Can I have some recommendation on books about Japanese history? I'd like for it to be in depth going back to furthest reaches and all the way to modern times, multiples books if necessary to span the whole history. I'd also prefer not to be beyond my scope of understanding being as I'm not Japanese, in other words I don't want to read some assuming I have a solid understanding of Japanese history and customs.
Unfortunately, I can't really give any solid recommendations for surveys of anything prior to the beginning of Tokugawa in the 17th century. But here are my 'must reads' for secondary sources on everything since 1600, in chronological order.
Marius B. Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000)
This starts at about 1600 and is pretty much THE definitive survey of 'Modern Japan'. This would likely be on your reading list for a university level survey of modern Japanese history.
James L. Huffman, A Yankee in Meiji Japan: The Crusading Journalist Edward H. House (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003)
Anything you can find by Huffman is going to be great. He's accessible, thorough, and impeccably sourced (and a genuinely wonderful human being--if you've got questions about his work, contact him and he'll likely respond, though he's retired so it might take a while). This book takes up with an American journalist who moved to early Meiji Japan, and it does a fantastic job of intertwining his story with the wider context of cultural upheaval during Meiji.
Saburō Ienaga, The Pacific War, 1931-1945: A Critical Perspective on Japan’s Role in World War II (New York: Pantheon Books, 1978)
This book doesn't give a whole lot of detail about the (probably obvious) military aspects of Japan's war in the Pacific, but it does a great job of showing how everyday Japanese people experienced this period of war.
John W. Dower, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1999)
Like the Jansen book, this is essential reading for understanding Japan's twentieth century. It won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction.
Norma Field, In the Realm of a Dying Emperor: Japan at Century's End (New York: Vintage Books, 1993)
This book 'does history' differently from the others I've suggested. It's very personal, very invested in oral history. This book examines the death of the Shōwa Emperor (Hirohito) in 1989 and the nation's process of dealing with his death. It looks at the fractures in the façade of universal mourning and gives powerful images of dissent within what is frequently portrayed as a monolithic, impersonal culture.
I hope these secondary sources at least get you started. If you're interested in primary sources, let me know. I've got some fun starting points, but my primary sources aren't nearly as comprehensive as what I've listed here.
Back when I was an undergrad, we had George Sansom's three volume work, which was old even 10 years ago. Marius Jansen's new (at the time) Making of Modern Japan was also taught, and I see it's on the Ask Historians booklist so it's probably a safe bet.
You may want to ask around to see if Sansom is still considered passable or if it has been replaced with a more modern general work.
That's a pretty broad question. Is there a specific time period or theme you want to know more about? Otherwise, you should just start with any basic textbook, then come back with more specific questions.