Tag Archive for 'japanophile'

More than a few enchanted Westerners ahve come to Japan intending to gain a deeper understanding of the country and its people. Their efforts, along with those of native writers, have produced numerous books written to explain various aspects of Japanese culture. What follows is a personal list of my top ten must-reads for any aspiring authority on Japan:
10. Anatomy of Dependence by Takeo Doi – Never mind that the central claim–that amae is a word utterly unique to the Japanese language–is considered bunk. Still, Doi makes many interesting insights into the Japanese psyche and ties these in with the langauge. The word amai refers to the suckling infant’s feeling of dependence and passive love for its mother, but the implications of amae extend into obligations to others, ways to deal with negative emotions, inner and outer circles, and, uh, the uniqueness of the Japanese. Never mind that either. The textbook-like style of writing makes it worthwhile for any gaijin-cum-psychologist.
9. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword by Ruth Benedict – This perhaps most well-known book on Japan postulates the causes of world War II and moves into analyses of psychology, ethics, and personal relatinships. Often noted for her guilt vs. shame culture distinction, Benedict asserts that some cultures like the US have absolute moral standards and rely on the individuals to develop a conscience. Citizens of such a society take great relief in confession–in the modern context read “therapy”. Countries like Japan, conversely, have external sanctions to enforce good behavior. The mere perception of societal disapproval can bring shame. Very interesting stuff for sure, which sometims suffers for stereotyping assertions like, “They (Japanese) sleep with complete relaxation, in any position…” Benedict has also often been criticized for never actually having come to Japan.
8. The Wages of Guilt by Ian Buruma – Buruma assesses how differently Japan and Germany have dealt with World War II. He quotes a typical textbook on the Nanking Masacre: “In December 197, Japanese troops occupied Nanking.” A footnote adds that many Chinese, including civilians, were reported to have been killed. Still, conservative politicans wanted the passage deleted altogether. When Nagasaki Mayor Motoshima held the emperor responsible for the war, conservatives were outraged. Motoshima was later shot. This incident, Buruma notes, lends credibility to Ruth Benedict’s theory about guilt and shame cultures. The Germans needed to confess their sins; the Japanese needed silence.
7. On Familiar Terms by Donald Keene – Japan’s pre-eminent scholar, writer and translator, Donald Keene, takes readers on a personal tour of the Japan he intimately knows. And Keene’s love knows few bounds. Working as a POW transalator during the war, Keene befriended prisoners and once played Beethoven’s Eroica symphony for them. He writes passionately about vintage 1950s Kyoto, and mourns its modernization. Readers encounter some of the many noted figures Keene has had the pleasure of knowing, Abe Kobo and Mishima Yukio among them.
6. Lost Japan by Alex Kerr – Kerr, who recently bolted for Thailand, has entered the world of Japanese arts as few foreigners have. Whether dealing with antiques, kabuki, noh, or an old house in a remote valley, doors seem to open for Kerr. Originally written in Japanese, Kerr’s concern for the vanishing arts and deteriorating environment make the book an important warning.
5. Memories of Silk and Straw by Dr. Junichi Saga – Saga records the experiences of more than 50 of his elderly patients living in the Lake Kosurnigaura region, northeast of Tokyo. The unadorned retellings portray the harshness and dire poverty of an utterly different world that existed just 100 years ago. Master craftsmen and fishermen tell of getting ten potatoes for a sen, parents tell of leaving newborns to die, and beggars tell of a meager existence in the mountains. Short sketches do much to enhance the overall floavor of this book.
4. The Lady and the Monk by Pico Iyer – Iyer seeks to find the “lunar Japan” of delicate poems, impeccible tastes and Zen insights. While allusions to Zen and spirituality serve as a backdrop throughout, foreigner complaints, concerns, and intercultural relationships are also featured. The reader may find him or herself in this book, in more ways than one. The book typifies many a gaijin experience: a passing interest in the arts with the main focus on money and Japanese chicks. Given Iyer’s talent as a storyteller, the book can’t help but succeed.
3. Japanese Inn by Oliver Statler – Statler writes with a focus on the Minaguchi-ya, an inn along the old Tokaido Road, weaving historical facts into his own experiences. Statler masterfully captures the flavor of the era (the 1500s), prompting James Michener to call it a minor classic. Like Momories of Silk and Straw, readers get a sense of the vast changes the past centuries have wrought. Statler’s other book, Japanese Pilgrimage, is equally fascinating, retelling the author’s trek to visit the 88 temples of Shikoku.
2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden – This novel follows the life of a young girl taken from a poor fishing village to the glamour of Kyoto, and details what it was like to become a geisha–not a pleasant experience. Gripping and informative, the book records a way of life that is rapidly fading into oblivion. Based on the actual experiences of the famous geisha Nitta Sayuri, Memoirs of a Geisha invokes an empathy usually reserved for non-fiction works. A “can’t-put-down” classic.
1. The Roads to Sata by Alan Booth – This was an easy call for number one. Booth exemplifies much of what I aspire to as a traveler, a writer, and a human being. His big heart and integrity come through page after page. He describes his walking adventure from northern Hokkaido to southern Kyushu with candor, insight and humor. Although he makes more than a few criticisms, it is always clear that he is in love with Japan. Along the way he gamely (and drunkenly) wrestles with a sumo, gets harassed for “his” country’s awful deed at Hiroshima’s Peace Park (unfairly because Booth is British) and has comical encounters with Japanese who cannot accept that he speaks Japanese fluently. One reviewer called his walk a “1,000-mile pub crawl” and it is true that readers get the keenest sense of the Japan Booth went out in search of at the drinking establishments he visits along the way. With Booth’s death, Japan and the world lost a great writer.