Recommendations.
Japanese tie-in
Tales of the Otori trilogy by Lian Hearn
Ninja, Hidden Christians, Pirates, Monks, Samurai. What's not to like?
http://www.lianhearn.com/
Cloud of Sparrows and Autumn Bridge by Takashi Matsuoka
More "realistic" and set in the Meiji period/ pre-Meiji period but the plot is centred around the clans ability to see the future. It's an easy read.
I've always liked the comic fantasy of Terry Pratchett
The witches are probably my favourite characters. Equal Rites, Lords and Ladies.
And the Wee Free Men
Prachett enjoys what he does and it shows in his books. He likes words and ideas. You can tell he's read fantasy and probably played RPG's in his time.
It's an old magical principle -- it's even filtered down into RPG systems -- that magic,
while taking a lot of effort, can be 'stored' -- in a staff, for example. No doubt a wizard
spends a little time each day charging up his staff, although you go blind if you do it too
much, of course.
-- (Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett)
http://www.lspace.org/
and Tom Holt.
When fantasy intrudes on the work-a-day world.
http://www.tom-holt.co.uk/