ABOUT

KRISTINE OHKUBO is a Los Angeles-based author and editor whose work emphasizes topics related to Japan and Japanese culture. While growing up in Chicago, she developed a deep love and appreciation for Japanese culture, people, and history. Her extensive travels in Japan have enabled her to gain insight into this fascinating country, which she shares with you through her books.

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Her first book, a travel guide to Japan, was published in 2016. In 2017, she released a historical study of the Pacific War written from the perspective of the Japanese people, both those who were living in Japan and in the United States, when the war broke out. Two years later, she supplemented her earlier releases with the story of an infamous twentieth century geisha, who was both a victim and an aggressor, struggling amidst a strict patriarchal culture and a rapidly changing social system. In 2019, she followed up her 2017 release, The Sun Will Rise Again, with a book titled Sakhalin. The work examines the far-reaching impact the island changing hands had on its inhabitants and resources, and culminates with the tragic events which took place in August 1945.

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Kristine’s most recent work is quite a departure from her previous releases. Still focusing on Japan’s history and culture, the series introduces readers to rakugo, Japan’s 400-year-old art of storytelling. Through a succession of biographical information, anecdotes, interviews, and rakugo scripts, the author explains why this traditional art form has endured for many years.

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As an author, Kristine believes that writing from other cultural perspectives encourages empathy and understanding, and at the same time it broadens our knowledge of the events that have unfolded over the years.

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Official author's webpage:  Kristine Ohkubo