Kaito Akihiko wanted to be a normal, everyday kid. Due to a rough past, his father, Yuujiro, wanted to steer Kaito down a path much different than his own. Thinking that he was doing what he felt was best for his son, plunged Kaito into what he described as an academic prison. Loneliness and depression soon followed until Kaito had reached a breaking point. He desired friends and happiness above anything else; however, could he truly find it in his hometown of Karuizawa, Japan? This is his story.

Amber Ryann was different than most children her age. Born with a melanocyte defect, Amber suffered from pale skin and pure white hair. This made her a target for bullying as well as an object of neglect from her very own parents. Needless to say, Amber had it rough growing up. Still, through all of the torment she endured, Amber pressed on with her life; however, all of those experiences would have an adverse effect on her, leaving her with severe social anxiety, the inability to trust people, and a very unique way of speaking. The only thing that could comfort Amber was the online battle game Blaze Auras. Before Amber became the #1 ranked player in that game, she had a long and arduous journey to get there. This is her story.

The world is constantly changing as it is forever in its nature to do so. Like the world, everyone’s lives undergo a change at one point or another. A series of events transpire that looks to do just that for Amber, Kaito, Lynn, Jessi, Rebekah, and Sebastian. All they can do is embrace the change and face it head-on.

Ichiro Hori's is the first book in Western literature to portray how Shinto, Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist elements, as well as all manner of archaic magical beliefs and practices, are fused on the folk level. Folk religion, transmitted by the common people from generation to generation, has greatly conditioned the political, economic, and cultural development of Japan and continues to satisfy the emotional and religious needs of the people. Hori examines the organic relationship between the Japanese social structure—the family kinship system, village and community organizations—and folk religion. A glossary with Japanese characters is included in the index.

A dictionary with words and drawings on each page which will help you learn Japanese.

Article From American Anthropologist V61, No. 3, June, 1959.

“We have performed side-by-side on the global stage through half a century…. In Lightning Striking, Lenny Kaye has illuminated ten facets of the jewel called rock and roll from a uniquely personal and knowledgeable perspective.” –Patti Smith An insider’s take on the evolution and enduring legacy of the music that rocked the twentieth century Memphis 1954. New Orleans 1957. Philadelphia 1959. Liverpool 1962. San Francisco 1967. Detroit 1969. New York, 1975. London 1977. Los Angeles 1984 / Norway 1993. Seattle 1991. Rock and roll was birthed in basements and garages, radio stations and dance halls, in cities where unexpected gatherings of artists and audience changed and charged the way music is heard and celebrated, capturing lightning in a bottle. Musician and writer Lenny Kaye explores ten crossroads of time and place that define rock and roll, its unforgettable flashpoints, characters, and visionaries; how each generation came to be; how it was discovered by the world. Whether describing Elvis Presley’s Memphis, the Beatles’ Liverpool, Patti Smith’s New York, or Kurt Cobain’s Seattle, Lightning Striking reveals the communal energy that creates a scene, a guided tour inside style and performance, to see who’s on stage, along with the movers and shakers, the hustlers and hangers-on--and why everybody is listening. Grandly sweeping and minutely detailed, informed by Kaye’s acclaimed knowledge and experience as a working musician, Lightning Striking is an ear-opening insight into our shared musical and cultural history, a magic carpet ride of rock and roll’s most influential movements and moments.