Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Bending Adversity

A look at Japan's recent developments in Asia and the World

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Bending Adversity launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   A Geek in Japan▲87

   Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea

   2015 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   In Praise of Shadows▲68

   A delightful essay on the ethos of Japanese aesthetics

   2016 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   The Japanese Lover▲66

   Two survivors of separation and loss

   2015 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up▲71

   The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

   2015 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Naoto Fukasawa▲72

   Fukosawa's innovative design approach

   2016 · its alternatives →

6. 6
   1Q84▲65

   The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo

   2015 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Ametora▲69

   How Japan saved American style

   2016 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Black Swan▲80

   The impact of the highly improbable

   2015 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Making Ideas Happen▲75

   Overcoming the obstacles between vision and reality

   2015 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Sapiens▲185

    A brief history of humankind

    2015 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Look to Windward▲70

    After war, the future still faces major turmoil

    2016 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Resilience ▲55

    Why things bounce back

    2015 · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Seascapes▲56

    Hiroshi Sugimoto's 30 years photographing the world's seas

    2015 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    The Birth of Korean Cool▲70

    South Korea's rise from a war-torn nation to a tech giant.

    2015 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Dark Matter of the Mind▲67

    The Culturally Articulated Unconscious

    2017 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window ▲65

    A runaway bestseller in Japan about a girl who finds herself

    2015 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Life at Sea▲62

    Observations of a Modern Mariner

    2015 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Youngblood▲71

    The moral complexity of war & its psychological toll

    2016 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Little Rice▲61

    Smartphones, Xiaomi, and the Chinese Dream

    2015 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Critical Path▲60

    how humanity found itself in its current situation

    2015 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Breaking Busy▲64

    How to find peace and purpose in a world of crazy

    2016 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    The Utopia Experiment▲103

    An attempt to live life as if global society collapsed

    2015 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    The Way the World Works▲61

    What troubles us, what brings us joy?

    2016 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Whither the World: The Political Economy of the Future▲54

    What's the future?

    2015 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →