The Myōtei Dialogues is the first complete English translation one of the most important works of early Japanese Christianity. Fukansai Habian’s Myōtei mondō (1605) presents a sharp critique of the three main Japanese traditions, Buddhism, Shintō, and Confucianism, followed by an explanation of the main tenets of Christianity specifically aimed at a Japanese audience. Written by a convert, it is of importance not merely because it shows us how the Christian message was presented by a Japanese to other Japanese, but also for what it reveals about the state of the three native traditions at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

What we today call Shinto has been at the heart of Japanese culture for almost as long as there has been a political entity distinguishing itself as Japan. A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine describes the ritual cycle at Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki’s major Shinto shrine. Conversations with priests, other shrine personnel, and people attending shrine functions supplement John K. Nelson’s observations of over fifty shrine rituals and festivals. He elicits their views on the meaning and personal relevance of the religious events and the place of Shinto and Suwa Shrine in Japanese society, culture, and politics. Nelson focuses on the very human side of an ancient institution and provides a detailed look at beliefs and practices that, although grounded in natural cycles, are nonetheless meaningful in late-twentieth-century Japanese society. Nelson explains the history of Suwa Shrine, basic Shinto concepts, and the Shinto worldview, including a discussion of the Kami, supernatural forces that pervade the universe. He explores the meaning of ritual in Japanese culture and society and examines the symbols, gestures, dances, and meanings of a typical shrine ceremony. He then describes the cycle of activities at the shrine during a calendar year: the seasonal rituals and festivals and the petitionary, propitiary, and rite-of-passage ceremonies performed for individuals and specific groups. Among them are the Dolls’ Day festival, in which young women participate in a procession and worship service wearing Heian period costumes; the autumn Okunchi festival, which attracts participants from all over Japan and even brings emigrants home for a visit; the ritual invoking the blessing of the Kami for young children; and the ritual sanctifying the earth before a building is constructed. The author also describes the many roles women play in Shinto and includes an interview with a female priest. Shinto has always been attentive to the protection of communities from unpredictable human and divine forces and has imbued its ritual practices with techniques and strategies to aid human life. By observing the Nagasaki shrine’s traditions and rituals, the people who make it work, and their interactions with the community at large, the author shows that cosmologies from the past are still very much a part of the cultural codes utilized by the nation and its people to meet the challenges of today.

Welcome to a sisterhood that seems perfect but, with discernment, becomes filled with unnoticed flaws and imperfections ... Dawn, Tabitha, Kami, Rebecca, and Allison have been lifelong friends despite their differences. Dawn is a realtor with no children and a shaky relationship. Tabitha is a recently divorced nurse and mother. Kami works with her husband at a law firm while raising their kids. Allison is an editor, mother, and pastor’s wife. Rebecca is a nurse and mother married to her college sweetheart. Bonded like sisters, these five women have spent most of their lives together. However, even within the bounds of this unbreakable friendship, dark secrets abound. Arguably, untold stories are not actual secrets but merely withheld information of personal thoughts and actions. When these stories are shared, though, a shocking domino effect occurs, changing lives and relationships. No one knows everything about anyone, and these best friends learn the hard way that twisted truths break hearts.

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When his family's yaks go missing, Kami, a young deaf Sherpa boy, sets off into the Himalaya Mountains alone to find them.

Can Katy forgive Joe's past behaviour to move towards a future together? Does love win over friendship? Joe made Katy’s best friend’s life hell when they were at High School, but even then, there was still something that always drew her to him. When they start seeing each other at a local café where they both go for lunch, and share a table to, ‘save space’, they get to know each other as adults, and they like what they see. When Joe asks Katy out for dinner, a date is set. One that neither of them ever saw coming. Especially given their past, but sometimes things happen for a reason. The draw to one another is electric and unrelenting .... unforgiving. When Joe explains his reason for giving her best friend so much grief, something even more shocking is revealed in the process. Can their relationships survive all the pain and grief that these revelations cause? Will love win in the end? The love between a man and a woman. The love between friends?

Reluctantly persuaded to investigate the disappearance of her boyfriend's ex-fiancee into a cult, licensed P.I. Elizabeth Chase goes undercover. But have her unique powers finally met their match?