Not since World War II has Japan faced a crisis like the one before it now. An apparently endless recession has weakened the foundations of the tra...
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reviews
Dec 17, 2009
Andrea
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Published in 2004, this book provides a thoughtful look at fairly recent issues concerning Japanese business, politics, youth and cultural identity since WWII, and primarily since the 1980s. The author is quite intimate with the culture and has enough connections (and fluency and cultural awareness) to land interviews with some important folks. While the author provides a well-written and educational piece, he also comes off as kind of cocky about his ability to “explain” Japanese identity. Whil
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Aug 30, 2010
Huyen
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wow, this book actually shocks me and challenges many of my long held beliefs about Japan. Japan's always been a blackhole in my knowledge, it's a mysterious place of immense contradictions: hierarchy vs equality, extreme conformity vs creativity, bureaucracy vs efficiency, pacifism vs militarism, austerity vs consumerism. but i suspect maybe the attempt to generalize or characterize any society to fit in our familar framework/categories is a doomed endeavor.
John Nathan argues in th More...
John Nathan argues in th More...
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Oct 12, 2011
Jeana
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Books like this one make me realize how clueless I was about Japanese politics while I was growing up in Japan, but I know that I probably enjoyed it more than the average reader because of the familiarity of the names and incidents that the author refers to, and the personal revelations that occurred throughout my reading of the book.
The author interviews an impressive array of thought leaders, politicians and celebrities of post-war Japan such as Ishihara Shintaro, Oe Kenzaburo and More...
The author interviews an impressive array of thought leaders, politicians and celebrities of post-war Japan such as Ishihara Shintaro, Oe Kenzaburo and More...
Aug 12, 2010
Dav
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Published in 2004, this is a quick read with a good overview of the recent state of affairs in Japan. It allows the Western reader to begin to grasp the identity challenges arising in Japan, with some understanding of the historical context. The identity issues revolve around national pride, its relationship with the United States and with other Asian nations. It went into some depth on some of the recent main characters in Japanese politics and business. You can watch a 2004 Charlie Rose panel
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Nov 25, 2008
Lani
rated it:
Nathan has a markedly personal style of writing, which is unusual in a book of this kind. It is an anecdotal collection of interviews and observations, but it is the anecdotal, personal quality of the writing that keeps this from being overbearing, pedantic, and just plain boring. It is strangely suspenseful, and a little akin to a car wreck: it's scary and disturbing and fascinating, and you just can't look away.
Jan 01, 2012
Frederick
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A book of essays on Japan by a professor at UC Santa Barbara who has studied the country all his life. Some of the topics: Changes in Japanese family life. Behavior problems in the schools. The new Japanese workplace (without lifetime employment). Nationalism and the rise of the new right. Maverick political leaders.
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