Download or read book Japanese Journeys written by Geoffrey Bownas and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-10-25 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geoffrey Bownas, widely known over the last half century for his writings, translations, broadcasts and commentaries relating to Japan, and an eminent Japanese Studies scholar who pioneered teaching in this field at Oxford (1954) and Sheffield (1966), has at last completed a memoir. It is both a literary triumph and a compelling read – not least for the many who have known him – as well as a historical record of some significance tracking Japan’s post-war history from abject poverty to unimaginable prosperity as the world’s second largest economy, and the ‘lost’ post-bubble years. In particular, the author includes a detailed account of his association with Mishima Yukio while preparing the Penguin New Writing in Japan, his early years in Kyoto and his experience of living in Tenri City. He also offers a critical appraisal of the Japanese aesthetic, documents an extraordinary meeting with Honda Soichiro, and takes a nostalgic journey back to the writing of his many books on Japan, including the Penguin Book of Japanese Verse (with Anthony Thwaite), Japanese Rainmaking and Other Folk Practices, and Japan and the New Europe. Equally, his involvement and input at some of Japan’s key turning points over the last fifty years make fascinating reading, such as the 1964 Tokyo Olympics when he was the BBC’s interpreter, and more recently the New Kansai International Airport in the early 1990S as consultant to Watson Steel, a member of the AMEC Group.
Download or read book Japan Journeys written by Andreas Marks and published by C. E. Tuttle. This book was released on 2015-04 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 日本の名所を巡る浮世絵の画集
Download or read book Jazz Journeys to Japan written by William Minor and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One author's personal odyssey through the jazz scene in Japan
Download or read book Pacific Pioneers written by John E. Van Sant and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2000-04-19 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume profiles the first Japanese who resided in the United States or the Kingdom of Hawaii for a substantial period of time and the Westerners who influenced their experiences in the New World. It explores the motivations and accomplishments of these individuals.
Download or read book Japanese Cinema Goes Global written by Yoshiharu Tezuka and published by Hong Kong University Press. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japan’s film industry has gone through dramatic changes in recent decades, as international consumer forces and transnational talent have brought unprecedented engagement with global trends. With careful research and also unique first-person observations drawn from years of working within the international industry of Japanese film, the author aims to examine how different generations of Japanese filmmakers engaged and interacted with the structural opportunities and limitations posed by external forces, and how their subjectivity has been shaped by their transnational experiences and has changed as a result. Having been through the globalization of the last part of the twentieth century, are Japanese themselves and overseas consumers of Japanese culture really becoming more cosmopolitan? If so, what does it mean for Japan’s national culture and the traditional sense of national belonging among Japanese people?
Download or read book Looking for the Lost written by Alan Booth and published by Vertical Inc. This book was released on 2021-04-21 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A VIBRANT, MEDITATIVE WALK IN SEARCH OF THE SOUL OF JAPAN Traveling by foot through mountains and villages, Alan Booth found a Japan far removed from the stereotypes familiar to Westerners. Whether retracing the footsteps of ancient warriors or detailing the encroachments of suburban sprawl, he unerringly finds the telling detail, the unexpected transformation, the everyday drama that brings this remote world to life on the page. Looking for the Lost is full of personalities, from friendly gangsters to mischievous children to the author himself, an expatriate who found in Japan both his true home and dogged exile. Wry, witty, sometimes angry, always eloquent, Booth is a uniquely perceptive guide. Looking for the Lost is a technicolor journey into the heart of a nation. Perhaps even more significant, it is the self-portrait of one man, Alan Booth, exquisitely painted in the twilight of his own life.
Download or read book Kansai Cool written by Christal Whelan and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2014-03-25 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Kansai Cool anthropologist, writer and filmmaker Christal Whelan offers profound insights in the only collection of essays to focus on Kansai, Japan's ancient heartland. Kansai—the region in Western Japan that boasts the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara, the bustling commercial city of Osaka and the cosmopolitan port city of Kobe—has a character all its own, right down to its dialect, mannerisms, and cuisine. It is home to some of Japan's oldest history and an area where the country's most time-honored arts and crafts still thrive. Worldly and otherworldly, spirited and spiritual, trendy and traditional, it's a place where past and future live side-by-side, sometimes at odds. Part Japanese travel book, part cultural commentary, these 25 spirited essays and 32 pages of color photos paint a broad yet penetrating portrait of the unique Western Japan region, covering such diverse topics as: The needs of the spirit—shrines, temples and the call to pilgrimage The arts in Kansai—dance, painting, anime, and combat The relationship between hi-tech and old-tech Material culture—bikes, robots, and dolls The culture of fashion in Kansai—from kimonos and obis to modern fashion designers, and the Lolita complex The meaning of landscape— human-made islands and the mystical power of water The hidden meaning of food—an anthropology of coffee and traditional cuisine From the deep-seated ancient beliefs of Kyoto to modern teen otaku culture, costume play and haute couture of Kobe and Osaka—Whelan delves below the surface to let readers eager to travel to Japan experience how art, science, faith and history swirl together in the Kansai region to produce this unique wellspring of Japanese culture.
Download or read book The Ikigai Journey written by Hector Garcia and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2020-06-23 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Ikigai Journey, authors Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles take their international bestseller Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life a step further by showing you how to find your own ikigai through practical exercises, such as employing new habits and stepping outside your comfort zone. Ikigai is the place where our passion (what we love), mission (what we hope to contribute), vocation (the gifts we have to offer the world) and profession (how our passions and talents can become a livelihood) converge, giving us a personal sense of meaning. This book helps you bring together all of these elements so that you can enjoy a balanced life. Our ikigai is very similar to change: it is a constant that transforms depending on which phase of life we are in. Our "reason for being" is not the same at 15 as it is at 70. Through three sections, this book helps you to accept and embrace that--acting as a tool to revolutionize your future by helping you to understand the past, so you can enjoy your present. Section 1: Journey Through the Future: Tokyo (a symbol of modernity and innovation) Section 2: Journey Through the Past: Kyoto (an ancient capital moored in tradition) Section 3: Journey Through the Present: Ise (an ancient shrine that is destroyed and rebuilt every twenty years) Japan has one of the longest life spans in the world, and the greatest number of centenarians--many of whom cite their strong sense of ikigai as the basis for their happiness and longevity. Unlike many "self-care" practices, which require setting aside time in an increasingly busy world, the ikigai method helps you find peace and fulfillment in your busy life.
Download or read book The Journey of A Good Type written by David Odo and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Japan opened its doors to the West in the 1860s, delicately hand-tinted photographic prints of Japanese people and landscapes were among its earliest and most popular exports. David Odo studies the collection of Japanese photographs at Harvard’s Peabody Museum and the ways they were produced, acquired, and circulated in the nineteenth century.
Download or read book Samurai and Cotton written by Tomoko T. Takahashi and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2011-11-15 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a story of two livesthat of a loving father and his headstrong daughterin Japan and America. In the context of these two lives, this memoir takes on a historical journey through the world of the samurai as it transitions into the merchant class, culminating in the aftermath of the daughters decision to pursue her dreams to study in America. Based on the true stories of seven generations of author Tomoko T. Takahashis family and centered around the life of her father, Kiyoshi, Samurai and Cotton reveals the struggles and triumphs occurring during tumultuous upheavals in Japanese culture at large and the much more personal trials of a single family. This memoir is filled with vibrant, heartfelt emotion and detail, buoyed by the revealing, authentic letters written by family members. While it focuses on the lifespan and memories of Kiyoshi, this is also the story of Tomoko, who receives indefatigable support from her father first as a headstrong youngster in Japan and later as a determined newcomer to America.
Download or read book Journey Through Japan written by Hans H. Kruger and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2005-03-15 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This stunning travel pictorial highlights the fascinating culture, art, architecture, and people of Japan. The nation of Japan is a diverse mixture of seething metropolises and peaceful temple complexes, of the most advanced in high technology and primitive folk festivals, of kimonos and business suits. Despite or even because of these contradictions, outsiders find the island nation unusually fascinating. Although Japan is the most Westernized of Asian nations, it still retains its own identity. material and spirituality, gaudiness and simplicity, noise and silence intermingle, forming an exquisite dreamlike creation. Symbols and rituals count as important foundations of the modern state. The past lives on in tea ceremonies and ikebana, in sumptuous temple celebrations and joyful festivals. More than 180 pictures illustrate the many facets of a nation existing somewhere between the past and the future. Four special sections report on the aesthetics of eating, the pleasures of hot baths, the little-known snow country to the north and the peculiarly Japanese fusion of art and craft.
Download or read book Journeys to the Japanese 1952 1979 written by Lucia White and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Morton White, one of America's most distinguished and intellectual historians, was among the first Western academics invited to Japan after the Pacific War. With his wife and co- author Lucia, he first went there in 1952 and subsequently made four more trips, the last one in 1979. During these visits the Whites became friendly with many Japanese intellectuals and their families and were able to observe Japan and Japanese life during a crucial part of this century. Through personal reminiscences based on their journals and correspondence, the Whites introduce the reader to the great intellectual, social, and economic changes that took place in Japan during the nearly thirty-year span of their visits. They provide penetrating sketches of the personalities and attitudes of an important group of Japanese academics -- leaders who acted against the prevailing opinion to introduce well-known intellectuals from the United States to help break down the stereotypes created by World War II. Reflecting on the changing trends and practices of the Japanese philosophers, the Whites note the gradual shift in orientation from the European to the American tradition in philosophy and comment on how this produced tensions in the Japanese philosophers who lived through it -- issues of great interest both for students of the history of philosophy and for anyone interested in the spread of American influence. Outside the precincts of the universities, the Whites are keen observers of a culture they have come to respect and admire. The delicacy of Japanese social arrangements, the importance of 'face,' the self-consciously problematic position of women in Japanese society, as well as the intricate web of courtesy are given life through many insightful examples. In the book's final chapter, the Whites ponder upon things Japanese they have yet to understand and how their visits have made them more conscious of their own cultural tradition and what they perceive as its deficiencies. Journeys to the Japanese both entertains and informs about an important period and significant individuals in Japanese history. It is an affecting account of how lasting international sympathy and understanding can be nourished by encouraging cultural exchange and personal friendship.
Download or read book Gurindji Journey written by Minoru Hokari and published by UNSW Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After immersing himself in the culture of a remote Australian Indigenous community for close to a year, the young Japanese scholar Minoru Hokari emerged with a new world view. Gurindji Journey tells of Hokari's experience living with the Gurindji people of Daguragu and Kalkaringi in the Northern Territory of Australia, absorbing their way of life, and beginning to understand Aboriginal modes of seeing and being. This is a personal, philosophical, lyrical record of his journey into Indigenous Australian culture. Part memoir, part history, part theory, Gurindji Journey is the story of Hokari's discovery of Gurindji modes of history and historical practice. It is a work that opens up new pathways for approaching cross-cultural history, anthropology and historical epistemology.
Download or read book Unbeaten Tracks in Japan written by Isabella Lucy Bird and published by . This book was released on 1888 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Way of Whisky written by Dave Broom and published by Mitchell Beazley. This book was released on 2017-10-05 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the André Simon John Avery award 'This book is incredible' - Alex Kratena An in-depth, personal journey around Japan's whisky distilleries. Award-winning author and Japanese whisky expert, Dave Broom, tells their story and unveils the philosophy that lies behind this fascinating whisky culture, and how it relates to many Japanese concepts. Dave looks at the history and output of each distillery, considering the elements that make that particular whisky what it is, and including tasting notes. Features on aspects of Japanese life and culture that are crucial to a wider understanding, from the importance of the seasons to the role of craftsmanship, add to the picture. And interwoven throughout the book is the fascinating narrative of the journey across Japan which Dave made with photographer Kohei Take, offering further insight into the country which creates this wonderful drink and making this a must-have edition for any whisky lover, whisky drinker, whisky collector or Japanophile.
Download or read book Two Journeys to Japan 1856 7 written by Kinahan Cornwallis and published by . This book was released on 1859 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Journeys to Japan Review Analysis written by Kalman Dubov and published by Kalman Dubov. This book was released on with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Grand Voyage on the Holland America flagship Amsterdam to Asia and the Pacific remains one of the most memorable adventures I have had the privilege of being part of. I was thrilled to join the ship in San Diego California, listening to world-class scholars offering in-depth lectures on the places we would visit and to then see these countries first-hand. This volume reviews the port of San Diego, the point of departure, and the ship's visits to several ports of call in Japan. While these ports were interesting, research on Japan’s long reach of history offers up many troubling aspects of this unique people. I pondered their history and unique way of looking at themselves and the rest of the world. How is it possible, for example, for a people to create the highest forms of etiquette and graceful decorum, and to then conduct themselves with utter contempt for basic morality towards others? During World War Two, the massacres committed by the Japanese army in nearly every quadrant of their military and political reach during the Showa Empire begs the question of how common decency and ethical behavior can be so thoroughly absent as if it never existed? Even today, the Japanese government refuses to acknowledge or offer a public apology for wartime acts done during this period. I explore this very troubling issue, wondering where the lines of civility and conformity begin and end. The Japanese are a strange people, and I was frustrated at these two extremes of exemplary behavior and simultaneous contempt of others. It is my contention that a refusal to acknowledge the past, in conjunction with a reappraisal of what went wrong in that previous leadership, will eventually and inevitably force this issue into the present. There is therefore a huge divergence between the Germans and the Japanese. The former reappraised their horrific past, recognizing that a change from that past is a mandatory aspect of their social discourse. Even a Nazi salute in Germany is outlawed and a criminal offense. In contrast, the Japanese have barely tolerated criticisms of its own leaders during that period of darkness. This is a troubling volume in which I explore with an open mind, wondering if there is an answer to these troubling questions. In the Shinto Directive, formulated and implemented by General MacArthur following Japan's unconditional surrender, formalized belief in the emperor's divinity was outlawed. Today, beautiful Shinto shrines dot the Japanese countryside. Citizens can be seen washing hands and rinsing their mouths before entering these sacred spaces, then lighting incense while offering a prayer. Inevitably, I wonder as to the moral component of a people who are outwardly decorous, even recreating the common toothpick into a form of exceptional grace, while being unable to acknowledge common humanity. There are also modern aspects of Japanese society that are difficult to comprehend. Thousands of Japanese youth, for reasons that defy common sense, give up on themselves and their future by adopting the hikikomori lifestyle, living in their parent’s home, not interacting with their peers, and even refusing to emerge from their bedrooms for decades. Parents tolerate this odd behavior, refusing to confront their child, even refusing to acknowledge the presence of their child as the years pass. Similarly, are the jouhatsu, people who suddenly and without the slightest outward change, suddenly and inexplicably, disappear. Desperate to find the loved one, the government refuses to assist because of Japanese strict privacy laws. I describe these aspects of Japanese society, together with others similarly different from Western society. These are aspects of the ‘Asian face’ – that inscrutable and essentially unknown quantum, so different from that of the West. Knowing the facts, together with the statistics accompanying those facts, does not imply understanding the. As a Westerner, I review these manifestations without understanding the Japanese ‘soul,’ its core identity and substance. I can, therefore, only recount the facts and leave the rest to the reader. These questions aside, I very much enjoyed walking Japanese streets, riding its trains, and seeing its people. I also had occasion to chat with several Japanese who expressed surprise at my awareness of their culture, while I was unable to adequately answer my queries. And they too seemed perplexed by my queries, confounded by the imponderables dividing the Western the Eastern way of living a life.
