I know it's a very large time area, but I'm greatly interested in a few books to read about the region.
Specifically, I'm interested in:
Something in depth enough that can teach me more than a general history textbook of the region/wikipedia, but not too detailed as to warrant a tens of thousands of pages.
Very specific, I suppose. Sorry if it's inappropriate.
I'd urge you to check out the book list that's featured in the sidebar, especially the East Asia category. Hope you find what you're looking for there!