Kobo Abe (author of Woman in the Dunes) and Hiroshi Teshigahara (director) partnered heavily on three films. It wasn't as if a director decided to adapt a book. They were a team and made three films together. Amongst cinephiles, their work is highly regarded.

More info here: http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/607-the-spectral-landscape-of-teshigahara-abe-and-takemitsu

The Face of Another was also created by them. Watch it.