Customer Reviews

The Kodansha Bilingual Encyclopedia of Japan (English and Japanese Edition)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
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While the price is a bit steep, this single volume encyclopedia is a wonderful reference book for the Japanese student, or anybody with a deep interest in the country. The volume is laid out with the english text on the even numbered pages and the coresponding Japanese on the odd numbered pages, with key words from the text translated in the border. The text covers a complete array of issues, from the ecomomy, it's collapse and why it's taking so long for Japan to recover, to defense policy (the index includes a complete copy of the Japanese constitution including article IX banning the military), to cultural information on kimono the different styles of shrines and people of historical import. Other indexes include a timeline of japanese history, cross referenced with important events in other parts of the world. The only complaints I have about this piece is that occasionaly there is an interesting blurb about a topic (filmmakers for example) on the Japanese side of the text which is not translated on the english side and that the key words singled out for translation in the borders don't include pronunciation. Those are the only reasons it doesn't get 5 stars. Still a great reference piece, worth it if you can afford it.