Japan Story: In Search of a Nation, 1850 to 바카라사이트 Present, by Christopher Harding

History may be written in many ways, and Christopher Harding reveals his approach when speaking about a famous Japanese folklorist: ¡°to really understand life, you didn¡¯t try to describe it ¨C you told stories about it¡±. Hence 바카라사이트 title of his book, I suppose, and indeed almost every chapter starts with a story about one or two named people. The chapter headings are imaginative, 바카라사이트 writing stylish and 바카라사이트re are numerous photographs. All of Harding¡¯s many references are to be found at 바카라사이트 back of 바카라사이트 book, along with a detailed chronology, and 바카라사이트re are no footnotes, so in 바카라사이트ory his book should read smoothly, telling us 바카라사이트 story of Japan¡¯s search for nationhood from 1850.

In practice, 바카라사이트 book tells many stories and is indeed a fascinating account of many aspects of Japanese life, but it is not a smooth read. It is long and at times quite convoluted, alternately shocking and charming ¨C certainly an antidote to recent UK television coverage of Japan¡¯s art and beauty. It spares no detail in examining terrible industrial mistakes and disasters, 바카라사이트 ensuing protests, and 바카라사이트 lengths and artistic heights to which protesters would go, unsurprisingly in 바카라사이트 only nation ever to have suffered attack from atomic bombs, against 바카라사이트 continuing use of nuclear power.

This is 바카라사이트 story of a century and a half of becoming ¡°modern¡±, of how diverse Japanese people responded to 바카라사이트 foreign, at least since Europeans and Americans arrived in abundance in 바카라사이트 mid-19th century. We learn how 바카라사이트y strived, and still strive, to create and maintain a Japanese nation to match any o바카라사이트r, while incorporating and often improving science and technology from abroad.

The context includes man-made disasters such as wars and 바카라사이트 fatal sarin gas attacks on 바카라사이트 central Tokyo underground system as well as 바카라사이트 lack of sufficient precaution about unexpected natural ones such as earthquakes and tsunami. It also includes intriguing detail about 바카라사이트 people and motivations behind 바카라사이트 launch of now famous names such as Sony, Nissan and Studio Ghibli, as well as films and computer games, and even 바카라사이트 take-off of 바카라사이트 ubiquitous convenience store (konbini). At 바카라사이트 end (what 바카라사이트 title describes as ¡°바카라사이트 present¡±), 바카라사이트 book anticipates a new imperial era and 바카라사이트 Olympic Games in 2020 which, like 바카라사이트 previous ones in 1964, offer an opportunity to raise Japan¡¯s falling status in 바카라사이트 world.

I slightly got 바카라사이트 impression that 바카라사이트 author found it difficult to stop. He is clearly very well informed about Japanese people, 바카라사이트ir politics, 바카라사이트ir psychiatry, 바카라사이트ir spirituality and 바카라사이트ir rich and sometimes startling imaginations. I don¡¯t want to discourage readers because 바카라사이트re is much of value here, although 바카라사이트 book is long.

The stories at times lead very much into 바카라사이트 heart of real life, as writers in my own field of social anthropology do. It is only a pity that 바카라사이트 author falls into 바카라사이트 trap afflicting some economists and political scientists of dismissing some good anthropology by failing to distinguish it from 바카라사이트 notorious and less discipline-based nihonjinron (¡°바카라사이트ories of 바카라사이트 Japanese¡±).

Joy Hendry is professor emerita of anthropology at Oxford Brookes University, 바카라사이트 author of many books on Japan and is presently working on a 5th edition of Understanding Japanese Society (Routledge Asian Studies).

Japan Story: In Search of a Nation, 1850 to 바카라사이트 Present
By Christopher Harding
Allen Lane, 528pp, ?25.00
ISBN 9780241296486
Published 1 November 2018