Be More Japan

Be More Japan
Author: DK Eyewitness
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2019-07-30
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1465497099

Whether you're dreaming about your first journey, revisiting the trip of a lifetime or simply in love with all things Japan, Be More Japan will transport you to this fascinating country. Dive into the thrilling and serene world of Shinto monks, street food vendors, anime characters, Okinawan centenarians, technological innovators, J-Pop megastars, ancient philosophers, onsen dwellers and so many more. There are so many ways to fall in love with Japan. It's home to one of the world's most unique cultures: a perfectly balanced celebration of past traditions; the vibrancy of now and the need to look fearlessly into the future. From architecture to martial arts; from ramen to robots; kawaii to Kusama; ikigai to ikebana; towering skyscrapers to shrines - Be More Japan uncovers the art and creativity behind modern Japanese living through its kaleidoscope of contrasting places, people and practices. With beautiful design throughout and with each page alive with facts, history and inspiration, Be More Japan invites you to absorb a little Japanese wisdom into your daily life.

Cool Japan

Cool Japan
Author: Sumiko Kajiyama
Publisher: Museyon Inc.
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2018-05-01
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1938450973

Written by local expert Sumiko Kajiyama, Cool Japan explores the heart of Japanese culture and must-see places from a uniquely Japanese perspective. First, visit Kyoto, where you will discover 1,000 years of history, from the ancient love story the Tale of Genji to the traditional tea ceremony. Then head to Tokyo to experience Japan's cutting-edge capital, where the 21st-century kawaii culture collides with landmarks like the Kabuki-za Theater and the Imperial Palace. For a different perspective, venture outside the city to the serene towns of Tohoku, the region largely affected by the 2011 tsunami disaster. Informative, entertaining, and useful, this book is an ideal introduction for any traveler looking for a deeper understanding of Japanese culture, past and present.

The Japanese Experience

The Japanese Experience
Author: W. G. Beasley
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2000-08-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780520225602

An authoritative history of Japan from the sixth century to the present day and of a society and culture with a distinct sense of itself, one of the few nations never conquered by a foreign power in historic times until the 12th century. 35 illustrations.

With Respect to the Japanese

With Respect to the Japanese
Author: John C. Condon
Publisher: John Murray Press
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2011-01-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0984247114

While Japan has been on center stage of the world economy for decades, interactions between the Japanese and Westerners continue to be on the rise. Daily communication in both business and social settings is commonplace, and connections through the Internet and mobile media make what felt distant only a few years ago seem familiar. Our cultures and social norms remain vastly different, however, and professionals working in Japan are likely to confront new challenges every day. For example, what are the three biggest challenges for Westerners who go to work in Japan? How can you tell when “yes” might mean “no”? When you are the guest in a taxi, who should sit where? In the fully updated second edition of With Respect to the Japanese, readers discover not only answers to basic etiquette questions, but also how to communicate successfully with the Japanese and, in the process, earn mutual respect. John C. Condon and Tomoko Masumoto use real-life examples (from kindergarten classrooms to the boardroom) to explain the contrast between these two distinct cultures. In this essential guide to Japanese culture, you will learn how vital societal characteristics affect communication, decision making, management styles and many other aspects of work and everyday relationships.

Encyclopedia of Japan

Encyclopedia of Japan
Author: Dorothy Perkins
Publisher: New York : Facts on File
Total Pages: 424
Release: 1991
Genre: History
ISBN:

Less comprehensive and more popularly written than the nine-volume Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan ( LJ 1/84), this single-volume work is nevertheless a valuable reference source. It is extremely current, including entries on such recent topics as the Recruit political scandal and current prime minister Kaifu Toshiki. While the articles in the Kodansha Encyclopedia are written by experts in the field and provide bibliographic references with nearly all of the entries, the present work is authored entirely by Perkins, whom the publisher identifies as ``an educator specializing in Buddhism and Japanese culture,'' and has only a general bibliography at the end. For its more comprehensive treatment, especially of historical topics and traditional culture, the Kodansha remains a standard source, but for its currency and value as a ready reference tool the Perkins volume will be a useful acquisition for most libraries as well. Its single-volume format and lower cost make it an excellent acquisition for smaller libraries.-- Scott Wright, Univ. of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn. - Library Journal.

Japan Rising

Japan Rising
Author: Kenneth Pyle
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2009-04-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 0786732024

Japan is on the verge of a sea change. After more than fifty years of national pacifism and isolation including the "lost decade" of the 1990s, Japan is quietly, stealthily awakening. As Japan prepares to become a major player in the strategic struggles of the 21st century, critical questions arise about its motivations. What are the driving forces that influence how Japan will act in the international system? Are there recurrent patterns that will help explain how Japan will respond to the emerging environment of world politics? American understanding of Japanese character and purpose has been tenuous at best. We have repeatedly underestimated Japan in the realm of foreign policy. Now as Japan shows signs of vitality and international engagement, it is more important than ever that we understand the forces that drive Japan. In Japan Rising, renowned expert Kenneth Pyle identities the common threads that bind the divergent strategies of modern Japan, providing essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how Japan arrived at this moment -- and what to expect in the future.

Unmasking Japan

Unmasking Japan
Author: David Ricky Matsumoto
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 1996
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780804727198

The last twenty years has seen a growth of interest and fascination with the Japanese, and the emergence of Japan as a world economic power has stimulated many works that have attempted to understand Japanese culture. The focus of this book is not on Japanese culture or society per se: rather, it is on how Japanese culture and society structure, shape, and mold the emotions of the Japanese people. All cultures shape and mold emotions, but the degree to which the Japanese culture shapes emotion has led to several misunderstandings about the emotional life of the Japanese, which this book attempts to correct. Describing the findings of over two decades of research, this book presents the Japanese as human beings with real feelings and emotions rather than as mindless pawns caught in the web of their own culture. In the process, it unmasks many myths that have grown around the subject and reveals important similarities as well as differences between the emotional life of the Japanese and that of people of other cultures.

Japan Unveiled

Japan Unveiled
Author: Dominique Buisson
Publisher: Hachette Illustrated UK
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2003
Genre: Body image
ISBN:

According to Shinto belief, the human body in Japan is part of nature and must be in harmony with the wider world. This is a cultural history of the human body in Japan - from the Samurai to Issy Miyake- exploring the social codes and aesthetics of behaviour it involves. The sacred body of religion, the body of the dead, the theatrical body of the Kabuki actor, the warrior's body and much more are revealed.

Japan Edge

Japan Edge
Author: Annette Roman
Publisher: Viz Media
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1999
Genre: Animated films
ISBN: 9781569313459

This lively, idiosyncratic survey of Japanese film, music, animation, and comics showcases the experiences of five avid American fans: journalist Carl Gustav Horn, who writes about anime; critic and musician Mason Jones, who releases Japanese alternative music on his Charnel Music record label; Patrick Macias, a writer on Asian film for the San Francisco Bay Guardian; Matt Thorn, a translator and expert on shojo (girls') manga;

Japan Encounters the Barbarian

Japan Encounters the Barbarian
Author: Emeritus Professor W G Beasley
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 1995-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780300063240

For over a hundred years the Japanese have looked to the West for ideas, institutions and technology that would help them achieve their goal of 'national wealth and strength'. In this book a distinguished historian of Japan discusses Japan's 'cultural borrowing' from America and Europe. W. G. Beasley focuses on the mid-nineteenth century, when Japan's rulers dispatched diplomatic missions to the West to discover what Japan needed to learn, sent students abroad to assimilate information and invited foreign experts to Japan to help put the knowledge to practical use. Beasley examines the origins of the decision to initiate direct study of the West at a time when western countries counted as 'barbarian' by Confucian standards. Drawing on many colourful letters, diaries, memoirs and reports, he describes the missions sent overseas in 1860 and 1862, in 1865-1867 and in the years after 1868, in particular the prestigious embassy led by Iwakura in 1871-1873. The book also tells the story of the several hundred students who went overseas in this period. It concludes by assessing the impact of the encounters on the subsequent development of Japan, first by examining the later careers of the travellers and the influence they exercised (they included no fewer than six prime ministers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries), and then by considering the nature of the ideas they brought home.