The best books about japan five books expert recommendations. Dec 20, 2008 gopal kshetry, who graduated his master degree in economics from an american university, is an avid reader of japanese history, and an observer of japanese society, migrant workers and crime. The best books about japan by foreigners culture trip. Oct 11, 1983 a ninevolume japanese encyclopedia about japan written in english, a project that required more than 12 years and involved 1,300 scholars from 27 countries, will be published in the united states.
This book by brett walker is a brief, yet detailed account of japanese history, starting by tracing japans early history through findings of archeological remains and moving on to other events including civil conflicts, the rise of the samurai, encounters with european countries, and modern day social, political, cultural, and economic events. If it should cover most of japanese history, there is the penguin classic written by richard storry, a history of modern japan. Its set in feudal japan when hardly any foreigners had stepped foot on japanese soil. Pilling was based in tokyo between 2001 and 2008 as a foreign correspondent for the financial times. Kaempfers history of japan provided vivid descriptions of japanese life, a. The book covers the period from 1853 to 1964, the dramatic period in japanese history that saw the meiji restoration, world war ii and the american occupation as well as the beginnings of the astonishing japanese economic miracle. Sep 27, 2017 there are so many books on japanese history and society, but a geek in japan is the goto bible of everything otaku nerd culture in the geek paradise that is modern day japan. The number of foreign residents in japan is booming. Dec 16, 2019 in the forward, the book s editor, ivan morris, who translated some of the stories, provides a brief japanese history from the meiji era, when the western form of literature was first introduced. It also provides a timeline of events in japanese history, a glossary of japanese terms, biographical sketches of important figures, and a bibliographic essay of interest to students and general readers. Shibata received a masters degree in international communication from the graduate school of international. Using information based on interviews with policymakers in japan, the author provides new insight into japan s foreign policy options and analyzes the nations evolving role in international affairs. Taking in folklore, history and the worlds first novel, here is some of the. Unlike earlier histories of japan, it brings into sharp focus a discussion of women and other previously ignored subjects.
Saburo ienaga was a japanese historian known partly for his involvement in controversies regarding school history textbooks. The series draws on the expertise and research of leading japanese specialists as well as the foremost western historians of japan. Mar 28, 2021 found in the kojiki records of ancient matters and in nihon shoki history of japan she directed the invasion of korea around the 4th century allen, 2003. Its also a good introduction to japanese history as the geisha world is. Over the past few decades, historians of japanese foreign relations have. Persistent attempts by the europeans to convert the japanese to catholicism and their tendency to engage in unfair trading practices led japan to expel most foreigners in 1639. The survey also showed that the population of foreigners in the countrys smaller towns and villages has grown in the last year. Every school and public library should update its resources on japan with this engagingly written and succinct narrative history covering prehistoric times through 1997. But my prior understanding of japan mostly came from reading about world war ii, and from dan carlins wonderful podcasts, supernova in the east and from james clavells novel, shogun, which i read several decades ago. One of the classic works of modern japanese history. Jansen, madoka kanai, denis twitchett book description. Yokohama yankee is a fascinating look at life for foreigners in japan beginning with the authors greatgrandfather who arrived in the country from germany in the mid19th century, just after it had opened up to outsiders. If youd like to speed up your japanese learning journey, without spending all your time pouring over grammar books, then ive got something for you. However, the list above, while incomplete, should give a fairly full, and hopefully enjoyable, introduction to the recent history of japan s foreign affairs.
Many of us foreigners living or traveling in japan are only slightly familiar with the countrys troubled and complicated history. The truth about the sino japanese conflict 1937, by japanese association of america and japanese association of san francisco multiple formats at japan s gamble in china london. She ruled as the regent to her son, emperor ojin, after the death of emperor chuai, but according to accounts, she remained in power even after her son took the throne. His book, the capital of the tycoon, became one of the first books to describe edoperiod japan systematically. They were the only westerners allowed in japan until the us forced japan to open its borders after the expeditions of commodore matthew perry in the 1850s. Do foreigners in japan know anything about japanese history or famous historical people in japan. The evolution of foreign policymaking is ongoing in japan, and no book can fully capture the breadth of japan s global engagement. In the history of the region the pacific war did not end so long ago, certainly not long enough for fundamental cultural change to take. History of the foreign relations of japan edo period lists of people by. The latest edition of a history text book used in more than 50 junior high schools across japan makes no mention of the over 300,000 deaths in the nanjing massacre of 1937, skips allegations that.
Japanese historical novels books metropolis japan japan. The first japanese textbook for foreigners in english japanese tankobon softcover 4. Tokugawa shogunate, 16001868, japanese history, books. Inspire a love of reading with amazon book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with amazon book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new amazon book box prime customers receive 15% off your first box. Japan s massive foreign investments and level of trade, other introduction 3 m4. Many in the region still remember japan s wartime aggression. Dec 03, 2018 through rodrigues we are introduced to the depths of japan and its people in a provocative, highly informative and, at times, brutal account of japanese 17 th century history. The shogun also limited foreign trade to hirado and nagasaki. After 1720, when the shogun military ruler tokugawa yoshimune 1684 1751 relaxed the rules regarding the importation of foreign books, the dutch and their goods, including the scientific knowledge they brought with them, were the subject of both scholarly inquiry and popular interest.
I have spent the last 3 years and 4 months living in hyogo prefecture, japan, spending most of my weekends and free time in osaka the city that forever stole my heart. After 1720, when the shogun military ruler tokugawa yoshimune 1684 1751 relaxed the rules regarding the importation of foreign books, the dutch and their goods, including the scientific knowledge. The book begins with a brief overview of major issues related to japans foreign policy since the midnineteenth century, and then focuses on the direction of japanese foreign policy. The controversies primarily concern the nationalist right efforts to whitewash the actions of the empire of japan during world war ii another serious issue is the constitutionality of the. A beautiful woman is torn between two ways of life, two ways of love. The cambridge history of japan is the first major collaborative synthesis to present the current state of knowledge of japanese history for the englishreading world.
While in tokyo, pilling often interacted with key political and cultural figures. This history, based on the most recent scholarship, provides a chronological narrative examining the political, cultural, philosophical, and religious continuities in japan s long, rich history in an exploration of why the. This list contains notable europeans and americans who visited japan before the meiji. His communication with the scholar arai hakuseki resulted in the book seiyo. For a short book that gives a very insightful history of japan we highly recommend inventing japan by ian buruma. James curtis hepburn 1859, united states an american physician, educator and christian missionary who is known for the hepburn romanization system, enabling westerners to read and write japanese in roman script.
Nobunaga was a daimyo japanese feudal lord who attempted to unify the country in the 16 th century. But a new survey finds that only one in five japanese people have. The internal affairs ministry says the figure reached 2. However, many foreigners consider this series of books to be outdated and not practical for learning japanese. There are dozens of beginner japanese textbooks, but if you are looking for a comprehensive, practical basic japanese book, we recommend the first japanese textbook for foreigners in english. Historical and contemporary perspectives on the sakoku theme. Shogun by james clavell is my personal alltime favourite book about japan. This book gives a fascinating historical overview but places emphasis on where japan is today and where its headed toward in the future. Yokohama yankee is a fascinating look at life for foreigners in japan.
Jan 05, 2021 whats it like living in japan as a f oreigner. The cambridge history of japan 6 volume set by john whitney hall, marius b. Jun 30, 2020 this era in japanese history, the heian period 7941185, was one of great significance to nobles, anyway. An event unique to japan, it was the meiji restoration that set japan apart developmentally from its asian neighbors. Jul 12, 2018 foreign nationals in their twenties make up about 5. Most japanese writings on the topic constitute an integral part of the domestic struggle over the historical narrative found in the textbooks and. His descriptions in history of japan posthumously published in english in 1727. The best books about japan by foreigners tokyo vice by jake adelstein hokkaido highway blues by will ferguson pachinko by min jin lee. Five mustread books from japanese literature bbc future. The first japanese textbook for foreigners in english practical with. Teaching english in japan 5 introduction this essay is a history that relates the japanese tradition of accepting and adapting aspects of foreign culture, especially as it applies to the learning of foreign languages. Dower is a great authority on the japanese occupation. In 1639 the children of foreign fathers and japanese mothers were forced to leave and the daughter of dutch head. For the two centuries that followed, japan limited trade access to dutch and chinese ships with special charters.
Kaempfers the history of japan covers japanese history, geography, fauna and. Seis book is basically a collection of random thoughts, an ancient blog. Lately, selfaccess learning has been catching on in japan, however, and the creation of. Lets go and check their knowledge on the country they are.
Oct 26, 2018 the book enlists the help of some japanese but predominantly foreign artists, sociologists, anthropologists, urban studies professors, illustrators, fashion designers, architects, and countless other creatives and experts to really explore what makes tokyo, tokyo from a global perspective. Dec 10, 2018 originally from nepal, shrestha is one of the 1. This book, translated into english by gaynor sekimoriherself an authority on japanese religious history offers a kaleidoscopic and engaging overview of japan s religious legacy as well as insights into how religion can become a force for peaceful coexistence in contemporary society rather than a source of violent extremism. Its japanese uncovered, my storybased course, that will help you go from japanese beginner or false beginner to intermediate while immersing yourself in a compelling story. Apr 04, 2021 rated 5 out of 5 by raymond24 from a good place to start i had a japanese american roommate in college, and other japanese american friends. The book begins with a brief overview of major issues related to japan s foreign policy since the midnineteenth century, and then focuses on the.
With japan having such a rich and fascinating history, and elements of its history so famous around the world, there is an undeniable allure for people wanting to read the best books on japan, especially japanese history. Spanning the year period between the end of the tokugawa era and the end of the cold war, this book introduces students to the formation, collapse, and. Engaging japan s history textbooks there is a vast amount of scholarly and journalistic work in japan devoted to the history of the textbook issue, which predates the emergence of the tsukuru kai. Visually, its a beautiful piece of recorded culture. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Aug 16, 2015 many foreigners have lived in japan for several years using only with english doing this job. Japan but foreigners were prohibited from leaving the treaty ports and at this. As a matter of fact, many of my japanese friends who do not speak english have told me that they are very envious of those who can speak english fluently and can go so many places in the world because of that. Despite five generations of the helm family living in japan, running a business there, and even marrying locals, they never truly integrate.
Follow my friends and i as we speak chinese, japanese, and englis. Gopal kshetry, who graduated his master degree in economics from an american university, is an avid reader of japanese history, and an observer of japanese society, migrant workers and crime. Nagazumi ytko, the editor of sakoku o minaosu, organizes the book into four. The changing view of foreigners in japan nhk world. Another general japanese history book about the occupation of japan is a book by j.
Made for all those westerners who grew up on a diet of pokemon, dragonball z and video games, this comprehensive guidebook features coverage on all facets of local. In 1953, the japanese ministry of education published a textbook by ienaga but censored what they said were factual errors and matters of opinion, regarding japanese war crimes. This is also a rare case, with a japanese author writing about his own country from the perspective of a foreigner. List of westerners who visited japan before 1868 wikipedia. May 14, 2020 oda nobunaga is easily one of the most famous people in japanese history. The first japanese textbook for foreigners in english. Japans first visitor from england, william adams was a pilot on the liefde, a dutch. Ive been looking for good books on japan written by foreigners that have the same feel as hokkaido highway blues by will ferguson. Foreign influence and the transformation of early modern japan. Japanese history textbook controversies involve controversial content in one of the governmentapproved history textbooks used in the secondary education junior high schools and high schools of japan. There is a curious tension in japan s foreign relations. Later during the 1980s, there was an influx of migrant workers which become a hot topic of debate. From tokugawa times to the present by andrew gordon, embracing defeat.
Major encyclopedia on japan written in english the. He is a person that universally known and everyone whom learns about in history books and classes. A historical perspective and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Foreign influence and the transformation of early modern japan yayori takano the meiji restoration of 1868 is known as one of the great turning points in japanese history. My name is jessica and i recently moved back to my hometown of phoenix, arizona, u. The book offers detailed explanations in english and japanese, so readers never feel lost or confused. Despite the restrictions placed on foreign trade and relations, japan in the period after 1639 was not entirely closed to foreign influence. In particular, the essay describes the history of english education in japan by investigating its developments after the meiji era. The first japanese textbook for foreigners in english omg japan. These books speak for a japan that is often spoken for and about, and. Japan history books japanvisitor japan travel guide. The book enlists the help of some japanese but predominantly foreign artists, sociologists, anthropologists, urban studies professors, illustrators, fashion designers, architects, and countless other creatives and experts to really explore what makes tokyo, tokyo from a global perspective.
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