Modern China and Japan: A Brief History

Customer Reviews:

All the fun, half the facts!.......1999-02-22

Schirokauer provides an excellent introduction to the history of modern (and early-modern) China and Japan. He presents the material effectively and CONCISELY, which makes it a delight for any college student to read. Additionally, nice illustrations, an exhaustive index, and an extensive, detailed list of suggestions for further reading make this text worthy of five stars. Kudos to Schirokauer for the skill with which he respectfully argues the viewpoints of both the Eastern and Western cultures during their harshest conflicts.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

A beautifully crafted novel
A sedate samurai
Beautiful
Read this book when feeling calm
Gorgeous Prose

The Samurai's Garden: A Novel
Gail Tsukiyama
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312144075

Book Description

The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.

Customer Reviews:

A beautifully crafted novel.......2007-08-26

This story was simplistic and wonderful. I read it in two days and was mesmerized by the rich culture. The best book I've read in a long time

A sedate samurai.......2007-08-20

The plot of this book makes a terrific outline: A young Chinese man recuperating in Japan from tuberculosis while Japanese troops are slaughtering his Chinese contemporaries in the pre-World War Two invasion; a quiet but strong and wise caretaker who lives to rescue victims of leprosy, including a woman spurned by his best friend; a marriage crisis for the Chinese man's parents; a Romeo/Juliet type love story between the Chinese man and a young Japanese woman. Should be socko.

Instead, it's sedating. Whether it's the passive nature of Stephen, the young Chinese man, or the very pedestrian writing style of the author, I found this book consistently tepid. She shows off her new knowledge about Japanese culture, giving detailed descriptions of every meal and every kimono.

She tells the story through Stephen when the caretaker, Matsu, is the central character. Because Matsu is strong and silent, we don't get inside his character development.

Nevertheless, it's an interesting look at Japan before WWII: religion, relationship and customs.

Beautiful.......2007-08-15

A delightful story of a chinese teen, sent to japan on the eve of WW2 to recuperate after getting tuberculosis. He meets his father's servant who he gets to know and the locals, finding them friendly and welcoming even with the war. He finds the simple way of life, instead of being boring, fills his days and he is bereft when the war forces him to leave.

A wonderful piece of prose, this haunting story of the simple people and their tragic lives is a page turner.

Read this book when feeling calm.......2007-05-21

Reviews of the Samurai's Garden seem to fall into two camps. The "Oh my God, I loved it-best book evers" and the "Are you kidding me? This book stunk category!"

My problem with those in the latter category is that (with a few exceptions) readers who did not like this book tend to mount some moral literary high horse. They relish insulting other reviewers, as in "Anyone with any discerning taste and one scintilla of brain cells would NEVER like this book, ergo if you do you, I hate to break this to you, but you are a stupid, simple, idiot." Listen to yourselves! I wonder what it must feel like to these people to know everything?

Anyway. I did not particularly love this book, but I really can see how many did. The case can definitely be made that there were many layers of beautiful, intertwining lessons in this seemingly simple, yet really more-complex-than-it-looks book. In that sense, it kind of reminds me of the polarizing effect of the Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.

My biggest problem with this book was that I don't think I was in the mood for it. I read it at a time when I had a lot going on, and couldn't sufficiently savor it. This is a book to be savored in peace. For most of my read of it, I wasn't in a peaceful frame of mind as a reader. My personal restlessness wanted more action, less bean cake eating. A few times, however, despite myself, I was caught flat-footed with awe by something in the story. The one thing I took away was to never forget that everyone has a story that helps define them. You just have to be still and listen.

Gorgeous Prose.......2007-02-12

Languish for a while in the Tsukiyama's Japanese garden and you may never want to leave. The serenity created in Matsu's little haven is contradicted by the military domination of the Japanese over the Chinese and the reclusive leper colony struggling for a peaceful existence in a realm beyond that of war. It is to this environment that a young Chinese boy enters into in search of healthier air and soothing salt of the sea . As his body begins healing, his emotions are delicately fractured by all that he learns of war, leprosy, first love, his family secrets, and the servant Matsu - who is truly a master of wisdom, honor, and faith. I wanted to walk through this garden again and again.

A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present

Average customer rating:

Untangling and Navigating 200 Years of History
Excellent history book
Great Overview of Japanese Histor
Outstanding
Good and detailed

A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present
Andrew Gordon
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195110617

Book Description

In The Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present, Andrew Gordon paints a richly nuanced and strikingly original portrait of the last two centuries of Japanese history. He takes students from the days of the shogunate--the feudal overlordship of the Tokugawa family--through the modernizing revolution launched by midlevel samurai in the late nineteenth century; the adoption of Western hairstyles, clothing, and military organization; and the nation's first experiments with mass democracy after World War I. Gordon offers the finest synthesis to date of Japan's passage through militarism, World War II, the American occupation, and the subsequent economic rollercoaster. But the true ingenuity and value of Gordon's approach lies in his close attention to the non-elite layers of society. Here students will see the influence of outside ideas, products, and culture on home life, labor unions, political parties, gender relations, and popular entertainment. The book examines Japan's struggles to define the meaning of its modernization, from villages and urban neighborhoods, to factory floors and middle managers' offices, to the imperial court. Most importantly, it illuminates the interconnectedness of Japanese developments with world history, demonstrating how Japan's historical passage represents a variation of a process experienced by many nations and showing how the Japanese narrative forms one part of the interwoven fabric of modern history. With a sustained focus on setting modern Japan in a comparative and global context, The Modern History of Japan is ideal for undergraduate courses in modern Japanese history, Japanese politics, Japanese society, or Japanese culture.

Customer Reviews:

Untangling and Navigating 200 Years of History.......2005-01-27

In A Modern History of Japan, Andrew Gordon sets to do the ambitious - to give a bottom up approach to writing a historical narrative - without ignoring the big picture. Gordon intertwines several interrelated events in Japan's continuing history pertaining to social markers - from the Tokugawa era to the present. By doing this he brings to presence a myriad of themes.

Gordon's book is a traditional chronological examination of the history of Japan. However, Gordon takes history to a different level by adding complexity. Gordon takes the time to examines, in some detail the issue of women in Japan's fast changing society, the ever changing identity markers of the Japanese youth with reference to their role in society, from the Tokugawa to the post-war era. Lets face it, modernization and democratization in Japan has been turbulent to say the least, and as examined in this sweeping book by Gordon, the causes and effects are many and as discussed previously - complicated. Gordon has a wonderful handle on the complexity despite his position as an outsider to the culture.

Deftly opening with the fall of the shogunate, Gordon deftly untangles and presents the interior and exterior pressures that form the impetus for the civil strife and the eventual Meiji "restoration." The "restorers" according to Gordon were alarmed by and reacted to European colonization. Gordon explains that the rejoinder to change, by all classes is intertwined with nationalism. Gordon navigates us through the postwar Japan were the national polity was more worried with reconstruction than with "history," setting the stage for the so-called Japanese economic miracle up to 1990 - which is really a result of Realpolitik and historical luck.

The book is nothing less than a comprehensive look into two centuries of Japanese history. The eclectic but solid mix of topics/themes includes landlord-tenant dealings since the Tokugawa era to the present, and lastly, the dangers Japan has to navigate through in this challenging yet promising post war era. Gordon ends the book hurriedly with a quick examination of the ever-changing party politics horizon in the present era.

Miguel Llora

Excellent history book.......2003-10-04

This book was easy to read and understand. I enjoyed it so much that I did not even sell it at the end of the class. I reccomend this book to anyone even remotely interested in Japanese history.

Great Overview of Japanese Histor.......2003-04-26

Andrew Gordon covers the important aspects of Japanese history through time. He starts off by dealing with the Tokugawa and ends with the current political situation at the turn of the century. The appendixes provide a good account of Japanese government by listing the prime ministers and the country's election results since the end of WWII. Contemporary History of Japan focuses on important aspects of the Tokugawa regime such as its political, social and economic set up of Tokugaw Japan and focuses on its eventual downfall. The book continues with the Samurai revolution and the Meiji revolution that set the path for Japan to become a world power. Gordon then continues Japan in the early 20th centiru and how the countr began to change internallly as a result and how Japan dealt the Depressoin Crises in the 1930s, its wars with China and Russia and its eventual role in WWII and the American influence in the post WWII years. After the end of WWII, Japan becomes a dominant figure on the world stage with rapid economic growth unparalled else where in the world resulting in massive changes in society. Gordon does deal with Japanese economic troubles in the post WWII era such as the oil crises in the 1970s and the how Japanese bubble burst as well as other issues Japan is facing such as low-birth rates and changing gender roles.

Great background to Japan overall.

Outstanding.......2003-03-01

This is an outstanding book on the modern history of Japan since the early 19th century. Mr. Gordon writes exceptionally well; unlike most academics, his sentences are mercifully short. You won`t get lost in any run-on sentences that take up half a page. Having said that, however, this is not a book just for children. People who have lived in Japan for years or who have studied Japan extensively as graduate students will find something to learn in this book. The book has many appealing aspects. It devotes considerable time to discussing the lives of ordinary Japanese, and it makes for fascinating reading. The book is relatively short and can be finished in one week. Finally, the author`s emphasis on the similarities between Japan and other nations in the tumultuous modern era is most welcome. The Japanese are not a unique, bizarre people; like all people everywhere, modernity is something they have adjusted to and dealt with, with varying degrees of success and failure. Mr. Gordon`s book is well worth reading.

Good and detailed.......2002-09-28

I received this book today and flipped through it while doing laundry. I'm impressed. It's been a long time since I read a history book and this isn't like the dry, boring texts I remember from school.

I won't waste time mentioning that he covers all the obvious stuff, all the wars and major political events that you would expect a history book to cover.

What struck me is his ability to smoothly give you the big picture while sticking in little bits that give you some idea of what the people at the time thought and experienced.

In addition to telling you about the hardships of farming, he gives a picture of a 21-year-old girl's hands; that's all you need to see. In addition to telling you about the influence of the west, he shows you pictures of Japanese women in wanna-be outfits that just say it all. The cartoons, political posters, songs, propaganda posters -- they give a feel for Japan I wasn't expecting from a book.

This book is mostly text; I don't want to imply it has a ton of extras but it has enough to really drive home some of his points.

All that and I haven't even read the book yet!

It was interesting to learn that (obviously) Japan wasn't always like it is now. The description of the employment situation in the 1920s sounds quite a lot like America in the 1990s boom -- no loyal employees with lifelong employment then! Knowing that less than a hundred years ago the reserved, peaceful Japanese engaged in widespread political riots where they beat each other and the police shook up my stereotypes.

Good book, highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Obviously done by a serious language student...

Great refresher or supplement. Portable and self-contained.

Real Japanese, Real good read.

a decent book, but....

wonderful storytelling and a fun study aide

Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text
Giles Murray
Manufacturer: Kodansha International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 4770028997

Book Description

Reading great books in the original should be the culmination of language study, but reading Japanese literature unassisted is a daunting task that can defeat even the most able of students. Breaking into Japanese Literature is specially designed to help you bypass all the frustration and
actually enjoy classics of Japanese literature.

Breaking into Japanese Literature features seven graded stories covering a variety of genres: whether it's the spellbinding surrealism of Natsume Soseki's Ten Nights of Dreams, the humor of Akutagawa Ryunosuke's fable of temple life ("The Nose"), or the excitement of his historic thrillers ("In a
Grove" and "Rashomon"), you are sure to find a story that appeals to you in this collection.

The unique layout-with the original Japanese story in large print, an easy-to-follow English translation and a custom dictionary-was created for maximum clarity and ease of use. There's no need to spend time consulting reference books when everything you need to know is right there in front of your
nose.

To make Japanese literature fun, Breaking into Japanese Literature also has some unique extra features: mini-biographies to tell you about the authors' lives and works, individual story prefaces to alert you to related works of literature or film, and original illustrations to fire your imagination.
Best of all, MP3 sound files of all the stories have been made available for FREE on the Internet.

Breaking into Japanese Literature provides all the backup you need to break through to a new and undiscovered world-the world of great Japanese fiction. All the hard work has been taken care of so you can enjoy the pleasures of the mind. Why not take advantage?

Learn
o 50% of all common-use kanji covered
o Kanji entry numbers given for follow-up study
o Japanese + English translation + custom dictionary on the same page
o Every single kanji word explained

Listen
o Free download of sound files from the Net

Look
o 7 original atmospheric illustrations

Link
o Original stories for Kurosawa's Rashomon and Dreams

All the stories in this book are available on the Internet as MP3 sound files read by professional Japanese actors.

For students who want to consolidate their understanding of kanji, the entry numbers for any of the 2,230 characters in The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary have been provided when those characters feature in Breaking into Japanese Literature. This makes cross-referencing a matter of
seconds.

Customer Reviews:

Obviously done by a serious language student..........2007-08-06

An excellent resource for intermediate students of Japanese working their way to a more advanced level. The author puts all the necessary learning tools in one convenient location. And the free MP3 files help students fine tune their reading, kanji, and pronunciation skills. I would like to see more products like this. I would buy more products like this.

Great refresher or supplement. Portable and self-contained........2007-07-17

I studied Japanese for three semesters ten years ago and have had no opportunity to practice it since. I'm not exactly a blank slate, but I certainly don't remember very much -- maybe 35 kanji (numbers, sun, moon, etc.) and roughly 85% of the kana.

With what basic knowledge of Japanese sentence structure, common particles, and a few verb-ending constructions (v~te, v~tari, v~nakareba, v~tai are common) I've retained, I can read these stories at about one page per 10 minutes with no other reference material needed.

It's that "no other reference materials needed" that makes this an outstanding book.

The first stories have the same slightly repetitive nature that textbooks use to help one learn kanji or sentence structures, but these are classic stories with a repetitive stylistic element, rather than the mindnumbing textbook equivalent. All the benefits of "I am Smith. Who are you? I am Jones. Are you American? Yes, I am American. Are you American? No, I am Canadian. Is your friend Canadian?..." without the boredom!

Granted, some of the kanji I've learned to recognize are not really the highest priority, in terms of usefulness -- "eyebrows" and a phrase for someone who's blind (now considered too rude to use) are in there -- but I've also learned kanji for several useful nouns and adjectives in painless increments, just while reading.

Best, it's fun and gives me a sense of accomplishment I just don't get from reading, say, a Japanese newspaper at the rate of one sentence per half-hour, surrounded by dictionaries.

Real Japanese, Real good read........2007-07-01

This book is an excellent aid for inforcing knowledge of Japanese grammar. On every page, there is a section that lists almost all the words in the order they first appear, their readings, and their translations. I personally find myself in the habit of always looking at this mini-dictionary whether I know the words or not. The English version of the story is translated to the more fluid side than literal side. I like to see if how they translated each sentence is how I would have, and with every word's meaning right there all that is left is to understand the grammar.

The book states that these versions of the stories were chosen for their moden Kanji use. I have come across several words using different kanji than I am used, and even some words using Kanji that I never knew had Kanji. Luckily I have a friend and teacher to ask questions. Often he tells me that those Kanji could be used that way but that they rarely are. Sometimes he is suprised by the use of Kanji altogether.

If nothing else, these are classic Japanese stories, in actual Japanese writings, with downloadable readings by a native speaker. And they are interesting, good reads. I only give the book 4 stars instead of 5 due to: uncommon Kanji use, artistic licence with the English, convenient current meanings in the dictionary, and the occasional forgotten word from the mini-dictionary.

a decent book, but...........2007-06-30

I bought this book thinking it would help my reading. I am at a pre-intermediate level, after learning around 400 kanji. I found this book too hard for my level, and as for the translation, I found it to have much literary license. I would prefer to have had the translation more exactly what was written.

wonderful storytelling and a fun study aide.......2007-02-24

Ive studied Nihongo for 2 months and only know 175 kanji but bought this anyway to motivate myself. As expected, it's beyond my reading level, but I was able to recognize some kanji and get a feel for how "real" Japanese differs from the exercises in my Genki text. I'll read the easiest story again in 6 months and again in 1 year to check my progress.

The MP3 file for Soseki's "First Night" is a treat for the ears and while I only understand the 1st sentence ("I had a dream") I have a better grasp of proper Japanese pronunciation and pace --- unlike Pimsleur CDS which are artificially slow by necessity. In short, even if you're a rank beginner like me, I highly recommend buying this.

Culture and Technology in Modern Japan (Culture & Technical Modern Japan)

Average customer rating:

Culture and Technology in Modern Japan (Culture & Technical Modern Japan)

Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The rise of Japan as an economic superpower is a remarkable episode in the history of the modern world. This book seeks to explain this phenomenal success by looking at the issues of culture and technology, and making comparison with the experience of the US, the UK and Europe as a whole. The relationship between culture and technology lies at the heart of the undoubted market success of Japan, and the development of high technology and the much-lauded "cultural" attributes of Japan have contributed powerfully to national success. These vital issues are examined in detail and include, for example, the relationship between company "culture" and "structure," and the overriding impact of Japanese "national" culture. National cultures and the West are compared with the consequent effect on entrepreneurial and technological progress.

The Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke

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Timeless
An ancient book but still applicable to modern life
Good
Interesting
informative and delightful

The Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke
Yuzan Daidoji , and Thomas Cleary
Manufacturer: Charles E Tuttle Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0804831904

Book Description

The Code of the Samurai is a four-hundred-year-old explication of the rules and expectations embodied in Bushido, the Japanese way of the warrior. Bushido has played a major role in shaping the behavior of modern Japanese government, corporations, society, and individuals, as well as in shaping the modern martial arts within Japan and internationally. The Japanese original of this book has been one of the primary sources on the tenets of Bushido, a way of thought that remains fascinating to modern world, East and West

Customer Reviews:

Timeless.......2007-04-12

Take a peek into Japanese culture, and be amazed how this ancient text still applies to life today. You'll also learn a great deal about medieval Japan.

An ancient book but still applicable to modern life.......2007-03-15

Code of the Samurai is a nice peek into Japanese culture, in under a hundred pages. It's amazing to see how such an ancient book can still be of use today, and how some things we consider 'common courtesy' have fundamental roots, and an actual reason.

Good.......2006-03-23

The author does a good job translating the text into modern day principles. Definitely a good read for those interested in Bushido and it's ideas.

Interesting.......2005-07-06

I found this book educational, comical, and well worth reading. In less than a hundred pages it taught me a lot about medieval Japan. What I enjoyed more is the way its original author's voice comes shining through in the text. His condescension, his bluntness, his matter-of-fact all make for a hilarious introduction to the mind of the samurai. Some of the statements that come out of Shigesuke's mouth are a world apart from what we hear in textbooks today. He has no problem telling the student that he is a "lazy" "moron" "coward" unless he is exactly what a warrior should be. But beneath all this there is wisdom here. A very interesting book.

informative and delightful.......2005-05-13

Wonderful read, and unlike such weightier classics as THE ART OF WAR or THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS, this one is readily accessible to the western mind.

After reading it twice, I came to think that everything after the first chapter -- nay, after the first two paragraphs -- was mere repetition. This is because all the behaviors and philosophies the author recommends would be the natural consequence if one truly were to "keep death in mind at every possible moment."

The book is a series of short chapters like "Loyalty," "Finances," "Personal Appearance;" each describing the ideal behavior of an ideal samurai with respect to each.

I can't comment on the organization or skill of Cleary's translation, though, since I know of no other version of this book. However I am inclined to think it is adept, since the nature of the work suggests the original Japanese would be extremely stiff. This is not the case with the English.

Gripes:

1. Note that this is a thin book; you can read it in about an hour. I was expecting something much thicker, at least the size of THE UNFETTERED MIND, say.

2. Oscar Ratti's illustrations will be disappointing to those familiar with his work in SECRETS OF THE SAMURAI and AIKIDO: THE DYNAMIC SPHERE. There are only a handful of them, and that handful isn't very interesting.

3. The binding of this book came apart rather quickly, after just the first read. Perhaps just my copy, though.

4. Sadly, the introduction by Cleary is completely forgettable.

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Excellent!
A Fluke?
Murakami and the absurdities of ordinary life
Do not buy Lederhosen in Hamburg!

The Elephant Vanishes: Stories
Haruki Murakami
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679750533
Release Date: 1994-06-28

Book Description

With the same deadpan mania and genius for dislocation that he brought to his internationally acclaimed novels A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami makes this collection of stories a determined assault on the normal. A man sees his favorite elephant vanish into thin air; a newlywed couple suffers attacks of hunger that drive them to hold up a McDonald's in the middle of the night; and a young woman discovers that she has become irresistible to a little green monster who burrows up through her backyard.

By turns haunting and hilarious, The Elephant Vanishes is further proof of Murakami's ability to cross the border between separate realities -- and to come back bearing treasure.

Customer Reviews:

Good.......2007-09-27

Unlike most anthologies of short stories, those by Haruki Murakami are generally very interesting. None of the stories in this collection seemed like filler, chosen just to make sure that there were enough stories to fill a book.

Instead, I reached the end, and felt a bit sad that the ride was over already. Other reviewers will have, I am sure, talked about what the stories are, so I won't bother.

I will just say that you should not expect a normal story arc in any of them. Some have it, but if you expect it going in, you will only be disappointed. Instead, take Murakami by the hand and let him be your guide into his head and his worlds. And simply enjoy the ride.

Buy it, read it, lend it, keep it. It is a good book.

Harkius

Excellent!.......2007-07-28

Unfortunately short story collections too often seem the bastardized relatives of novels and I so seldom see them appear on any award or reading lists. Murakami's The Elephant Vanishes is a prime example of how perfect and well crafted short stories can be. His stories tend to follow the lives of the upper/middle class and a certain emotional distance or ambiguity and here and there an element will connect one story with a previous story. This perhaps was the first book that I couldn't wait to finish because I was so exhilarated to read it again. My favorite story in the collection (read it even if it's only in passing): "The Second Bakery Attack."

A Fluke?.......2007-07-09

Perhaps it is because this is a compilation of earlier works, or perhaps because the scope of short stories is limiting, I found myself a little disappointed with this book. While I am without a doubt a Murakami fan (I absolutely loved A Wild Sheep Chase; Dance, Dance, Dance; Hardboiled Wonderland; and Kafka on the Shore), I found the stories here lacked the complexity that I have come to enjoy from Murakami. I did enjoy some of the stories here, but, over all, I found the book a little lacking in depth.

Murakami and the absurdities of ordinary life.......2007-03-28

Acclaimed as a novelist, Haruki Murakami also shines as a writer of short stories. Having read his short story collections _After the Quake_ and _Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman_, I decided it was high time I checked out this one. I was not disappointed. In fact, the more of his short stories one reads, the more one begins to appreciate Murakami's skill in this capacity. While his novels are long, dreamlike excursions, his short stories are snapshots of everyday life, peppered with an appropriate amount of the mysterious and unexpected. The terms "absurd" and "surreal" come to mind, but what is so striking about the stories in _The Elephant Vanishes_ is how very real they seem. They cause the reader to reflect on the absurdities and surprises of life itself. Reading Murakami, who wouldn't believe that one day an elephant could vanish suddenly, without explanation?

Some of the highlights of this collection are "The Dancing Dwarf", a story narrated by an employee of an elephant factory, "The Second Bakery Attack", which involves a bizarre holdup, "TV People", a short story found also in a Norton anthology and my personal introduction to Murakami, and the remarkable "The Elephant Vanishes." "The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday's Women" is also mentionable as it was later expanded into one of his most memorable novels. This book is definitely worth checking out.

Do not buy Lederhosen in Hamburg!.......2006-11-10

I am normally not much inclined towards short stories, but HM may have converted me here.
There are some damned good stories in this volume!
"Sleep" is one of my favourites, a tale about a young wife's and mother's insomnia and hallucinations. Scary.
The little green monster of the story with the same name is a truely tragic figure. You can't but sympathize with it.
Never read a better story on disenchantment than "Lederhosen", though I have my doubt about the claim that the best Lederhosen shop is somewhere near Hamburg. Poetic licence, for sure.
HM is a master of the short story art form. None better.
I fail to see the parallel to Raymond Carver, though Altman's movie Shortcuts is one of my favorite movies, and it is based on Carver short stories.
There is an essential difference between Carver's and HM's short stories: Carver is unerringly going downhill, his stories are always turning to the worst possible outcome. HM is different. You have no sense of direction with him. There is no meaning to the direction of the stories. They are what they are, not upwards or downwards.
The collection shows that the man is versatile. Let me try a typology of HM short stories:
1. fantasy worlds (dancing dwarf)
2. real world with invading fantasy (green monster, TV people, vanishing elephant)
3. real world, fairly extravagant (raging winds, Tuesday's women, perfect girl)
4. real world, fairly real (last lawn, silence, slow boat to China)
5. mindbenders (sleep)

Science, Technology and Research and Development in Japan (Routledge Library of Modern Japan)

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Science, Technology and Research and Development in Japan (Routledge Library of Modern Japan)
Morris Low
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0415220890

Book Description

This new addition to the Routledge Library of Modern Japan brings together the most significant studies in recent year on science, technology and R & D in Japan. An extensive introduction draws together the three volumes.
Contents:
* Volume I covers basic science in Japan, focusing in particular on university-industry cooperation.
* Volume 2 is devoted to technology, including technology transfer and engineering education.
* Volume 3 focuses on Research and Development, with particular reference to the private sector.

The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto

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Vivid ...
"O brave new world/ That has such people in't!"
A Different Sort of Travel Book
Breaks trust between reader and writer
An ethereal travelogue...

The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto
Pico Iyer
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679738347
Release Date: 1992-10-27

Book Description

When Pico Iyer decided to go to Kyoto and live in a monastery, he did so to learn about Zen Buddhism from the inside, to get to know Kyoto, one of the loveliest old cities in the world, and to find out something about Japanese culture today -- not the world of businessmen and production lines, but the traditional world of changing seasons and the silence of temples, of the images woven through literature, of the lunar Japan that still lives on behind the rising sun of geopolitical power.

All this he did. And then he met Sachiko.

Vivacious, attractive, thoroughly educated, speaking English enthusiastically if eccentrically, the wife of a Japanese "salaryman" who seldom left the office before 10 P.M., Sachiko was as conversant with tea ceremony and classical Japanese literature as with rock music, Goethe, and Vivaldi. With the lightness of touch that made Video Night in Kathmandu so captivating, Pico Iyer fashions from their relationship a marvelously ironic yet heartfelt book that is at once a portrait of cross-cultural infatuation -- and misunderstanding -- and a delightfully fresh way of seeing both the old Japan and the very new.

Customer Reviews:

Vivid ..........2007-07-25

In my opinion, Pico Iyer seems to be a very moody writer. He usually writes well, but then there are moments when he comes into his own and writes with an amazing surreal quality. The transition from good to surreal is very smooth: It is like being transported to another (sometimes surreal, but very vivid) realm and you'll lose count of the time. I was particularly impressed by his prose wherein he describes his late night walks amidst all the floating lanterns.
Pico has an uncanny knack of doing accurate and exhaustive research about the place and cultures he visits. Japan is an intriguing place that is steeped in three religions, immense & immaculate aesthetics, humbling hospitality, spellbinding natural scenery and Zen. Pico's interpretation of Zen is very interesting (though not very complete) and will give you opportunities of reflection, contemplation and fulfillment: In effect, living in the moment, which is quintessential Zen.
There are some parts that Pico could have done without. These are:
1. Description of his visits to Kyoto's high-end and nouveau bars. In these chapters, he squanders his high-prose to a reporter's anecdotal write-up.
2. The hallmark of this book is his interaction and lovely relationship with Sachiko San. However, at time he has made some give-take remarks about Sachiko San (in my opinion). This in some ways taints the beautiful relationship between Pico & Sachiko.

Nevertheless, this is a very good read. I would highly recommend it.

"O brave new world/ That has such people in't!".......2007-05-23

Any reviewer can find something wrong with a book, if s/he tries hard enough. And many have been quick to do so here. I suppose I could as well (e.g., by picking on Iyer for not going into the implications of the faux-Utopian society Japan has created). But I have absolutely no desire to do so. The book is so beautifully and deftly written, the romance so touching and piquant without falling into bathos, that it would, to me be similar to picking at the lovely haikus interspersed herein, stylistically complementing the lyrical writing.

Yes, as one reviewer has pointed out, it is more memoir than what is called "Travel Literature"-though the boundaries between the two have always seemed blurry to me at best.

This book will be enjoyed most by lovers of poetry, lyrical poetry - such as that of Yeats and Shelley, than by readers of the "hard-boiled" school of travel writing epitomized in V.S. Naipaul's works. If you believe that poetry is the deepest sort of writing, that one can get to "know" a society or people better through a Romantic relationship with a member of that society than by doing a Sociological study of it, if your dream life is as important to you as waking life, in short, if you have a poetic nature: This is the book for you!

"Everyone falls in love with what he cannot begin to understand."--Or, as Pico finds out, thinks he cannot, but through patience and love finds that he can...begin.

PS-Pico and Sachiko are still together, according to wikipedia at any event.

A Different Sort of Travel Book.......2007-03-12

Most travel books follow a conventional path. An intrpedid traveller goes to an exotic locale and begins a journey from Point A to Point B. During the trip, the narrator describes the landscape and the intersting characters he meets along the way. The reader leaves the book feeling that they have a better understanding of some distant locale.

Pico Iyer's "The Lady and the Monk" is a very different type of travel book. First and foremost, Iyer goes to Kyoto for a year and never really leaves the city. His book is more of a sedentary tale that revolves around his romantic relationship with a 30 year old, married mother of two.

The emotional center of this book is about a Japanese woman's attempt to break out of the strict confines of a society that keeps her from realizing her dreams. This tale of rebellion and rebirth is not told by the woman but by her Anglo/Indian/American lover. His analysis and insights are interesting but they are by there very nature second hand. And yet the one area where Iyer is an expert, his own feelings, he is a bit coy. This is a very unusual traval narrative. It is interesting but not a classic.

Breaks trust between reader and writer.......2007-02-08

I loved this book at first and then began to slowly grow distrustful of the author. He's constantly hooking up with "The Lady" to goto various places around Japan but around halfway through the book, she's gushing feelings of love to him and he's weirdly stoic. The odd clue like them sharing a hotel room and meeting up in a foreign county make it seem as if he's hiding something. Once that feeling was in me, the book became a lot less fullfilling. I kept thinking about The Lady's two kids and, really, how lame the author was acting (especially after finding out they currently live together in Kyoto).
It's also a lazy book. the author doesn't even try to learn the language before moving to Japan and spends half the book with various foreigners living in the country. A far superior book about a foreigner residing in Japan and REALLY living with the Japanese and writing about their lifestyle/culture is LEARNING TO BOW.

An ethereal travelogue..........2006-09-17

Travel narrative writing is built upon one big theme: the intersection between fantasy and reality in unfamiliar cultural settings, and for whatever reason, it seems that the battle between one side or another of that thematic divide rages most intensely in the writings on Japan coming from non-Japanese.

It strikes me that it's always about the dream of Japan (and clutching that dream very tightly, lest it slip away permanently), or the desire to explode myths, or a need to explain business strategies to Western CEO's afraid of competition on the other side of the Pacific, or a guide to picking up Asian women, or something equally self-absorbed.

In the case of Pico Iyer's rich THE LADY AND THE MONK, it's all about the dream, and perhaps the women as well. The book is non-fiction, but very stylized in the fashion of a novel, so any sort of journalistic "this is how it is" conceits are tossed out quickly, and Iyer builds from a simple premise that is - nonetheless - laden with potential: move to some mythic place (in his case, Kyoto) knowing none of the language and little of the culture, and see if you can get by for a year.

Quickly it becomes apparent that Iyer is infatuated with the "dream" of Japan - the Japan mythologized by Roland Barthes in his inscrutable EMPIRE OF SIGNS, and Iyer's writing is similarly woozy and ethereal, which I suppose is inspired by his own conceptions of classical Japanese culture, or literature at least. It works, because Iyer's writing does have a certain rhythm, and the compressed time frame lends the book a structure, and though Iyer gains precious few serious insights about the place, he does write beautifully.

The book as a whole does propose an indirect, intriguing question that will hang around long after you finish the book: if you are an outsider (in any culture), what's the value of the myths and dreams you might hold about a place? Erroneous though they may be, how might they also represent ways of easing into the flow of a place both real and imagined, filtering the unfamiliar through the somewhat familiar? What are the risks in not just seeing a place as it is and diving in? In this fascinating book, Japan becomes Iyer's tabula rasa, a thing upon which he projects any number of fantasies and poetic imaginings, and somehow he does manage to gradually slip into a somewhat less woozy view of the place.

His cryptically rendered relationship with Sachiko is presented more poetically, which I think is approriate (though Iyer clearly is also reaching for Kawabata territory here, which he fails to achieve), and he sidesteps the moral implications of the relationship, which is perhaps ethically squirrely, but Japan has - at times - famously been a place where outsiders travel to get laid, so I don't think he violates anything any number of other writers (some far more smarmy about it) haven't also violated. And certain of his anecdotes: the shy Japanese man who makes a rather spontaneous pass at him, or the sad gaijin in hostess bars (you can almost see Iyer making a mental note: "Don't become THAT GUY.") are amusing and a little touching in the rendering, hitting upon some essentials that transcend cultural boundaries.

An odd, and perhaps difficult book which is more literary than fact-fixated. Nonetheless, far greater than most other reviewers would seem to think.

-David Alston

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