Japan Before Perry: A Short History

This book covers the history of Japan in an enthusiastic way from its early histories with the Joman dolls up to the blackships of commodore Perry. I first read this in my Japanese history course, we were required to read parts of the book as a backbone for the lectures, but soon i found that I was reading the entire book. It's actually quite a easy read and Japan's history is quite refreshing for someone who's been embraced in european histories all his life. Chapters about the Heian and warring states period (in the 16th century) are the most interesting and helpful.