Reddit reviews A History of Japan to 1334

http://www.amazon.com/History-Japan-1334-George-Sansom/dp/0804705232

I just got this series for Christmas and it seems awesome, about 20 pages in so far :D it's an older book, but still relevant.

not a movie, but Sansom's 'A History of Japan' is an epic read:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/History-Japan-1334-George-Sansom/dp/0804705232

I, too, was looking for some really good Japanese history books and in my searches I found that these are among the best: A History of Japan, by George Sansom.

They start with pre-history and go up to 1867. Sansom's stated reason for not continuing his history beyond this year is that he had lived too close to events of the Meiji Restoration (1868) for him to develop a perspective that only distance could supply. For later events, The Making of Modern Japan (Amazon), by Marius B. Jansen, another outstanding scholar of Japanese history, would be a good choice. Since this history begins at 1600, there are overlapping accounts of the Edo period, but from two quite different perspectives.

An alternative presented by t-o-k-u-m-e-i:
>The best overview text in terms of presentation and interpretation for 1600 to the present is Gordon's A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present.

>The Jansen book is also good, but I (and most of the profs I know) feel that Gordon's interpretation is better

In short, this set is a good buy and is likely to remain a standard text for decades to come.

I've only just recently started reading the first book of the series and I find it very insightful. It starts by describing the geography of Japan and how that shaped and molded the early Japanese and their sensibilities.

Amazon Links:
A History of Japan to 1334
A History of Japan, 1334-1615
A History of Japan, 1615-1867

Google Books Previews:
A History of Japan to 1334
A History of Japan, 1334-1615
A History of Japan, 1615-1867

Author:
Sir George Bailey Sansom

Edit:
The author also has a shorter book published earlier which focuses primarily on culture.
Amazon - Japan: A Short Cultural History
Google Books - Japan: A Short Cultural History

Edit2:
Added an alternative suggestion for the history from 1800 onward given by t-o-k-u-m-e-i.

https://www.amazon.com/History-Japan-1334-George-Sansom/dp/0804705232/ref=pd_sbs_14_1/137-8611162-1472152?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0804705232&pd_rd_r=a7929a4c-f856-40c4-b5eb-bd7779737dab&pd_rd_w=R7wpE&pd_rd_wg=oMKHf&pf_rd_p=d66372fe-68a6-48a3-90ec-41d7f64212be&pf_rd_r=E33R66RAKQZG9S5V7MEQ&psc=1&refRID=E33R66RAKQZG9S5V7MEQ

This series of three books covers a lot of ground: http://www.amazon.com/History-Japan-1334-George-Sansom/dp/0804705232/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1406789459&sr=8-4&keywords=history+of+japan