Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival

by David Pilling

In Bending Adversity, Financial Times Asia editor David Pilling presents a fresh vision of Japan, drawing on his own deep experience, as well as observations from a cross section of Japanese citizenry, including novelist Haruki Murakami, former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, industrialists and bankers, activists and artists, teenagers and octogenarians. Through their voices, Pilling captures the dynamism and diversity of contemporary Japan.

Pilling's exploration begins with the 2011 triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown. His deep reporting reveals both Japan's vulnerabilities and its resilience and pushes him to understand the country's past through cycles of crisis and reconstruction. Japan's survivalist mentality has carried it through tremendous hardship, but is also the source of great destruction: It was the nineteenth-century struggle to ward off colonial intent that resulted in Japan's own imperial endeavor, culminating in the devastation of World War II. Even the postwar economic miracle-the manufacturing and commerce explosion that brought unprecedented economic growth and earned Japan international clout might have been a less pure victory than it seemed.

In Bending Adversity, Pilling questions what was lost in the country's blind, aborted climb to #1. With the same rigor, he revisits 1990-the year the economic bubble burst, and the beginning of Japan's "lost decades"-to ask if the turning point might be viewed differently. While financial struggle and national debt are a reality, post-growth Japan has also successfully maintained a stable standard of living and social cohesion. And while life has become less certain, opportunities-in particular for the young and for women-have diversified.

Still, Japan is in many ways a country in recovery, working to find a way forward after the events of 2011 and decades of slow growth. Bending Adversity closes with a reflection on what the 2012 reelection of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and his radical antideflation policy, might mean for Japan and its future. Informed throughout by the insights shared by Pilling's many interview subjects, Bending Adversity rigorously engages with the social, spiritual, financial, and political life of Japan to create a more nuanced representation of the oft-misunderstood island nation and its people.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, History, Asia, Economics, Politics, Japanese Literature

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2013

About the author

David Pilling has reported from at least 50 countries over two decades as a foreign correspondent working for the Financial Times. That probably makes him 50 times more confused than the average person, but it has also made him inquisitive and unafraid of asking dumb questions. Pilling became accustomed to writing about "the economy", "growth" and "GDP" early in his reporting career. But only as he moved around the world from supposedly stagnant Japan to booming China and Brexit Britain did he begin to realise just how deluded the public debate can be about what an economy is and what it is for. He wanted to use an entertaining style, interviews and anecdotes from around the world to write a short book that would shed light on matters we often leave to economists - but really shouldn't. The result is "The Growth Delusion".

David Pilling has worked for the Financial Times since 1990 in various writing and editing roles. He was in Latin America (1993-96); London (1997-2001); and Tokyo (2002-2008). He was Asia Editor of the FT based in Hong Kong (2008-15) and is now Africa Editor and an Associate Editor of the FT. He has won several awards in the UK and Asia for opinion pieces and feature writing. His first book, "Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival" (Penguin Press, 2014) received outstanding reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and the Pacific. He is based in London but travels frequently to Africa.

Reviews

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bending Adversity is a remarkable achievement. In combines quality on-the-ground journalism with synthesis of a wide range of secondary sources. The book is especially pleasant to read. I enjoyed the blend of first-person story-telling, interviews, and history. I'm hard-pressed to find anything wrong with the book other than to say that it is 8-years old. Much has happened since the March 11th triple disaster. The subsequent events have not undone any of the insights of the book but they have necessitated an update. I would love to see a new edition of this book with an extended chapter covering Japan's response to the Corona-virus.

[Max Berendsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Smiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t mean to read this book enjoyably since I first had a Penguin paperback some months ago but I decided to trade it in at the DASA BookCafe in Bangkok due to its small fonts. However, early last month there I came across this hardcover, its presence challengingly astonished me so I decided to have it hopefully for my casual reading, at least its fonts are larger and its 29 illustrations more illuminating.

From the author’s journalistic writing style, I found reading its 6 parts and 16 chapters arguably knowledgeable on Japan’s practical resilience/leadership in terms of her economies, high technologies, politics, etc. and formidable fortitude famously admired by foreigners as well as probable jealousy by counterparts worldwide. One good thing about this book is that it has not been written from his ideas or imagination alone, rather he has written from gathered data, opinions, ideas and so on from innumerous Japanese locals, informants and interviewees.

I think this excerpt may help you decide, that is, to read or not to read: that is the question.
“Pilling meets everyone from students to prime ministers in his quest to understand the history and values of this extraordinary country. Bending Adversity is a superb work of reportage and an essential book even for those who feel they already know Japan well.” (inner front cover)

[Gavin Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Any reader of Bending Adversity who has also read John Dower's Embracing Defeat will have a very hard time not comparing the two books. The titles share a structure and David Pilling makes several references to Dower's work. In the acknowledgements, he refers to Dower as his 'hero'. Unfortunately, this comparison does not serve Bending Adversity well. Dower's book has a fantastically clear focus on historical detail and context that cuts through the noise of both war-time propaganda and historical revisionism. I'm sure Pilling wasn't trying to compete with one of the best regarded books about modern Japan but I'm not sure what he was trying to do either. In a way, I found much of Bending Adversity indicative of trends that I find frustrating in modern journalism generally. Because it is structured around a series of interviews that Pilling conducted when working in Japan for the Financial Times, so much of the book reads as hearsay. An interview subject will spout some of the same old cliched nonsense (be it pro or anti-Japan), and Pilling will respond with some balancing ideas, but there is never any real investigation or examination of the facts. As a result, the views within spill all over the place, from one extreme to the other, from flowery cliche to Let's-get-real seriousness. The result is some very muddy water. This problem is only compounded by the lack of any real focus or point to the book. Pilling starts off by looking at some different disasters and their aftermaths, but he never really draws any connections or conclusions from one disaster to the next. How could he when he's really just recycling interviews that don't share his wider scope? Also, the phrase "I'm reminded of a story a friend told me..." really has no place in serious journalism despite appearing here several times.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend Bending Adversity for anyone that already has a degree of familiarity with Japan. It will only frustrate you by covering the same ground as better books in a more haphazard way. It might make an ok primer for someone just beginning to look at the country (or for fans of Haruki Murakami since he appears many times throughout).

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the years I have read many books about Japan from foreign pundits, some good (classic books by old Japan hands such as Ian Buruma and Donald Richie among the best of those) and some not so good (TR Reid's Confucius Lives Next Door and Pico Iyer's The Lady and the Monk for example). Nonetheless, I was compelled to read David Pilling's latest addition, Bending Adversity (2014), in that he analyzes and discuses the country in light of the last triple disaster of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown of 2011. In Part One: "Tsunami", he discusses the triple disaster of 2011 in chapter one and in chapter two looks at the concept of "Bending Adversity"-a term that he as adopted to explain the resilience to catastrophic events in Japan over the years. Part Two: "Double-bolted Land" is comprised of a historical overview of Japan and its society as well as a discussion of Japan's relationship with the outside world. These chapters are the ones you find in every book in Japan in that they are trying to create a context for discussing contemporary Japan in a historical context. Part Three: "Decades Found and Lost focusing on "bending adversity" in context of the rebound from the 1923 earthquake and WWII, and the economic collapse of the housing bubble in 1990. Part Four: "Life After Growth" is comprises of five chapters focuses on the post bubble years and subjects as China's economy overtaking Japan, the Koizumi years in the 2000s, the graying of Japanese society, the hiring "ice age" and decline of lifetime employment, and gender relations in contemporary Japan. Part Five: "Adrift" looks Japan's precarious relations with China and Korea as well as the wrestling with the pacifist constitution and the role of Japan's self defense forces which Shinzo Abe challenges in his first term. Part Six: "After the Tsunami" focuses on Tohoku after the devastation through personal stories and a discussion of weak government vs. strong citizens. And in the Afterword he muses on whether or not these tragedies resulted in Japan reassessing its society and their place in the world.

Pilling does an especially excellent job of explaining economics and politics since the post bubble years-especially the Koizumi years. He interviews scores of everyday citizens, but also cultural figures like authors Haruki Murakami, Natsuo Kirino and the Prime Ministers who ruled Japan in the last two decades. There are savvy observations of Japan and its society through as well. And he discusses all the major media stories of the last few decades such as the Afghanistan hostage, women as an untapped resource, nationalism and its effect on its Asian neighbors, and Japan's strange victim mentality in relation to WWII among others. Obviously much of the material was reused from articles he wrote for the Financial Times, I think he did an excellent job of explaining what has happened economically, politically and socially in Japan since the bubble.

[Brian Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is excellent journalism that weaves together decades of stories around one main insight. Pilling finds a theme in modern Japan, not so much of successful development but of perseverance in overcoming enormous disasters—earthquakes, tsunamis, nationwide devastation in war, “lost decades” of economic downturn, even a nuclear power plant meltdown. Perhaps too much of the book deals with economic conditions and strategies. But the main story comes from talking to ordinary people, learning how they've coped with dramatic challenges, usually while managing to improve the quality of their lives.

[Lynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read a number of books on Japan, I was hoping to encounter fresh and new perspectives in 'Bending Adversity'. The author broke down the book into 6 parts, of which I can only comment on the first three parts. Part One 'Tsunami' is a good read and very moving. Part Two 'Double-bolted Land' felt like a regurgitation of several books on the history of Japan with no original analysis. Park Three 'Decades Lost and Found' really started to feel like a poorly constructed section. It talks about history, the founding of Sony and Honda, some Japanese films, and the views of Japan by some Japanese people or those familiar with Japan, and so on and so on. The section hops from one topic to another, and bounces back and forth between past and present. I browsed the latter 3 sections and concluded that this book is a collection of the author's views on Japan combined with the views of some people he knew while working in Japan and written in the style of a personal memoir while filling more pages about the tsunami, history, culture, sociology, and politics of Japan that could be better learned by reading other books. While I think it may be possible for someone to write a book using this approach, this book did not succeed in grabbing my attention simply because it felt like the author was trying too hard to cover too much. Is it about the tsunami, Japan in post-WWII, modern Japan, Japan sociology, Japan culture, a memoir of a person's experience living in Japan, or about Japan through the eyes of its own people? For readers who want all of that in one volume, maybe this book is for them. For readers who have read other books dedicated to specific topics of Japan, for example, on the tsunami there is Richard J. Samuel's excellent '3.11: Disaster and Change in Japan'; on Japan in the immediate aftermath of WWII, there is John Dower's scholarly work 'Embracing Defeat'; for a comprehensive overview of Japan's history, there is W. G. Beasley's 'The Japanese Experience' and 'The Rise of Modern Japan', or Ian Buruma's quick-read 'Inventing Japan' which acts like an appetizer from which readers may go on to read other books on Japan's history (in which the author indicates was his intent).

[Joanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars

It took me ages to read this book so that gives an impression it may not be very good. Which would be a lie – because it is. Pilling managed to present a very complex and detailed image of Japan, full of respect but he also doesn’t shy away from criticism.

The book consists of several topics that are discussed in great detail. I loved the ones about society, be it the reaction of people after the latest tsunami or Fukushima explosion, or the attitude different people adapt towards life in the times of the lack of previous economic stability. Pilling avoid generalizations or at least overgeneralizations and gives voice to Japanese people themselves. What a fascinating account it is! There are, however, also chapters about history (which was rather boring as I knew most of it and felt it being presented in a rather chaotic way) and economy that almost won against me – unfortunately it was so difficult and boring for me that I nearly gave up. I do understand its importance and yet the only brighter parts were when Pilling wrote about individuals and their influence on economy or economy on them… Otherwise all the numbers and statistics managed to put me to sleep every single time.

If you are interested in Japan, I guess you will be really satisfied with this book. If you work or live there, I’m more than sure you should give it a try.

[Karl-O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japan provides delicious opportunities to compare east with west, old with new, gaudiness with elegance, etc. as cases and examples of these different categories are intensely present in Japan and throughout its culture. While this review may be a little more than such a comparison, I can guarantee that Pilling’s book does a much more interesting job.

One major theme here is how Japan defies categorization. The author convincingly argues that this is a source of strength and resilience for the Japanese, hence the book's title. To demonstrate his point, he uses the beautiful example of the Ise Shrine, often called the most sacred shrine in Japan. This Shinto shrine dates back to the third century AD, but every 20 years since its inception it is dismantled and built anew to the exact specifications. As you may have guessed, the shrine cannot be categorized as “new” or “old”. But it is safe to assume that it will virtually endure forever, or at least much longer than any usual shrine. I believe the example can also be used to illustrate how the Japanese are comfortable with the Buddhist idea of impermanence.

Less abstract examples are ubiquitous especially in the domain of religion. While in many surveys the Japanese turn out to be, of all things, atheists (ironic given that they talk about yaoyorozu no kami, which translates roughly into "8 million gods"), a very well known saying by the Japanese is that they are born Shinto, marry Christian and die Buddhists, showing little queasiness in adhering to many belief systems at once. Followers of Shugendō, a syncretic religion widely practiced in Japan, proudly tell how their belief incorporates elements of Shinto, Taoist and Buddhist thought.

I happened to be in Tokyo last week (the reason I read the book) and was recommended to visit an exhibition called The Universe and Art. In the exhibition halls, solemn Buddhist mandalas were at home with scrolls of the tale of Princess Kaguya along with futuristic robots promising a future of delicious and convenient VR sex. I couldn't help think that in societies where everything needs to be categorized and defined, such a wide-array showcase would be unthinkable.

This resiliency is extensively demonstrated by Pilling in the domain of politics and economics, and more specifically in the relation of the 2011 Tsunami and the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima. But, if I give the impression that the book is nothing but praise to the extraordinary resilience of the Japanese, then let me correct the impression. While Pilling clearly likes Japan, he finds issue with many aspects of the Japanese society such as:
- The prevalent conservatism and isolation mentality of the Japanese (many proudly call their country shimaguni, meaning island nation);
- Japan's extreme bureaucracy that hinders social and economic progress;
- Japanese employment practices that require workers to dedicate most of their waking hours to work and rewards them based on seniority rather than merit;
- Women participation in the workforce and more alarmingly the high rates of sexual harassment;
- And last but definitely not least, Japan’s troubled relation with its history

A British MP on visiting Japan in the early 2000s and seeing the high standard of living the Japanese enjoy told the author “If this is a recession, I want one”. In a world obsessed by GDP growth and investment returns, a deep examination of life in Japan today could be a good exercise in getting one's priorities in order, and this book does a very good job in that vein.

[RKanimalkingdom · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Most Japanese don’t have any sense of direction. We are lost and we don’t know which way we should go. But this is a very natural thing, a very healthy thing. It’s time for us to think. We can take out time.”

There is always a bit of hesitancy when picking up a book about a country/culture that the author is not native to. There is always this fear of whether the author will do a good job in discussing the culture of the country without bias seeping in. This is especially true in books dealing with Japan. I’ve noticed that authors either take one side over the other. Either the book ridiculously admires Japan or ridiculously admonishes it. David Pilling does something new, something I think all books discussing country and culture. Pilling remains unbiased throughout the entire book. He stated in his book that he will continuously provide both sides of the argument regardless of topic-- and we go into some pretty hefty topics. There are moments where even Pilling gets uncomfortable with what is being told to him, but he knows that he has to provide both sides of the coin, otherwise you have no argument. And I think that does a good job of presenting Japan in a well-rounded way. In fact, I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to understand Japan better. It’s a good starting point because it creates a sturdy foundation of knowledge in an easily understandable way. Regardless of whether you branch off into other books or veer away, you’ll leave this book with a better understanding of a nation that has been secluded for a long time. Pilling’s book circulates around the Fukushima Explosion, so it’s pretty recent. He uses the explosion as the starting point to go into a nation that has continuously picked itself up from the ground to the point where the act has become a sort of art.

“A country we often think of as strong collectively but weak individually had shown itself to be the exact reverse. Japan, it turned out, was a nation of strong individuals and a weak state. Japan is a country of good soldiers but poor commanders.”

One very important thing that Pilling brings up in this book that I’ve never encountered in any other nonfiction book (but it got me wondering why), is the idea of Westernization. It is something he discusses in the introduction and the section on Japan’s history and it’s a big culture shock. Most countries that are not European nor North American are misunderstood, and they have been for centuries. Japan is no exception too. Japan has been isolated and secluded from the rest of the world by way of its Island remoteness and cultural seclusion. The only exception to this isolation were the Dutch merchant ships, and they too were only allowed to trade at the port in Nagasaki to prevent their culture from spreading too much. So it wasn’t until 1853 (probably the height of colonialism, mind you) that Japan entered the rest of the world. The man responsible for opening up Japan was Commodore Mathew Perry from the US, and he arrive with his flock of boats to push the nation into doing trade with the rest of the world. Regardless of how you see it, you cannot deny that the first people to see Japan and the Japanese were white men. And the first people Japan was to see outside of itself (and China) were white men. The men were religiously Christian (regardless of which division) and the Japanese were primarily Shinto and Buddhist. So you could argue that at the height of colonialism where nations were continuously and purposely destroying, edifying, altering, controlling, subjugating other nations, misunderstanding Japan was inevitable. It probably didn’t help that Japan was quite closed off in discussing itself with foreigners. One argument is that Japan saw itself as above the rest of the world, and so interaction was not necessary. The other argument is that, to be brought into the world when there was colonialism everywhere; to see Asia struggle against Europe no doubt sent fear into Japan. It didn’t want to be colonialized.

Review Continued Here

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of respect for books that refuse to make generalisations and broad judgements, as is the case here. On the other hand, I find lack of clear structure in non-fiction somewhat frustrating, which also applies. Pilling reflects on Japan’s past and present, only briefly touching on its future, with a reluctance to settle for easy answers. He considers Japan’s so-called ‘lost decade(s)’ of very low economic growth, its politics, and how the population handled the tsunami and Fukushima catastrophes in 2011. I found his economic commentary especially thoughtful, perhaps not surprisingly as he was Asia editor of the Financial Times. The discussion of culture and society, as seen by an outsider, was suitably guarded and deeply ambiguous. As books in which Westerners claim to wholly understand China or Japan after spending a couple of months there seem terribly arrogant, this approach was welcome. It doesn’t leave the reader terribly enlightened, however.

Japan has changed in the past two decades, and also stayed the same. The economy has performed badly in some ways and not so badly in others. Democratic engagement has waxed and waned. Of course, the same could be said of the UK or any country - nowhere can be reduced to simple cliches. What I found muddled, though, was the book’s structure. It drifted about from interview to reportage to history, without each chapter having a clear theme. I found the content readable, yet hard to pin down. All that I could finally conclude was that Japan is a complicated and distinctive place, which I could already have inferred. Nonetheless, there is some useful context for the conflict with China over tiny islands, Japan’s current economy, and the experience of women in Japanese society. All very interesting stuff, I just wish it had been edited into a more systematic chapter structure. The fact that I work in academia may be showing here.

[Louis Armitage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bending Adversity is a spectacularly refined and topical study of modern Japan.

Whilst opening and closing with the devastation of the 2011 Tsunami, David Pilling’s comprehensive analysis encompasses a wide range of economic, social and political transformations within the archipelago. I found his focus on shifting identities of the post-bubble generation particularly interesting, especially when it came to the complex and evolving influence of women.

The author is at his best when talking about people. I was astonished by the sheer number of acquaintances Pilling had compiled from his interviews, from young entrepreneurs to world renowned authors.
He effortlessly gauges their thoughts and assesses their reactions, often with humorous anecdotes. This broad demographic infuses an authentic, personal feel to the text, which is aided by the exceeding impartial and rational approach to each meeting.

There is a real emphasis on the growing power of the individual over the “collective consciousness” prized in cultural narratives. In my opinion this the most important factor that underpinned change in contemporary Japanese society.

Above all, Bending Adversity is an engaging read. Pilling has an insightful and genial voice which truly enhances the experience of the reader. The respect towards Japan’s great complexities is almost tangible. A testament to the value of this book is that many of the authors insights seem to hold up nearly a decade later.

I would love another edition with updated perspectives on Japan’s response to both the coronavirus crisis and the 2022 assassination of Shinzo Abe, as these would tie in beautifully with the themes of the book.

[June García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nunca había leído tan en detalle sobre la experiencia de otros países que experimentan recurrentemente grandes terremotos y tsunamis, fue muy sorprendente, tanto en nuestras similitudes como en nuestras diferencias. Todo el tema de la energía nuclear #MIEDO.

[Evren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond insipid repetitions about what is virtuous and wise or malicious and vice about Japan. Scratches the surface of wide-spread opinions to reveal a nation as is -with all its contradictions. A must-read if not a first-read about Japan's history, sociology, economy, and contemporary politics.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist David Pilling provides a succinct and engaging account of Japan's post war history. Pilling charts Japan's economic rise after the Second World War and its eventual demise during the economic stagnation of the "Lost Decades." The book is structured around chapters related to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The ability of the Japanese people to rebuild after numerous disasters is truly inspiring. What is disconcerting however is the inability of the country to adopt more open immigration policies and fully recon with the atrocities the country committed during WW II.

Pilling effectively argues that while the economy may never reach peak boom levels, the country should not be written off to the sidelines of history. Given current issues with neighbouring countries including Chine and South Korea, Prime Minister Abe's tumultuous relationship with Donal Trump and Japan's growing influence as a proponent of globalization it appears that the country and its people show few signs of decline. This book provides an engaging overview of modern Japan, analyzing the impact of history and Japanese political, social and cultural issues. Strongly recommend for those hoping to get grasp on this magnificent and fascinating country.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis make a compelling starting point for this discussion of Modern Japan - and Pilling takes in history, economics, politics and national soul-searching to try to make sense of what he found as correspondent to the FT for Japan.

This book would likely serve many in the UK as a useful introduction to Japan - it is contemporary, it is very accessible and easy to read, and it presents itself as a reasonably balanced, down-the-middle investigation from a foreigner into Japanese culture. When I was done reading the book it felt like Pilling had clearly described lots of interesting parts of recent Japanese history to me with a slight focus on business, economics, finance and politics above, say, art, sociology and anthropology.

I would definitely recommend this - I think it was a great way for me to learn the next little bit of detail about a fascinating place.

[Sarah H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up from a 2.5. An easy to read and interesting capture of Japan’s contemporary history, but I felt that there were several areas that weren’t included (for example some of the experiences of queer and trans folks), and the lacking of an intersectional lens made the analysis less impactful. I also think that the author’s positionality played a role that was not addressed.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted at http://karlocallaghan.com/2015/05/01/...

2015/05/01
Bending Adversity – Japan and the Art of Survival: Book Review

Currently based in Hong Kong, David Pilling is the Asia Editor of the Financial Times . He was Tokyo Bureau Chief from 2002–8. After the earthquake in 2011, he came back to Japan on a number of occasions. This book covers the recent history of Japan interlaced with interviews with Japanese from all walks of life.

Bending Adversity takes its name from Pilling’s loose rendering of a Japanese proverb introduced to him by the husband of Japan’s former High Commissioner for the UNHCR, Ogata Sadako:

wazawai wo tenjite fuku to nasu. 災いを転じて福となす。
(Literally: Turn calamity into good fortune)
It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Japan in the current age.

Starting in the small coastal town of Rikuzentakata a mere 40 kilometres from where I spent the first three years of my life in Japan, Pilling recounts the story of a hotel general manager and the fateful day that changed his life and the lives of 23,000 other inhabitants of the town.

He talks of the miracle Lone Pine that stood while 70,000 others fell on that fateful Friday in March. The before-and-after photos and words on a page don’t fully capture how harrowing the difference is.

The first time I went to “Takata” as the locals would call it was on my second weekend in Japan in early August 1997. I remember eating at the small fast food restaurant near the beach some eighteen years ago, which he describes from photographs:

An entire Mos Burger restaurant, Japan’s equivalent of McDonald’s, floats across the valley like some unmoored boat, its red roof and ‘M’ logo distinctly visible as it sweeps towards the hospital. By the time it gets there, it has been ripped in two.
I remember walking in amongst the trees remarking how huge Japanese crows were (like ravens), and how their voices sounded like grown men’s; picking up a stray volleyball as I walked on the beach, passing it back to some high school kids. Later that evening, I remember sipping beers, eating barbecue meat and camping out under the stars with my new-found teacher mates on the JET Programme. I went back there a few times over the years – to see the annual taiko festival, to watch a traditional street festival where men pulling floats would bash into them into one another, and to eat ramen after running in Ofunato further along the coast. After I moved further north, I didn’t go back there again. Not until six months after the disaster.

I saw the Lone Pine with my own eyes in September 2011 when I went to volunteer with All Hands. I couldn’t help but feel sad at seeing nothing but flat land where houses had once been. And a single tree where a forest had once stood.

In much the same way that we show signs of aging (not linearly but in sudden leaps and bounds) Japan has lurched forward and re-defined its direction through various events. Pilling goes back in time to chart Japan’s forced opening by Commodore Perry’s Black Ships off Yokohama, which brought about the Meiji Restoration but didn’t spell change in the shimaguni (island country) mindset. He also tells the story of expansionist Japan aspiring to be like the Western colonial powers around the turn of the 20th Century; the 1923 Tokyo earthquake; and the devastation of WWII; through the miracle years of growth, surviving not one but two oil shocks in the 1970s; through the bursting of the Bubble in 1990.
Writing only a year after the earthquake, Pilling doesn’t go so far as to say that 2:46pm on March 11th 2011 was a turning point in history, though he does examine how Japan has defined itself through some very testing episodes. Based on interviews with Murakami Haruki among others, he picks out 1995 (the year of the Kobe earthquake and Sarin gas attacks) as a decisive post-war turning point for Japan, which really spelled the end of the boom years.
Still, the image of Japan in the West is of a waning economic power overshadowed by China. Yet, Pilling reminds us towards the end of his narrative that

[t]hough we have got used to the idea of Japan’s inexorable economic decline, it remains quite comfortably the third-largest economy in the world, the size of the combined economies of Britain and France and three times the size of India’s.
And this in spite of the cataclysmic events of March 2011. According to the World Economic Outlook Database (April 2013) he notes that Japan had a per-capita GDP eight times the size of China’s (or four times in per-capita purchasing power parity terms).

The Tokyo conurbation alone is home to about 37 million people, which is more than the population of whole countries including Canada, Finland or Australia to name a few.

I have called Japan home for nearly eighteen years now. And like Pilling, I can attest that there is still much hope in this beautiful country.

[Samuel Nicholls · Rating 4 out of 5]

My default position on non-fiction is trepidation. They are nearly always 400 pages and people reviewing them want to seem clever, and so often forget to point out how highly boring they are. But fear not, this is excellent. Incredibly well written, as I’d expect of the FT, it comes through more like a series of connected long-reads than a tired canon.

I’ve loved being in Japan, but it is a country that provokes many questions. This book answered many of them and was a delight, therefore.

[Cati · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully written book about the politics, economy and history of Japan mainly focused on the 2011 tsunami. A great read!

[Kati Heng · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m always a bit hesitant with books that offer sweeping generalizations of an entire group of people, whether it be based on gender, race, age, generation, nationality, etc., ESPECIALLY if the person writing that book is outside the demographic in question. So for this book: David Pilling’s originally a Brit, spent years working/living in Japan, and still acknowledges the impossibility of summarizing a population.

That said, this book’s entirely a compliment to the people. Sure, it points out some aspects of the culture Americans/Brits might think “weird,” but overall, it leans to the fact that Japan is a country of contradictions, of people unwilling and unable to be easily packaged and explained.

Starting with the horrors of the 2011 tsunami that destroyed cities along the coast and set off a horrible nuclear reaction, Pilling explains why yes, the country may be down at the minute, but if the past offers any evidence, this nation is far from out. Think about it – both Germany and this island nation lost WWII; Germany’s never made quite the same economic impact as before the war; Japan’s doing just fine, innovating electronics, cars, etc. like the rest of us aren’t even there.

Basically, I loved this quote Pilling ended on, which really sums up the spirit of this whole thing the way a last sentence SHOULD every time: “Two ‘lost decades’ and its manifold problems notwithstanding, reports of Japan’s demise are exaggerated.”

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the kind of book that you plow through in a few days. I've had to read it chapter by chapter and then think about each chapter before moving on. And if you're not a die-hard Japan fan, then pick another book. BUT, if you have an interest in Japan that goes beyond sushi, anime and temples--and if you enjoy a historical perspective and the Japanese economy, then this is a really great read, even if you end up not totally agreeing with everything the author believes.

Pilling piles a lot into this book, It probably could have been expanded into three separate books on economy, history, and the tsunami, but instead he tackled it all in one book. I am not entirely sure I see all relations here, and I would have liked to have read more about the tsunami recovery. But this is a meaty book with plenty to chew on, and a really nice addition to what has been available on these topics. His writing is tight and natural, but ... you do have to be really interested in what he is writing about. I was. Very much so!

[Tom Ewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

A chewy book on modern Japan since the growth bubble popped and it turned from example to cautionary tale. Not so fast, says Pilling, if this is a country in decline, it's a gentle downhill trundle and there's still lots to admire about Japan (as well as plenty to frown at, not least the rise in war revisionism). Pilling is a reporter, and the best sections of the book find him simply exploring the post-Tsunami devastation, letting survivors tell their stories. When left to his own analytic devices, he's even-handed to a fault - every aspect of the country has its good and bad elements, and Pilling enjoys complicating others' judgements more than making his own. That's surely fair and useful - every society is more complex than it looks to outsiders - but makes for a less sparky book.

[Richard Janzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very timely look at Japan during the past few decades. Analysis, interviews, historical references, economics, geopolitics....all combined to provide insight into what has happened to Japan since the burst of the bubble, and what challenges it is facing now. In particular, this book discusses the impact of the 2011 tsunami / nuclear meltdown and the challenging relationship with China. This book helped me to understand the politics and economics of the country a little better, and to further clarify my thoughts on Japanese society. Worth the read.

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine account blending history and reportage of how Japan has struggled to overcome multiple challenges since the early 1990s. The review of Japan's history prior to 1990 was probably a bit overlong, but nevertheless Pilling has written perhaps the best social, political, and economic history of the post-bubble era. Perhaps best of all is his willingness to let others do the talking, including both notable Japanese - Murakami Haruki, Funabashi Yoichi- and ordinary Japanese voices.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incisive account of a nation and people that pride themselves on being different and exceptional but are they? Well, in some respects, both not as much they think they are... Mr Pilling in this masterful blend of travelogue, history, and social, political and economic commentary paints a vivid picture of today's Japan.

[Gilang Rangga Paundra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about Japan but I think too many repetitive here. The author has clear prose and still neutral in analyzing Japanese problem. This book broaden my understanding about Japan and I hope more books about Japan coming too.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was skeptical of “Good Reads lists” in general for the simple reason I’ve never used them as a guiding star to find my way to a good book. Found this one on one of the “Best books about Japan” list and boy was it a fantastic overview of Modern Japanese history, culture, politics, and psychology... or so I believe (aka "I have no idea"). It doesn’t cover too much before the 1850s but watching Shogun in parallel gave me a few “aha” moments here and there, “Edo”, the “black ships”, the omnipresence of natural disasters.

Though it uses the tsunami as a focal point to tell the story of Japan’s ability to bend adversity, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was not entirely about the tsunami. I’ve watched videos of the massive waves hit the towns of Northeast Japan and read a bit about Fukushima, I’ve also heard about Japan’s dying economy and the saber rattling between Japan and China, and all of those things are covered and helped fill in the gaps of my understanding. I guess this book was written after Abe was assassinated but I am curious about the years during his second election, I also had no idea he was a hardcore nationalist, also the fact that that exists makes sense but still jolting to read about, not that some the nationalists points aren’t wrong but just that that concept exists and learning about the history that helped build up that concept in Japanese society was enlightening.

A few things I learned: salarymen get poached right from college and work at the same company till the day they retire where older people get paid more money but surprisingly the women are responsible for doling out the cash. Don’t land a job right out of college at a big corporation? Good luck breaking in. This concept exists in America (I guess people in consulting fit that bill if they stay) but chatted with my dad he rightly pointed out that only until recently had American job culture shifted to the switch companies every few years culture. Modern Japanese history as someone from Japan could be hard to swallow, especially since the US kept the emperor in his position after WWII even though the whole reason everyone in Japan was fighting was for the emperor, so if he was not punished why would anyone else? Bit of a mind fuck if you ask me. The Japanese fashioned their Imperial era after the great Western powers, colonizing was the name of the game as far as they were concerned - fair point. It is the ancient Japanese belief that Japan rests on a catfish and it is believed this fish often shakes itself to try and get out of its trap, causing the earthquakes. The Japanese pride themselves on a harmonious society, this sounds great but can harm society sometimes (i.e. not questions authority eyes 👀 the Fukushima meltdown).

All in all great book for getting a little taste of the essence of Japan… or so I’ve been told I’ll let you know in 3 weeks when I return.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating read! It was another one of those books that stimulated endless discussion in our household, with me reading out paragraphs - “did you know this?”, “hey, listen to this”, “what do you think of that?”. I’ve read other books on Japan, and have visited several times, so have a basic framework of understanding, but this was my first delve into its story re political economics and I feel better informed for reading it.

The book wasn’t quite what I expected, I’m trying to work out why … my route to the book was via another book about consumerism where Japan’s experience was quoted, asking questions about whether economies can be sustainable and societies ‘happy’ without a commitment to perpetual ‘growth’, what might that look like? There was much to think about along those lines in this book, but it was much more. In any case, following the apparent success of ‘Abenomics’, Japan (at the point this book was published) appeared to be back in a growth model, and this was largely seen as empowerment, progress and recovery, despite the pressing global questions about sustainability.

I enjoyed the journalistic style of the book, the way it drew on interviews with a wide range of Japanese people, influential and ordinary, and gave complex human voice to a fascinating diversity of opinion, experience, and ways of understanding ‘how things are’ and what they could be. I appreciated the overarching narrative of resilience in the face of hardship and disaster, and the cultural comments on the pluses and minuses of the Japanese outlook and how people have adapted and changed, or not, as the case may sometimes be.

What really intrigued me though, was how strange it felt - sitting here in another lockdown - to read about this world that was so vibrantly real before the pandemic, and which now feels somewhat surreal. Totally disrupted. My edition has a very necessary ‘Afterword’, written in 2019, reflecting on the impact of Abe, and Trump, and the dynamics surrounding the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. It all seems so innocent and unsuspecting of what was just around the corner! I get the feeling that over these next few years these kinds of books will divide into ‘before’ and ‘after’, and there will be one heck of a lot of work ahead to integrate the experience of this pandemic meaningfully into the narrative. I imagine for this particular book a new edition with an additional section would flow pretty well … I would actually rather like to read this author’s reflections two or three years down the line. Thank you, Mr Pilling.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to an audio book version.

This book has received mixed reviews, which I suspect has depended on what various readers were expecting to get from it. I was looking for a complement to Dower's excellent Embracing Defeat and a book that would move away from the American obsession with Japan during the 1930s/40s (to the exclusion of everything else about the country) and provide some perspective on the nation in the decades since, especially in regard to its economic development.

Pilling is an apt author to address that need, and he does so very well here. As other reviewers have noted, Pilling invites comparison to Dower and together they provide about as good an overview of Japan post-1945 as we're likely to get given the limited options available in English.

As always, it's frustrating to consider how many superior books there probably are in Japanese that haven't been translated and probably never will be. But the reader does come away from Bending Adversity with a broad sense of how Japan has evolved in recent decades. While its value as a book on Japanese culture is limited, Pilling is at his best when dealing with business and economic history, and given the importance of those areas to Japan post-1945, the book is well worth the reader's time.

The audio version I listened to was read by Timothy Andres Pabon and was quite good. Pabon has a natural speaking voice, and he entirely avoids the maddening uptalk that Edward Lewis used in his reading of Dower's Embracing Defeat.