A book some may find interesting is "The Tokaido Road", by Lucia St. Clair Robson (1991). Written by a woman, with the main character as a woman, it gives a different spin on life in the Shogunate. (I simply do not know enough to comment on historical accuracy.) The main character is supposed to be the daughter of "Lord Asano" of "47 Ronin" fame. I have a hardback, but paperbacks also exist and I see that Amazon has several listed in the out-of-print area. I found it to be a good read, and others here may also enjoy it.
