[Ellandrae]

If you're really interested in Japanese history and/or society, I would pick up The Making of Modern Japan by Kenneth B. Pyle, it starts all the way back from the Warring States Period (1467) and although it is definitely condensed at 280 pages, there is a lot of good information packed into it. I'd also recommend Chie Nakane's Japanese Society, a professor of mine once described it as a "must read" for anyone interested in Japan, and I have to agree.