Like its companion volume, the encyclopedia covers important political topics, the arts, religion, business, literature, education, journalism, and other major social. Japanese culture arts modern literature and writers. The list of worldfamous japanese people grows longer every day. By connecting people and organizations, we aim to achieve a society in which all people support one another. Designing the modern japanese home by liza foreman 14 december 2017 as a new book and exhibition explore the magic of the japanese home, bbc designed explores some of the nations most unusual and. The cambridge companion to modern japanese culture edited. Later on, secular arts gained importance and it was under the influence of western, zen and indigenous philosophies that modern japanese art flourished. Japans modern period is, for the purposes of this article, defined as beginning with the meiji restoration in 1868 and continuing through to the present.
And, in the united states, there are many collegeage students for whom the battleship yamato is a memory of a story much like folk tale might have been to previous generations of people. For the most part, confucianism was similar in both japan and china with some differences. Mar 08, 2017 in the japanese mind, roger davies offers westerners an invaluable key to the unique aspects of japanese culture. Conformity is stressed in the military, and conformity to various rules and demands in business, but outside of that almost anything goes. In case you are planning a trip to japan or would just like to increase your knowledge about japanese culture and customs, heres a glimpse into the amazing world where traditional culture. My fondest first memory of tokyo may well be the two hours i spent recovering from that dizzying megalopolis inside books kinokuniyas flagship shinjuku store. Here are some books exploring various aspects of japanese culture. Japanese culture and customs questia online library. No part of japanese culture is mythicised more than the samurai.
A very good book dealing with things like socializing with the japanese, doing business with the japanese and communicating with the japanese. But this book is in fact a heavy duty textbook on japanese literature. Culture and customs of japan by noriko kamachi, 1999. Here are 20 japanese words that are difficult to express in english, yet can help you to better understand japan and its culture. The very first human habitation in the japanese archipelago has been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 bc. An indispensible work in english on the history of the unique and uniquely japanese art of printmaking is richard lanes encyclopedic 1978 book images from the floating world. Concentrating on the period following admiral perrys visit in the 1850s, this encyclopedia examines the historical events, leaders, and societal pressures in the countrys past that affected japan s entry into the modern age. The chinese culture and philosophies played an important role in development of various art forms in japan prior to 9th century.
The history of japan covers japan and its relation to the world. Chapter 1 is a useful overview of various writers trying to define japanese culture, from the philosophically sophisticated to the unabashedly essentialist nihonjinron types who are handled with admirable tact while not given a free ridethis includes a good discussion of such figures as nishida kitaro, watsuji tetsuro, kuki shuzo, maruyama masao, kawai hayao, umehara takeshi, and many others. Well, japanese history is roughly 2,000 years long. In dissenting japan, britishborn translator william andrews provides a much needed profile of the postwar japanese left. The book identifies the specific qualities that make up aspects of japanese culture, examining the elements intrinsic to its art, architecture, objects and rituals and gives the reader the pleasure of a journey into the japanese aesthetic, past and present. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This revised fourth edition of the popular work, japan. If it were to discuss only those aspects of japanese culture that are different from western culture, this volume would present an image that is far from the reality of japan today. Understanding contemporary japanese culture, edited by roger j. Both utilized the civil service exam to the same extent, but in japan, only elite men could take the exam. It draws on media theory and the work of many scholars writing in english and japanese and extends their work into new arenas an engaging work that will impact continued research on the book and literature as media.
The series offers a balanced yet interpretive approach. This freebook is a collection of chapters from key titles from our japanese studies collection, all written by experts in their field on a variety of topics ranging from cuisine to religion. What are some good books on japanese culture and history. Novelists experimented with new ideas such as liberalism, idealism, and romanticism and were variously influenced by french, british or german literature.
That covers a lot of ground during that time japan went from a multicultural tribal society yayoijomon to being gove. This book is an autobiography written by a samurai who lived in tokyo in the 19th century. Volume iv will address religion and the diversity of contemporary japanese society. Modern japanese culture is inherently tied to the historical and political aspects of the broader picture, so it was disappointing to see that a discussion of the cultures progression through the modern time was left out. Popular japanese culture books goodreads share book. The author does a great job of highlighting salient facets of japanese culture. Frustration, anger, and incredulity course through this powerful book by one of the bestknown western critics of late 20thcentury japans construction boom. This book is packed with tales of disreputable behavior and larger than life characters, alongside political conspiracies and diplomatic encounters. Take a close look at japanese culture and its intriguing customs. Enjoy japanese traditional and cuttingedge pop culture. Synopsis this work offers a fascinating look at japans complex history.
Popular modern japanese books goodreads share book. List of books and articles about japanese culture and customs. These factors can make it a challenge to translate from japanese to english, especially when it comes to words and phrases that rely heavily on understanding the background and significance behind them. Readers of this book will gain a clear understanding of what really makes the japanese, and their society, tick. Japanese popular culture has become one of the most globalized aspects of japanese society and culture today. Book summary views reflect the number of visits to the book and chapter landing pages. In my shelves, treres only a book refered to this matter my loved series culture shock.
In the introduction, morton outlines his approach, which is that it is necessary to examine modern japanese culture from an insider perspective in order to fully understand it. Its a commentary on the less than smooth mix of western culture and japanese traditions during the meiji period and look into the richness of japanese culture. With more than 700 alphabetically arranged entries, the encyclopedia of contemporary japanese culture offers extensive coverage of japanese culture spanning from the end of the japanese imperialist period in 1945, right up to the present day. Dec 14, 2017 designing the modern japanese home by liza foreman 14 december 2017 as a new book and exhibition explore the magic of the japanese home, bbc designed explores some of the nations most unusual and.
Take a close look at japanese culture and its intriguing. Its history and culture, stretches from the nations earliest known civilization about 30009 bce to the present. This compilation of over 700 signed articles, from abacus to zuno keisatsu japans first punk band, is the work of over 100 contributors drawn mostly from the academic ranks in the united states. I would even go further and say that i found it offensive at some points, and generally quite irritating to read. The cambridge companion to modern japanese culture. I think the most famous book about the politics of modern japan is the enigma of japanese power by karel van wolferen. Economy, ways of life the kind of information you cant find in travel guides. Sep 27, 2016 my fondest first memory of tokyo may well be the two hours i spent recovering from that dizzying megalopolis inside books kinokuniyas flagship shinjuku store.
Theres no way you can expect a book of this length about 300 pages to fully cover the history of a civilization as ancient, rich, and varied as japan, but this book does a good job of providing a fairly comprehensive introduction into the main trends in japanese culture from prehistory to the modern day. While this book does do a good overview of modern japanese culture, going into depth on several selected themes and a separate topic in each chapter, i felt that the view point of the authors was quite rigid and sometimes quite dogmatic. Unlike the other books on this list, zen and japanese culture zooms in on the direct relationship between oldworld zen buddhism and modern japanese culture. What is the best book that i can read about japanese culture and history. Davies and osamu ikeno overall, i really was not impressed by the book. They are immortalised in films and books from the past right up to the present day. The japan culture book japaneseenglishon sale now the. The uses of literature in modern japan is a worthy contribution to scholarship on the book as media.
The declaration that modern japan is an enigma is the publishers first description of leith mortons book, modern japanese culture. Readers of this book will gain a clear understanding of what makes the japanese, and their society, tick. If it were to discuss only those aspects of japanese culture that are different from western culture, this volume would present an image. The chapters here are as varied as the field they cover, and address a. In the japanese mind, roger davies offers westerners an invaluable key to the unique aspects of japanese culture. The cambridge companion to modern japanese culture cambridge. Post war history, specially last decades, would be neccesary. The insider view, and in many ways this sets the tone of the book s content. Japanese culture and society is a diverse and deeply interesting field of study. The cambridge companion to modern japanese culture edited by. The focus moves from larger structures, to the life course of individuals in volume ii, through to key issues about japanese culture in volume iii. Culture and customs of japan by noriko kamachi, 1999 online. I repeat, starting from almost zero migtht be easy to find book what improve the understanding about japan. The title of this volume, culture and customs of japan, might imply that it contains information on traditional japanese culture and customs that are distinct from european or american culture and customs.
From the title i was hoping for a book that would provide insight into japanese culture and lifestyle. The book follows the journey of an unloved, unwanted, wandering kitten who spends his dayst observing the humans that surround him. This work looks at the macro level of politics and the economy. One of the major differences between american and japanese cultures is in the concept of the individual. Contemporary japanese society provides a comprehensive portrayal of modern japan through the analysis of key aspects of japanese society and culture, ranging from work and gender politics to science and technology. With contributions from some of the most prominent scholars in the. Books about modern japan japan lonely planet forum. The cover is one of the most lovely ive ever seen, but unfortunately the contents werent for me. The nippon foundation is a social innovation hub that works to achieve a better society through areas like support for children, persons with disabilities and support for disaster recovery. It also addresses religion and the diversity of contemporary japanese society. Home browse sociology and anthropology cultures and ethnic groups asian culture and society japanese culture and customs. In the introduction, morton outlines his approach, which is that it is necessary to examine modern japanese culture from an insider.
As a key eyewitness to the end of the feudal era and the start of modern japan, satow presents a fascinating memoir. It is characterized by isolationistic, semiopen and expansionistic periods. In the japanese system of dating, this period encompasses the meiji period 18681912, the taisho period 191226, the showa period 192689, and the heisei period began 1989. The cambridge companion to modern japanese culture traces the cultural transformation that took place over the course of the twentieth century, and paints a picture of a nation rich in cultural diversity. I already subscribe to rsuggestmeabook, and ill cross post this there, but i wanted to start here id love to read a book set in contemporary japan, with younger protagonists, but not necessarily of the youngadult genre though im not opposed. Entries range from shorter definitions, histories or biographies to longer overview essays giving an indepth treatment of major issues. Feb 02, 2015 enjoy japanese traditional and cuttingedge pop culture.
In case you are planning a trip to japan or would just like to increase your knowledge about japanese culture and customs, heres a glimpse into the amazing world where traditional culture and modern technology and beliefs coexist beautifully. Brings together newwave essays written from the 1990s onwards, together with the several articles written in earlier decades in order to build up a nuanced portrait of modern japanese culture and society. Discover librarianselected research resources on japanese culture and customs from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Japanese modern literature from 1868 when japan opened to the rest of the world in the meiji period 18681912, the influence of western literary concepts and techniques was felt strongly. Buddhism was adapted to possibly bring power to those whom dont have power. I read the book before going to japan and reread most of it while traveling in japan for a month. While americas mega bookstores long ago wilted beneath amazons onslaught, kinokuniyas enduring presence testifies to the value of the written word in japan.
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