15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
good snapshot, May 8, 2001
WHile Japan was viewed as The Economy to Emulate, a number of very bad books came out that exagerated and distorted what its corporations and government accomplished. In retrospect, these fawning books, such as Ezra Vogel's J as #1, appear ridiculous. Then, as fears of J's superiority mounted, there was a rash of "revisionist" books, which argued that Japan was competing unfairly rather than better.
Now that Japan has faded from the scene somewhat, more balanced perspectives are coming out. Smith's book is one of the better such ones. Not only does offer it praise of certain companies and their innovations, but it does not flinch when criticizing the grotesque underdevelopment of the political system as well as the stunted individuality - the neurotic underside - of the Japanese character. Smith demonstrates convincing that there is terrible sickness within, that the country suffers from a "culture of irresponsibility" and that the younger generation may be the one to make reforms - after the older one dies off.
It is deeply pessimistic, but for anyone who has lived in Japan, a welcome breath of fresh air: critical but not a polemic, empathic without scorn. Recommended.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
flawed but readable, March 1, 1999
By A Customer
The apparent inscrutability of Japan and the Japanese to foreigners has spawned a legion of books ever since the Meiji Restoration. Smith's contribution to this vast literature is a popular book, but while the writing itself is good, the organization and content of _Japan: A Reinterpretation_ are unfocused, as points are made early in the book but never built upon, chapters wander from topic to topic, and occasionally the book turns into a not-too-original criticism (some would say "bashing") of Japan and Japanse culture.
Early on Smith makes a valuable point, that during the Occupation the United States essentially put the deposed rulers back in power and developed Japan in its own image and for its own purposes. Smith seems to think a lot of this, and it is certainly not orthodox history as they teach it in high schools, but it is never followed up completely, and the middle chapters consist of a wandering, dull, anecdotal criticism of Japanese society with little or no consideration for where the various strands of culture emerged. Smith seems never to have taken an anthropology course in college, since his criticisms are unabashedly Western-oriented. The standards of U.S. culture are implicitly held up as the measuring block for all of Smith's analyses. Put another way, Smith seems a bit culturally myopic, and doesn't have a very good idea of just what his ramblings mean, as interesting as they are to some degree.
Further, while it may be true that the average Japanese has a rough time of it compared to Americans, the usual depiction of the Japanese as oppressed, neurotic, and depressed is not only overstated as usual, but Smith never tries to come to grips with the cultural and political structure that brings about this situation.
On the other hand, I for one was relieved that Smith, like me, is no Japanophile. For orientalists, all aspects of Asian society, even Indian society, are routinely subjected to mystification and worship that defies common sense. To admire Japanese art, music, and so on for its own sake is one thing (and I happen to love Japanese chamber music), but to systematically glorify them is something else altogether. Of course, Smith's indifference sometimes goes to the other extreme, including some statements about Japanese art that are simply a little too subjective to be taken seriously, but at least he doesn't judge Japan based on aesthetic factors, as many people do.
As a popular book, one would not expect extensive footnotes or documentation for _Japan: A Reinterpretation_, and Smith purposely avoids making his book look too "scholarly." There are no raised numbers in the text itself to indicate when to flip to the back of the book, which seems to me pointless and confusing; instead of having the text indicate where the footnotes are, one must continually flip back and forth.
A final note: Smith lived in Japan for 20 years, but seems never to have learned Japanese! I base this on a few comments about people translating things to him (even anecdotes from the 90's) and his ignorance of even simple Japanese grammar. This is a serious blow, in my opinion, to the reliability and value of the dozens of anecdotes sprinkled throughout this book.
For those with a decent grasp of Japan's history, this book makes an interesting supplement. I would not recommend it for the lay reader, however, despite the (ironic) fact that this is intended as a popular book.
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