Dalby
Ms. Dalby was the only westerner to become a geisha. She was a consultant for the movie, Memoirs of a Geisha. She has studied Japanese history extensively, so her novel is very interesting, especially if you have already read The Tale of Genji, an actual novel by Lady Murasaki, the first novel ever written by a woman of any country.
Shinjū
by Laura Joh Rowland
A mystery novel set in the Edo period. I guess there are a series of these. I just started the first one recently. So far, it's good.