Japanese Society and History

by John Mckinstry, Harold Kerbo

Japan has always seemed a puzzle to most westerners―so modern, so industrialized, yet somehow so different. Japanese Society and History seeks to initiate westerners to the learning process of making Japan seem a little less mysterious and a little more understandable. This book walks readers through some of the important features of Japanese society to help readers begin slowly forming a more complete picture of Japan. Japanese Society and History is a unique text and effective teaching tool designed for use in comparative sociology and political science courses, as well as courses in Asian Studies.

Japanese Society and History explores a variety a topics in Japanese society,

Genres: History, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Japan

274 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2010

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a very good surface overview of Japanese history and society, particularly for people from the United States. There are a lot of comparisons (particularly later in the book) between what Japan is like and what the US is like, which was nice for me as an American, but possibly less useful for people from other countries.

I think there was a lot of stuff that was glossed over or treated shallowly, but I think that's pretty much unavoidable when trying to cover an entire nation's history in a single small book. Of course, I am not an expert in Japan, so I can't say precisely how accurately they portray the culture there. I suspect some of it is mildly exaggerated in the way that all cultural comparisons are mildly exaggerated, but adjusting for that, it doesn't have that "Isn't crazy?" feeling you get from a lot of western cultural comparison type books.

3.5 of 5 stars

[Claudette · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Audiobook) A fantastic comprehensive look at Japan. A must read for anyone studying Japanology. I've been studying about Japan for 10 years and learnt many new things from this book about the history and culture of Japan. This book also focuses on ancient Japan and the present.

[Kaci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a bit like I just got a crash course on what "model minority" means and why it's a negative. Oy.

[Ánder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and informative book.

If you are interested in knowing more about Japan, this is a great place to start. It does a good job of combining information from many different historical times of Japan.

The biggest "con" is the fact that the writer seems to be interested in writing particularly for people from the United States. Especially early in the book the reader may get the impression that this book is more about comparing Japan to the United States, than about Japan herself.

Anyway, good choice for those who are interested in Japan.

[jellyfishwalnut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, but very informative. While the text sometimes feels a little simplistic at times - like a travel pamphlet or a elementary school textbook - still this is exactly the kind of easy foundational information I was looking for. Japanese Society and History gives a great sweeping foundational overview of Japanese history and culture up to the modern day. I'm very happy to have read this book first in my study of Japanese history because I think it's a great base to build from.

[Mitechie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stuff. A little light, but good info and a nice quick read. The references back/forth in the book can get a bit annoying though.

[Jozsef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for everyone interested in Japan. Really puts some weird stuff in context.