| Description |
xvi, 463 pages : illustrations, maps ; 27 cm |
| Series |
Asia in focus.
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| Contents |
Preface -- Maps -- 1: Geography -- Physical and human geographies of Japan -- Space problem -- Hazards of being Japanese -- 2: History -- Key events in Japanese history -- Introduction: Japan, East Asia, and the world -- Japan's prehistory and early mainland Asia influences -- Classical Japan -- Medieval Japan -- Tokugawa Japan: an era of peace -- Japan and the world: 1853-1945 -- Japan's path to prosperity: 1945 to the present -- 3: Government And Politics -- Introduction: Roots of Japan's contemporary government and politics -- Government and politics in the Tokugawa Period: 1600-1868 -- Japan's Imperial Period: 1868-1945 -- Postwar government and politics: the creation of Japanese democracy and its structure -- Real world of Japanese politics: 1945-1985 -- Real world of Japanese politics: 1985 to the present -- Conclusion: Political challenges and evolving government structures -- 4: Economy -- Economic systems: roots of success (1600-1868) -- Industrialization and state-guided capitalism: 1868-1945 -- Japan becomes a world economic power: 1945-1973 -- Response to globalization: 1973 to the present -- Natural resources overview -- Business and industry: manufacturing -- Two-tiered economy -- Trade -- Conclusion: Japan's economic future -- 5: Society -- Religion and thought -- Introduction -- Shinto: "Way of the Kami" -- Buddhism -- Confucianism: branches and leaves of Japanese civilization? -- Christianity and the "new" Japanese religions -- Philosophy: Japan, Asia, and the West -- Are the Japanese religious? -- Social classes and ethnicity -- Introduction: Social classes and ethnicity in a non-western society -- Group and the vertical society -- Group socialization: the school -- Workplace groups -- Social class and mobility -- Pressures to conform -- Ethnic and minority groups -- Women and marriage -- Introduction -- Women in classical, early modern, and Imperial Japan -- Women in postwar Japan -- 21st century changes and challenges for women -- Conclusion: Women and social issues -- Japan's education system -- Introduction -- Historical and cultural foundations of learning -- Structure of Japanese education -- Administrators and teachers -- Entrance examinations -- Student life and behavior patterns -- Higher education -- Educational reform -- |
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6: Culture -- Japanese language -- Introduction -- Written Japanese -- Spoken Japanese -- Loanwords -- Language and Japanese culture -- Learning Japanese language -- Etiquette in Japan -- Introduction -- Cultural beliefs and etiquette -- Survival etiquette -- Conclusion: Japanese tolerance and a changing Japan -- Japanese literature -- Introduction: Understanding people and culture -- Japan's literary tradition: pre-20th-century authors -- Giants of 20th-century Japanese literature -- Conclusion: Japanese literature and the 21st century -- Japanese art -- Introduction -- Arts: prehistoric to Heina (11,000 BCE-794 CE) -- Art and Heian Japan (794-1185) -- Medieval arts (1185-1600) -- Tokugawa Japan (1600-1868): "classic" Japanese arts and western contact -- New directions and global arts (1868-present) -- Conclusion: Japanization and Westernization -- Japanese music -- Introduction: World music -- Music in early and medieval Japan -- Music in Tokugawa Japan -- Encounters with Western music: 1868-1945 -- Post-1945 Japan: world music flourishes -- Conclusion -- Food -- Cultural and social history -- Food as art -- Eating in restaurants and homes -- Common Japanese dishes -- Common beverages -- Sports and leisure in Japan -- Asobi -- Traditional sports and leisure: past and present -- Contemporary Japan: sports -- Major popular culture pursuits: "mask" and more -- Pachinko -- Manga -- Anime -- Karaoke -- Conclusion: Cell phones -- 7: Contemporary Issues -- Introduction: Is Japan facing massive changes? -- Japan's foreign policy and China: "a middle power?" -- Japan and the Korean Peninsula -- Japan, the United States, and contemporary international challenges -- Japan and the world -- Views of two foreigners -- Can Japan become a genuine multicultural society? -- Glossary -- Facts and figures -- Holidays -- Organizations -- Annotated bibliography of recommended works on Japan -- Thematic index -- Index. |
| Summary |
From the Publisher: This volume focuses on an often misunderstood nation with vast economic and cultural influence in the United States and around the world. It combines thoroughly up-to-date coverage of Japan's history, geography, politics, economics, and society, with a range of helpful reference tools. Delving deeper than typical reference books, Asia in Focus: Japan is the ideal authoritative introduction to Japanese life for students, business people, travelers, and other interested readers. The volume offers a contemporary look at the Japanese economy, extensive cultural coverage, and a rich collection of photographs. This resource also dispels long-running stereotypes and misconceptions to show Japan's surprising diversity and creativity. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 409-421) and index. |
| Subject |
Japan -- Civilization.
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| ISBN |
9781598841626 (hardcopy : alk. paper) |
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1598841629 (hardcopy : alk. paper) |
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