A Traveller's History of Japan [Paperback]

Richard Tames (Author)

Book Description

Series: Traveller's History of Japan | Publication Date: September 1997

'It succeeds admirably in its goal of making the present country comprehensible through a narrative of its past, with asides on everything from bonsai to zazen, in a brisk, highly readable style...you could easily read it on the flight over if you skip the movie.' WASHINGTON POST Whether you are going to Japan on business, to study, to teach or simply on vacation, you know that you are going to a country which really does merit the title 'unique'. A TRAVELLER'S HISTORY OF JAPAN not only offers the reader a chronological outline of the nation's development but also provides an invaluable introduction to its language, literature and arts, from kabuki to karaoke. Political, social and industrial history and economics are also well covered; this clearly written history explains how a country embedded in the traditions of Shinto, Shoguns and Samurai achieved stupendous economic growth in the twentieth century only to lose its way at the turn of the millennium.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Tames ( Encounters with Japan , LJ 6/1/92, among others) has written an interesting and informative introduction to Japan. The first two-thirds of the book comprise a mad dash through Japanese history, from prehistoric times to the 1990s. This section of the book has as much detail and scope as the brief space allows. The final third consists of topical information: "Food and Drink," "Prime Ministers," and so forth. Blunders include a bizarrely rose-tinted view of the Yakuza crime syndicate and the lack of any real treatment of Shinto. Although hampered by brevity, Tames does manage to hold the history together, and the book is fairly engaging. Recommended for most travel collections.
- Chuck Malenfant, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. The strength of this user-friendly guide, part of the Country Topics for Craft Projects series, is that it provides the kind of cultural particulars that are hard to find in comparable books. Unfortunately, both textual and visual information is sometimes sketchy or unclear. For instance, the section "Around Japan" states that Tokyo's tall skyscrapers are near Shinjuku, "the city's busiest station." Is that a bus, train, or subway station? In addition, a map that claims to show Japan's most important cities doesn't. And while a "sharp knife" is required to make radish flowers, safety precautions are not mentioned. Despite these shortcomings, this overview has a bustling, accessible format that combines brightly colored cartoons with formal photographs. The wealth of information about sports, food, language, holidays, the arts, poetry, and history leads right in to craft projects that should satisfy both teachers and students. Julie Corsaro --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group Inc; 2nd edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566562600
• ISBN-13: 978-1566562607
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,203,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, quick, and well-balanced general history, May 24, 1998

By 

Mike Clarken (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Traveller's History of Japan (Paperback)

By title, this book, indeed this series, may put fear into the reader of being a too-general and non-scholarly vast account of a subject matter too complex for any quality to come from the short format. Tames proves these fears wrong almost from the beginning in this indeed scholarly, engaging, and very well-balanced account of the history of one of the most misunderstood nations among today's world leaders. Tames does write a very general account, but "general" can be better understood as "broad" and "far-reaching" in this narritive. Regardless of the period discussed, his approach is rarely too single-tracked. This is a developmental history, and as such, properly includes development of Japanese government, culture, arts and literature, and the cumulative effects of this development onto the subsequent generations of Japanese. Tames does an excellent though suggestive job of relating the development of the Japanese nation to that of its people, and vice-versa. Throughout, except for the beginning, where it is often difficult to make any pre- and early histories come to life, the narritive flows freely with a purpose, and Tames' clear interest in his subject shines through the pages to take the reader with him on the easy, air-conditioned, and quick monorail tour through the safari of Japanese history, which is exactly what it is meant to be. In addition to the narritive is an excellent bibliography with commentary, as well as an entire reference section on everything Japanese from language to food and drink to holidays and their meanings. Especially for ex-pats living in Japan who don't want to be bogged down with anything dry or without connection to their experience, this is a quick, excellent read. It does a great job of subtly explaining the oft-seemingly unexplainables of Japan today.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but needs supplemental texts or maps., November 20, 2006

By 

C. B Collins Jr. (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Traveller's History of Japan (Paperback)

This is certainly an ambitious book. It attempts to cover thousands of years of Japanese history, as well as explain various aspects of Japanese culture and religion. It is highly readable however the cast of historic characters can become overwhelming.

I will first list the strengths of the book. The book does a very good job of explaining the centralization of Japan under a single Emperor and then the process by which the royal family was relegated (and overwhelmed) to court formality and ritual. A very curious tradition began whereby the Emperor would abdicate to a son or grandson who would then take on the all the responsibilities of court rituals and ceremonies. The abdicating emperor would then become a monk and live in a reclusive palace beside the main ceremonial palace. However, the former emperor would actually control the government while the 'official' emperor would be stuck with hours upon hours of court formality and ritual. A very wise system was thus developed that divided governing from the rituals of governing. The slow movement of power from Kyoto to Tokyo is also well documented. This period is marked by the rise of military dictators, Shoguns, who shared power with the royal family and frequently intermarried with the royal family so that eventually Shogun families had claims to the throne.

The book does a very good job of explaining the differences and similarities between Shinto and Buddhist religions and their combined influence on Japanese culture and spirituality.

The book has a weakness however that should be mentioned. The book does not discriminate well between landmarks and shrines that no longer exists and landmarks and shrines that are open to the public. The book does not tell the travel how to find significant historic sites or how to navigate within the sites once they are found. In this regard I found I needed a second book to help me. I used the Eyewitness Guide to Japan which offered many photographs and clear directions and between the two books I was able to identify significant sites and then locate them and reach them using the Eyewitness book.

If you wish to learn far more about Samurai, the Pillow Book, the Book of Genji, the rise and expulsion of Christian missionaries, and the bloody internal wars - this is certainly a good book. If you wish to then use some of this knowledge to see actual sites within Japan, you need more information.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for Starters!, February 22, 2004

By 

"hanada_tattsu" (Northridge, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Traveller's History of Japan (Paperback)

Contrary to the popular opinion here, I enjoyed this book. For some one who does not really know much about Japan, or Japanese history, for that matter, the book is great. It starts off with a short prehistory, followed by the first Yamato state in Japan, followed by the Heian era, and the different shogunal dynasties, such as the Tokugawa and the Kamakura Shogunates. Then, it gives information about the Meiji Period, Japan's time as a power, and its defeat in World War II. It ends with a description of Modern Japan politically, socially, and economically.

One person said that Buddhism gets no treatment. Actually, it does. All of the important Buddhist sects (Tendai, Shingon, Nichiren, Pure Land, and Zen) are mentioned and information given about them. I do have to say, however, that Shintoism gets hardly any treatment.

And I do wisht hat the book gave more pictures and more information about the imperial family. But apart from that, I would get it!