Re-Made in Japan: Everyday Life and Consumer Taste in a Changing Society

by Joseph J. Tobin (Editor)

Colonel Sanders, Elvis, Mickey Mouse, and Jack Daniels have been enthusiastically embraced by Japanese consumers in recent decades. But rather than simply imitate or borrow from the West, the Japanese reinterpret and transform Western products and practices to suit their culture. This entertaining and enlightening book shows how in the process of domesticating foreign goods and customs, the Japanese have created a culture in which once-exotic practices (such as ballroom dancing) have become familiar, and once- familiar practices (such as public bathing) have become exotic.

Written by scholars from anthropology, sociology, and the humanities, the book ranges from analyses of Tokyo Disneyland and the Japanese passion for the Argentinean tango to discussions of Japanese haute couture and the search for an authentic nouvelle cuisine japonaise. These topics are approached from a variety of perspectives, with explorations of the interrelations of culture, ideology, and national identity and analyses of the roles that gender, class, generational, and regional differences play in the patterning of Japanese consumption. The result is a fascinating look at a dynamic society that is at once like and unlike our own.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, Politics, History

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 1992

Reviews

[Hots Hartley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A series of articles and case studies focusing on various Western/American products that penetrated Japan and underwent transformation, like McDonald's → Mos Burger, Coca Cola, and Disney.

I liked the variety of authors penning each chapter. While the information rings true, the various writers present them too pedantically, slowing down the reading and digestion of the ideas. The book reads like a series of cultural essays and studies, with little to no framing in actionable information, like marketing strategy or trends.

Also, the Introduction is way too long. The author desperately needs a course in concise writing: convey information in much fewer words, with lower diction.

Ultimately, I suspect a second reading -- naturally faster and more familiar -- will unearth more lessons to apply, but as it stands, the book is written too academically to feel worthy of a second read. The book desperately needs some actionable advice: What does a modern Western marketer do to re-make a Western product for the Japanese?

[Jordan Berg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book that synthesizes what makes Japan so compelling and unique. A must for those interested in the nation of the rising sun.