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This book offers a new approach to dealing with Murakami's radical narrative project by demonstrating how his first and later trilogies utilize the structure of the simulacrum, a second-order representation, to develop a complex critique of contemporary Japanese culture. ... Read more

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Following World War II, Japan's postwar constitution forbade the country to wage war or create an army. However, with the emergence of the cold war in the 1950s, Japan was urged to establish the Self-Defense Forces as a way to bolster Western defenses against the tide of Asian communism. Although the SDF's role is supposedly limited to self-defense, Japan's armed forces are equipped with advanced weapons technology and the world's third-largest military budget. Sabine Frühstück draws on interviews, historical research, and analysis to describe the unusual case of a non-war-making military. As the first scholar permitted to participate in basic SDF training, she offers a firsthand look at an army trained for combat that nevertheless serves nontraditional military needs. ... Read more

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Reading against Culture starts from the problem that a concept of "culture" is both destructive and necessary. Culture constitutes the environment within which self develops and interacts with other; as a closed environment of self-identity, however, culture inevitably implies alterity and exclusion. David Pollack proposes that only by reading "against" culture--both by understanding how our involvement in it conditions our writing and reading, and by understanding how its inclusion of self entails the exclusion of other--can we begin to resist the hegemonic impulse inherent in reading across cultures. ... Read more

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" From the busy streets of Tokyo to the secluded shores of Kyushu, from the volcanoes of Hokkaido to the temples of Kyoto, the treasured landscapes of Japan are brought to life in this concise visual guide. Drawing upon years of observation, Cotton Mather, P.P. Karan, and Shigeru Iijima explore the complex interaction of culture, time, and space in the evolution of landscapes in Japan. The authors begin with a discussion of the landscape's general characteristics, including paucity of idle land, scarcity of level land, and its meticulous organization and immaculate nature. They then apply those characteristics to such favorite subjects as home gardens, sculpted plants, and flower arrangements, but also to more mundane matters such as roadside shoulders, utility lines, and walled urban areas. This unique blending of physical and social sciences with humanities perspectives offers a unified analysis of the Japanese landscape.

Customer Reviews (2)

The Landscape Speaks!
Cotton Mather and PP Karan traveled the length and breath of Japan in a small red car, attempting to make the landscape "speak."Somewhere on the Kii Peninsula, south of Ise, what they'd been looking atfinally began to make sense:categories and generalizations began.Fromthis point on, their generalizations were tested and retested with theresultant Primary and Secondary Characteristics of what one sees in Japan: Paucity of Idle Land;Scarcity of Level Land;Compactness;MeticulousOrganization;Immaculateness;Interdigitation;and Tiered Occupanceamong others. A nice explanation with plenty of photos by men who have beeninvolved with Japan since the Second World War.

japan's landscapes
When i first bought this book for a gardening friend i thought i wouldn't like but it turned out i did. the next day iwent back and got one for myself.it was stimulating and inspiring and i thought it was excelent! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

A complicated monster
At first glance, an academic study of Godzilla seems at least foolish and at most pretentious.Not everything merits this level of scrutiny, and sometimes a giant monster is just a giant monster.How much can be said about a guy stomping around in a rubber suit anyways?But I was intrigued by the concept.The film holds an important place in both cinematic history as well as Japanese culture, and was probably the first cultural export of Japan.

Make no mistake, this is an academic book, in the same lines as the Japanese monster study Civilization and Monsters: Spirits of Modernity in Meiji Japan, and is probably going to bore to tears any casual G-fan looking for a fun book.Originally presented at the 2004 international conference of the same name, "In Godzilla's Footsteps: Pop Culture Icons on the Global Stage" collects together thirteen essaysfrom a variety of experts, such as Dr. Mark Anderson, professor of Asian languages and literature at the University of Minnesota and Theodore Bestor, professor of anthropology and Japanese studies at Harvard University.

Each essay focuses on a different aspect of the Godzilla phenomenon, as a piece of film history, as an aspect of modernity, as an aspect of religion.The majority of the focus is on the original 1954 film Gojira, although some of the essays also deal with Mothra and the perceived "menace of the South Seas", and one essay highlights the Ohashi Yasuhiko play "Gojira" which used the king of monsters in a satire dealing with modern Japan's lust for status and material wealth.

Some of the most interesting bits for me showed Godzilla as a transitional film, standing between the jungle adventure-themed movies such as King Kong and the next era of Atomic fantasy such as Them!. A creature of both folklore and science, of both the past and the future, Godzilla is a both a bridge and a gateway.One essay linked the rise of the monster with the rising popularity of professional wrestling in Japan, and showed how the two entertainment genres shaped each other. The density of the articles meant that my attention had to be focused, but there was always something new to learn.

A few articles were less successful, and some veered away from Godzilla altogether.The final three articles focused more on Japanese "pop culture" figures such as "Hello Kitty!" and fandom in Hawaii and Russia.While the articles were valid, I personally felt they did not belong in this book, and wish they had been replaced by something more appropriately themed.

I really enjoyed "In Godzilla's Footsteps", but I realize it will not be a book for everyone. I personally don't mind slogging through academic language from time to time, and found a lot here to be fascinated by.Any serious student of Japanese film should probably have this one in their library.

Dull, Dull, Dull
Wow.I am a life-long Godzilla fan, and I do believe there is a lot to say about the subject of Godzilla and popular culture.This book, however, does not have much to say that will stick in one's mind.The book is filled with over-thought and over-wrought essays.The majority of essays in this volume are overly academic and smell of publish-or-perish efforts by film historians trying to squeeze themselves into a discussion of a subject that is "hot" and "in the moment".After 50 years Godzilla has proved his staying power.This book is not the one to even begin to explain why.

Where's Godzilla When You Really Need Him?
While William Tsutsui produced a superior book about Godzilla (Godzilla On My Mind) as an author, his presence here as an editor should not be taken to mean this book in any way approaches his own contribution to the lore of the "king of the monsters".This book is to Godzilla as steps are to a swimming pool -- a way in, but certainly not the main attraction.While some of the essays make some attempt to discuss Godzilla, most are exercises in academic excess of the most boring kind.How something as big, bright and vibrant as Japanese pop culture could be rendered so mind-numbingly boring is not something you'd want to experience. ... Read more

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This new title by Boyé Lafayette De Mente, internationally known for his 40-plus pioneer books on the business practices, cultures and languages of Japan, Korea, China and Mexico, covers the elements in Japan’s traditional culture that have made them remarkably successful in virtually all of their endeavors.
De Mente attributes the special knowledge and skills of the Japanese to the premise that they are primarily right-brain oriented as a result of their vowel-heavy language—a linguistic circumstance they share with only one other group of people: the Polynesians of the South Pacific.
He quotes Japan’s noted brain authority Dr. Tadanobu Tsunoda [author of The Japanese Brain and many other works] on how the Japanese tend to first process information in the right side of their brains—the side that deals with feelings rather than facts; a factor that is readily discernible in their arts and crafts as well as in their traditional management practices.
“In the Japanese mindset, aesthetics and form play an equal role with functionality,” De Mente says, adding: “and it is this cultural element that is responsible for the extraordinary beauty of such common things as their bowls, vases, paper doors, room dividers, kimono and yukata.”
De Mente says that the fact that the Japanese are able to use both sides of their brains gives them significant advantages over strictly left-brained people in designing and manufacturing products from arts and crafts to electronic devices.
In addition to such topics as emotions vs. reason, the “fuzzy” [holistic] thinking of the Japanese vs. the linear thinking of other people, the diligence factor in Japanese behavior, and quality vs. profit, De Mente identifies a long list of views and practices that distinguish the Japanese from left-brain oriented people—and are important for foreigners to know about.
For foreign readers, one of the more interesting topics in the book may be what foreign women have to do to cope with their left-brain oriented male counterparts.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Raitng your own book 5 stars???? Smells of Nihonjinron to me
"Japanese are able to use both sides of their brains gives them significant advantages over strictly left-brained people in designing and manufacturing products from arts and crafts to electronic devices" Really??? This sounds awfully like some of those Nihonjinron books... with poor studies and flawed research used to back them.

I`d try reading this if it was free, but I`m sorry I`m going to call "Nihonjinron" on this one. There are quite of lot of these non-japanese Nihonjinronsha around it seems.

I have not read this book. I avoid anything that smells of Nihonjinron.

Rating your own book 5 stars? Come on....

Why I Wrote the Book!
Since I wrote the book, after 60 years of interacting with the Japanese on every level of professional and personal intimacy, I believe it to be an accurate and valid representation of the cultural assets that made it possible for tiny resource poor Japan to become the world's second largest economy in less than 30 years following the losses it suffered during World War II.
There are other superior people in the world--the Jews are an outstanding example, as were the old Greeks and Romans and Aztecs--but the Japanese stand out in the crowd--despite some incredible stupidities and weaknesses...which I have noted repeatedly in this and other books.
Boye Lafayette De Mente ... Read more

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Plastic Culture explores the world of toys: why we love them, what they represent, and why there is a growing market for "designer" and "art" toys aimed at adults.

In this book, British author Woodrow Phoenix takes a look at our relationship to toys in the twenty-first century, with particular reference to Japan—an exporter of both merchandise and ideas. Plastic toys based on Japanese comics, movies, and TV shows, from Astro Boy, Godzilla, and Gatchaman, to Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, and Pokémon have had a powerful effect on the imaginations and markets of the West, and have kick-started trends in design and pop culture that have crossed from Japan to the West and back East again.

Brimming with lavish, full-color illustrations of cult and limited-edition toys, and with an in-depth look at the work of Japanese artists Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, Hong Kong trendsetters Eric So and Michael Lau, and many other leading players in the world of designer toys, this is a book that will appeal to a wide range of readers: from those interested in the latest trends in contemporary art, to toy collectors, and to anyone with an interest in Japan's influence on contemporary pop culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

I just loved it!
How much I appreciate plastic now after reading this book! My only let down is that the author mentions Sailor Moon a lot and never actually details or shows anything related to the Sailor Moon series or toys. All in all, it's the best book about toys I own and I have a few :)

toys
If you collect vinyl and for the price of a used copy this book is nice to have around.

Urban vinyl at its best!
This is an amazing book!Eloquently written, with great insights into toys as a whole, this book gives a comprehensive overview of the emergence of designer vinyl.Great images!

now i feel much smarter This book is great
All the cool pictures of toys I can't have are nice. But it's really better than all the other toy books becuase it explains all about toys and how come they are so cool. I know it was for adult level reader but I learned a lot that my friends don't know! It wasn't hard to read and I wish it was twice the size. My only problem is There was not enough Blythe information even though she's on the cover.

Urban Vinyl
Ah, what a wonderful invention plastic is!Nearly limitless possibilities, able to be shaped into almost any form, take on any color, and endure across the centuries. As functional as it is fantastic.Of course, it was only a matter of time before artists took this malleable material into their capable hands, and created something that the inventors of the plastic would have never imagined.In this case, it is toys.

"Plastic Culture: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World" supposes to tell the story of plastic, and its journey from function to fantastic, from commerce to art.Supposes to, because unfortunately the book seems to have fallen victim to a loss of focus, or possibly a conflict between writer and editor.Instead of this history of plastic, and their connection to Japanese culture, what the writer wanted to write about was an artistic movement called Urban Vinyl, originating in Hong Kong and then spreading to Japan and the US.That's his passion, and it shows.

The first half of "Plastic Culture" is rough.It begins with a very brief history of plastic's invention, and its use in toys across the years.There is some brief connection with Japan, introducing the Kaiyodo model makers who perfected the garage kit.There is a half-hearted section on using toys for marketing purposes as mascots, mainly mentioning McDonalds Happy Meal toys and the Olympics. Trying to swing the story back to Japan, Sanrio is covered with their successful line of Hello Kitty figures and other characters.These articles are all short on text, and heavy on pictures, jumping rapidly from section to section without much logic or interest.Its pretty boring, and not very well researched.Then, on page 43, author Woodrow Pheonix begins the section on Urban Vinyl.And it all changes.

The Urban Vinyl movement began in Hong Kong, with a couple of young talents started taking apart GI Joe figures and putting them back together street-style, dressed in the latest Hong Kong fashions and with an attitude that GI Joe never imagined.These two, Michael Lau and Eric So, exhibited their work at galleries, and inspired other artists to see toys as a medium of expression, rather than just playthings.The movement jumped across the water, to Japan with its ingrained toy culture, and then to the US underground comics scene, where artists like Dan Clowes ("Ghost World") and Archer Prewitt ("Sof' Boy") began teaming up with Asian designers to produce unique figures combining all of their talents and visions.Into this comes Takashi Murakami, famed for his Superflat exhibition and one of Japan's greatest modern artists, who sees the concept of creating original works of art in toys, rather than just reproducing existing works in plastic.Yoshitomo Nara, another prominent Japanese modern artist, follows suit.Its fascinating.

If this book had been called "Urban Vinyl," and started with Lau and So in Hong Kong, then been given enough depth to explore the artistic movement completely, it would have been incredible.Woodrow Pheonix has a real passion for this movement, and a deep insightinto what makes it tick and how the pieces fit together. His interviews with Murakami and Nara really made me reconsider the way I see toys, and it was great to here these two giants of modern art put forward such opposing yet complementary viewpoints on Urban Vinyl.

But it wasn't, and so "Plastic Culture" is really only half a great book.That second half is really something, and worth picking up the book for.It makes me want to learn more about Urban Vinyl and hopefully someday Pheonix will get to write the book that he should have.I will be first in line to pick it up. ... Read more

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This book examines Japanese tourism and travel, both today and in the past, showing how over hundreds of years a distinct culture of travel developed, and exploring how this has permeated the perceptions and traditions of Japanese society. It considers the diverse dimensions of modern tourism including appropriation and consumption of history, nostalgia, identity, domesticated foreignness, and the search for authenticity and invention of tradition.

Japanese people are one of the most widely travelling peoples in the world both historically and in contemporary times. What may be understood as incipient mass tourism started around the 17^th century in various forms (including religious pilgrimages) long before it became a prevalent cultural phenomenon in the West. Within Asia, Japan has long remained the main tourist sending society since the beginning of the 20^th century when it started colonising Asian countries. In 2005, some 17.8 million Japanese travelled overseas across Europe, Asia, the South Pacific and America. In recent times, however, tourist demands are fast growing in other Asian countries such as Korea and China. Japan is not only consuming other Asian societies and cultures, it is also being consumed by them in tourist contexts. This book considers the patterns of travelling of the Japanese, examining travel inside and outside the Japanese archipelago and how tourist demands inside influence and shape patterns of travel outside the country.  Overall, this book draws important insights for understanding the phenomenon of tourism on the one hand and the nature of Japanese society and culture on the other.

Product Description
From 1993 to 2003, exports of Japans cartoon arts tripled in value, to $12.5 billion. Fan phenomena around the world—in U.S. malls, teen girls flock to purchase the latest Fruits Basket graphic novel; in Hungary, young people gather for a summer cosplay (costume dress-up) event—illustrate the global popularity of manga and anime. Drawing on extensive research and more than 100 original interviews, Anne Cooper-Chen explains how and why the un-Disney has penetrated nearly every corner of the planet. This book uses concepts such as cultural proximity, uses and gratifications, and cultural variability to explain cross-cultural adaptations in a broad international approach. It emphasizes that overseas acceptance has surprised the Japanese, who create manga and anime primarily for a domestic audience. Including some sobering facts about the future of the industry, the book highlights how overseas enthusiasm could actually save a domestic industry that may decline in the contracting and graying country of its birth. Designed for courses covering international mass media, media and globalization and introduction to Japanese culture, the book is written primarily for undergraduates, and includes many student-friendly features such as a glossary, timeline and source list. ... Read more

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This volume brings together five essays by prominent scholars of Japanese studies, each discussing a central topic in Japanese cultural history. Based on a series of lectures marking the inauguration of the Sainsbury Institute in Norwich and London, each essay introduces in concise and readable form subjects that the authors have worked on as part of larger publishing projects. The authors have distilled their views on aspects of their research that relate to an important artistic, cultural, or intellectual 'birth' or 'rebirth' in Japanese history. Contributors: Helmut Brinker, Tsuji Nobuo, Timon Screech, Donald Keene and John Rosenfield ... Read more

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Review of the Illustrated Japanese Family and Culture
The Illustrated Japanese Family & Culture, vol. 17 (part of the Japan in your pocket series), is both interesting and informative.This book touches on the diversity of Japanese culture from pre-historic times to modern culture in Japan.This book gives an excellent overview of the culture and lifestyle of the typical, Japanese family.It covers tradition, ceremonies, and daily life.The pictures are entertaining, and the content is concise.Chapter headings are written in both English and Japanese.The Illustrated Japanese Family and Culture, Vol. 17, gives a wide-angle view of the Japanese lifestyle today. ... Read more

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The notion of Japanese mythology was invented in the modern era under the influence of Westernization. Before the modern era, only the notion history existed in Japan. Mythological events were considered historical moments rather than mythology. In this volume, Professor Isomae argues that Japanese mythology finds its uniqueness in the persistence of the interpretation of two specific scriptures: Kojik (Tale of Old Age, written in 712 A.D.) and Nihonshoki (Chronicle of Japanese History, written in 720 A.D.).Under the political banner of Japan, both the Imperial Court and the general public have searched for the origin of their identity in Kojiki and Nihonshoki. In this sense, Japanese mythology, whether it was considered mythology or history, has functioned as scripture. Through the act of commentary and interpretation, the sacred books serve to connect interpreters to their historical origins, authenticating where they came from, the emergence of the Japanese archipelago, and the uniqueness of the Japanese people.This book explores the history of the interpretation of Japanese mythology, the Japanese attraction to this act of historical grounding, and the varying identities that emerged during different historical periods. National and personal identity has always depended on the hermeneutic of scripture, namely Kojiki and Nihonshoki. Consequently, this work makes it evident that there exists no clear and unified substance of Japanese mythology, but rather a nostalgic desire to go back to historical origins and authenticate identity through the interpretation of scripture. ... Read more

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Stereotypes are, for the holder, collections of fundamental characteristics that apply to any individual within a specified group, but even the most fervent user of stereotypes would probably admit to the tendency toward exageration and the frequency of nonsense which prevail in such rigid perceptions. Although inherently inadequate, stereotypes have been concocted and applied to every ethnic group. There is no doubt that one of the most interesting patterns of stereotyping applies to those Americans of Japanese ancestry.... The evolution of the image from "Jap" to Japanese is indeed a remarkable ocurrance. It is an account of a minority group seen through the veil of stereotypes - a veil originally fabricated o negative images and now woven over with complimentary depictions. A description of that evolution - a delineation of stereotypes, an examination of their salient dimensions, and an analysis of their functions - is the primary concern of this work. Excerpts from book's Preface ... Read more

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The growing globalization of world business, culture and communication — and Japan’s increasingly important role as a leader in that world — makes understanding Japanese culture critical for business people, diplomats, students,educators and anyone else with an interest in Japan.
In Japan Unmasked veteran Japanologist/author Boyé Lafayette De Mente explores the social, cultural and
psychological characteristics responsible for the unique nature of modern-day Japanese culture—the real "face" behind the "mask"—and demonstrates how they have brought the Japanese to their central role on the world stage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting unsupported opinions
This book is a quick read and does provide a quick outline about stereotypical Japanese beliefs and behaviours, as well as some interesting insights into Japanese culture. Unfortunately it does little to support them. Time and time again the author says something interesting about Japan, but fails to give an example or statistic to back it up. The result is that this appears to be a collection of one man's opinions, but gives no basis for believing them.

Let me give you an example "It has long been symptomatic for the Japanese to blame others for their problems..." Really? So what? Give us an example! Prove it to us! Unfortunately he fails to do so.

Very frustrating because he does have some interesting things to say.

A great number of topics, but superficial
The book covers quite a number of topics about Japan, but unfortunately, all of them are treated quite superficially. ... Read more

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In the late nineteenth century, midwifery was transformed into a new woman's profession as part of Japan's modernizing quest for empire. With the rise of Japanese immigration to the United States, Japanese midwives (sanba) served as cultural brokers as well as birth attendants for Issei women. They actively participated in the creation of Japanese American community and culture as preservers of Japanese birthing customs and agents of cultural change. The history of Japanese American midwifery reveals the dynamic relationship between this welfare state and the history of women and health. Midwives' individual stories, coupled with Susan L. Smith's astute analysis, demonstrate the impossibility of clearly separating domestic policy from foreign policy, public health from racial politics, medical care from women's care giving, and the history of women and health from national and international politics. By setting the history of Japanese American midwives in this larger context, Smith reveals little-known ethnic, racial, and regional aspects of women's history and the history of medicine. Susan L.Smith is an associate professor of history at the University of Alberta, Canada, and author of the award-winning "Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired: Black Women's Health Activism in America, 1890-1950." A volume in The Asian American Experience series, edited by Roger Daniels. ... Read more