In Tokyo Friends, by old Japan hand Betty Reynolds, two little girls explore the city together, taking young readers along; it’s a great introduction to Japanese culture and language. Reynolds’ Japanese Celebrations: Cherry Blossoms, Lanterns, and Stars! follows up with a tour through a year of traditional Japanese holidays. I Live in Tokyo by Mari Takabayashi zooms in closer, with a month-by-month survey of special events, including some tradtional foods of the day or season. Takabayashi also introduces some Japanese written characters and explains how pictograms evolved, so her book is a good follow-up to both of Betty Reynolds’ books.

Colors of Japan by Holly Littlefield (Helen Byers, illustrator) introduces iconic images of Japan (like the red of the flag) and provides the Japanese word for each color in phonetic spelling, Romanized letters, and kanji. Japan (A-Z) by Jeff Reynolds orients middle school children to the animals of Japan with great photographs and illustrations. Kids Around the World: We Live in Japan by Alexander Messager and Sophie Duffet introduces young children to Japan through three Japanese kids from different parts of the country. Japan for Kids: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Their Children by Diane Wiltshire and Jean Huey provides the kind of reassuring basic information that will soften at least a few harrowing moments of culture shock for travelers and new residents alike.

In The Way We Do It in Japan by Geneva Cobb Iijima, a bicultural boy leaves San Francisco for a year in his father’s native Japan. Through Gregory’s eyes, young readers get a survey of some major cultural differences between the two countries–even if few Japanese kids these days actually life as the kids in the book do!

Florence Sakade’s Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories gives middle schoolers some beloved traditional tales from the land of Wa, a very good way to intuit the culture directly rather than conceptually.

Finally, for those in for the long haul, the Asia Society’s Japan book list and background material for teachers will give parents a solid foundation for their upcoming family adventures.