Japanese Culture

Rating:
Summary: I think Japanese should cherish the culture as Japanese too.
Review: I have lived in Tokyo, Japan since I was born here. Though I can say about the case in Tokyo only, even I can not look at the Japanese historical things in my ordinaly Tokyo life. Tokyo is same as another big town over the world, developed town with high stores building, the imported fashion from mainly U.S.A etc. Certainly, the modern life in Tokyo may be comfortable, but I think that the life is not truth things, that is, that may be physical comfot, not mental.

If I say honestly, in fact, I am very tired in Tokyo life since my birth, especially mental part: the overpopulated city, dirt air from the rannning cars, people followed with benefit.

In such condition, I think that Japanese should get back the vanished Japanese history again. Japanese long history and cultures is not just culture, I think, they have been made on the reasonable means, for instance Japanese Buddhism would be born on the tender mind that take care of other person. But in modern Japanese city, there are little people that beleive in reliegions.

Thank you for reading poor writing.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing detail in such a small amount of space
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect when i bought this book - after all the title does seem a little generic and it is a pretty small book, but i was pleasantly surprised. Varley's style is incredibly terse yet still very accessible. He deals with Japanese culture chronologically, giving the reader a clear picture of the state of the country at the time any major cultural events took place, although avoiding any unecessarily long forays into the history of Japan which do not relate to cultural happenings. Overall, an extremely diverse and useful introduction to Japanese culture which could provide a thorough grounding in the subject prior to further study, or equally serve as a useful reference book to anyone with a casual interest in the culture of Japan

Rating:
Summary: One of the best introductory books on Japanese Culture
Review: If you are looking for good introductory books on Japanese culture, this book is, perhaps, the only book you need. The book is comprised of rich historical surveys of Japanese culture, with many wonderful B&W pictures. The book does not cover about "current" cultural trends in Japan, but it does cover all important cultural foundations which shape today's Japan. I was born and raised in Japan. But I painfully realized the facts that I didn't know much about my own cultural heritage when I took Prof. Varley's class at college. Through his book, I was able to re-discover myself.

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Summary: 10,000 Years In 300 Pages
Review: The tracings of Japanese culture go back some 10,000 years - speaking conservatively. Since then there has been a remarkable continuity of inhabitation on the Japanese islands, which has resulted in one of the richest and complex cultures in the world today. Originally heavily influenced by the neighboring Chinese culture in the period from 300 BC to 300 AD, the islands quickly found their own way and over the ensuing years have developed a breadth of integrated experience that is often baffling to the outsider or curious student.

Paul Varley's book, in it's fourth edition and showing no signs of losing its value, is an attempt to present the significant cultural and historical developments, covering the past two millennia. OF course, most of the focus is from the eighth century on as Japanese civilization shifted from day to day survival to a complex political framework with a great flourishing of substantive creative art.

Considering that my standard historical reference on Japan has some seven volumes and thousands of (often tedious) pages, Varley's task is considerable and his success worthy of note. In a mere three hundred pages of tiny print Varley manages to draw a picture of the Japanese people that, while far from complete, misses none of the key culture moments.

He does this in a plain, business-like writing style that pours out unending amounts of information with merciless patience. He is very readable, but not what I would call enjoyable, since the sheer quantity of information can be overwhelming. If simply read straight through, it is easy to lose track of the thread of ideas. But the book rewards repeated study and the reader will soon find that all this information contributes much towards an understanding of the Japanese experience.



Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to Japanese history and culture
Review: This book is fantastic for a thorough introduction to Japanese culture. It was a pleasure to read. This was the textbook used for my Japanese Life and Culture university class, and I was extremely pleased with it. Varley's writing style is straightforward and extremely interesting. What I especially liked about the book was its mixture of history and all aspects of Japanese culture, from the literature to the art to the religions. I can't recommend this book highly enough for anyone interested in learning about Japanese culture.

Rating:
Summary: Typical history
Review: This book is good. I'm not going to call it great, nor will I say that it isn't a worthwhile read; however, it gets wordy at points. It could be improved with an overview of each chapter and then have the in-depth information to follow. Regardless, there is a wealth of information within! I personally love the history parts because I fell asleep when I took east asian history, and this is a good way of refreshing my memory to prepare for my college major of East Asian Studies come 2005 ;).

Rating:
Summary: Typical history
Review: This book is good. I'm not going to call it great, nor will I say that it isn't a worthwhile read; however, it gets wordy at points. It could be improved with an overview of each chapter and then have the in-depth information to follow. Regardless, there is a wealth of information within! I personally love the history parts because I fell asleep when I took east asian history, and this is a good way of refreshing my memory to prepare for my college major of East Asian Studies come 2005 ;).

Rating:
Summary: An exceptionally well written comprehensive text on Japan
Review: This is an outstanding text, the best I have encountered in its straightforward writing style and depth of information.