List Price: $29.95
Save: $5.66 (19%)

FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books.

Only 4 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Want it Tuesday, April 12? Order within and choose Two-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Ship to:

Select a shipping address:

Buy Used

$9.88

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by Amazon Warehouse Deals

Fulfilled by Amazon

Condition: Used: Very Good

Comment: Appears to have been read. Missing shrink-wrap, activation codes for bonus online content may be missing or expired. Small mark / wear on front cover.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival Hardcover – March 13, 2014

by David Pilling (Author)

44 customer reviews

See all 5 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.82

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$24.29

$1.89

$3.89

Paperback

"Please retry"

$18.00

$9.98

$10.00

“[A]n excellent book...” --The Economist

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's Bending Adversity 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.

James Fallows, The New York Times Book Review
“The ground-zero disaster reporting will command the attention of any reader. Pilling vividly recreates the waves of different sorts of destruction... For me, these scenes powerfully recall John Hersey’s Hiroshima--and although the causes were obviously different, in each case the longest-lasting source of damage came from radiation... Pilling is eloquent and direct.”

The Financial Times
“David Pilling quotes a visiting MP from northern England, dazzled by Tokyo’s lights and awed by its bustling prosperity: ‘If this is a recession, I want one.’ Not the least of the merits of Pilling’s hugely enjoyable and perceptive book on Japan is that he places the denunciations of two allegedly “lost decades” in the context of what the country is really like and its actual achievements.”

The Telegraph (UK)
“Pilling, the Asia editor of the Financial Times, is perfectly placed to be our guide, and his insights are a real rarity when very few Western journalists communicate the essence of the world’s third-largest economy in anything but the most superficial ways. Here, there is a terrific selection of interview subjects mixed with great reportage and fact selection... he does get people to say wonderful things. The novelist Haruki Murakami tells him: “When we were rich, I hated this country”... well-written... valuable.”

Publishers Weekly (starred):
"A probing and insightful portrait of contemporary Japan."

Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival

$24.29 FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books. Only 4 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Jonathan N. Lipman

9

Paperback
$114.70
Evan Osnos

251

Hardcover
$18.69
R. Taggart Murphy

25

Hardcover
$20.76
John W. Dower

112

Paperback
$12.12
Patrick French

20

Paperback
$13.12
Chen Guidi

16

Paperback
$11.56

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Save Big On Open-Box & Pre-owned: Buy "Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival” from Amazon Warehouse Deals and save 67% off the $29.95 list price. Product is eligible for Amazon's 30-day returns policy and Prime or FREE Shipping. See all Open-Box & Pre-owned offers from Amazon Warehouse Deals.

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Product Details

Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Penguin Press (March 13, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1594205841
ISBN-13: 978-1594205842
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.3 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #696,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1059 in Books > History > Asia > Japan
- #1258 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Human Geography
- #1649 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Asian

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

5 star		52%
4 star		37%
3 star		9%
2 star		0%
1 star		2%

See all 44 customer reviews

Share your thoughts with other customers

Write a customer review

Top Customer Reviews

On the mark

By Joseph W. Hlebica on May 15, 2014

Format: Hardcover

I am only in the early chapters of Pilling's astonishing book, and already I am amazed at how deeply affected I am by it, both intellectually, and emotionally. Perhaps it helps to have been a foreign journalist in Japan myself, during the bubble decade of the 1980s, though I don't mean to dispel the opinions of others simply because I share Pilling's experience as an expat journalist/Asian studies academic, but these experiences allow me to bring to his book special insights that afford me the privilege of stating without equivocation that his thesis is entirely on the mark, or as the elder Japanese archers I studied with might say, ATARI! [No, not the checkered gam-software manufacturer.]. Pilling's is precisely the sort of book we expat journalists used to read with embarrassment, almost every chapter containing a statement which we announced aloud to ourselves, or to the room, "I wish I'd written that!" I am especially impressed with the early chapter that deconstructs popular and long-held myths about Japan. And the fact that he embarrasses Rush Benedict's opus of disinformation, "The Crysanthemum and the Sword", is especially daring and refreshing. I concur. I remember whole sections of bookstores in Japan featuring books on the subject by half-informed foreigners and self-deluded natives that attempted to explain Japan, all for naught. I dare say Pilling's book comes alarmingly close to achieving this elusive goal.Read more ›

Comment 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

To Instruct and To Delight

By Anne Mills on December 6, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

"To instruct and to delight", which Horace called the aim of the poet, is at least as appropriate for the non-fiction author. All too often, instruction spills over into lecturing and any delight is swamped by turgid prose. David Pilling's "Bending Adversity", however, is a sterling example of just how instructive and delightful non-fiction can be. Mr. Pilling, the Financial Times Tokyo bureau chief from 2002 from 2008, has an expert knowledge of Japan's economic and political systems. He also shows a perceptive appreciation for Japanese history and its culture. Finally, he is a gifted and entertaining writer, who can focus on touching vignettes or on complex ideas with equal precision. This is perhaps the best book I have read about Japan in quite a while; I strongly recommend it to anyone who is interested in where Japan is now.

Mr. Pilling begins and ends with the triple shock of March 2011 -- the earthquake, the tsunami, and the release of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant. He brilliantly describes what the stricken area looked like after the disaster, and how people behaved during and after the crisis. They behaved very well, which brings him to his trope of "bending with adversity". The Japanese as a people, a friend tells him, are not destroyed by calamity, because they adapt, move on, and begin again. He explores this idea through the last 150 years of Japanese history, when violent change (the opening of Japan, Japan's defeat in World War 2} provoked dramatic adaptation.

The middle part of the book discusses Japan's economic situation, and Mr. Pilling very pertinently points out that reports of its death have been been exaggerated. He quotes a British parliamentarian, visiting Tokyo in the mid-2000's.Read more ›

Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

The more I read, the less I know Japan

By J. Gravener on June 7, 2014

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

I suppose, really, that any country one has not grown up in can be an enigma. I have always loved my visits to Japan, and while I would never presume to "know" the country, I found a deep connection to some traditions and social behaviors that reflect my own beliefs and outlook, i.e., courteousness, cleanliness, and interactions with nature. However, this book has laid bare a part of Japan's soul, and I realize that there is much more to the people of Japan than I thought. Pilling, through his interviews and conversations, reflects the complexity and essence of a country and its people as they struggle to survive when facing major national events. I highly recommend this book.

Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

Excellent book on contemporary Japan

By Desert Diplomat on April 19, 2015

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

So many of the great, insightful books on Japan were written during the period of Japan's economic bubble, when all of the world was really paying attention to Japan. If (like me), you read a lot about Japan decades ago but took a break since then, "Bending Adversity" is a wonderful place to rediscover Japan. Excellent insights into both culture, history, and politics. Pilling knows Japan well and while I felt his thoughts on Japan were sometimes a bit too rosy, they are a good balance to the recent din echoed in the press about "Japan's the past, (China's the future)."

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

Japan's decline has been exaggerated

By C. Griffith on October 24, 2014

Format: Hardcover

David Pilling, an editor at the Financial Times, covers the history of Japan since the collapse of real estate bubble in about 1990. The 2011 tsunami, earthquake, and associated nuclear accidents at Fukushima understandably receive much coverage.
Japan has not really recovered economically since the collapse of the real estate bubble, and has endured very slow economic growth and deflation since then. Consequently the relative prosperity of Japan has declined in comparison with other rich countries, such as the United States The Japanese population is now slowly declining. Furthermore, trends seen in other rich countries, such as the development of a two-tiered labor market, with a few lucky individuals still obtaining the life-time employment with benefits at a large corporation (previously a fairly common occurrence), and many now working temporary or part-time jobs without benefits, and an increasing concentration of wealth, are also observed in Japan in attenuated form.

However, Japan still has the third largest economy on the planet, and because of the deflation and lack of population growth per-person real income has not declined anywhere near as much as the nominal values would indicate. Unemployment remained relatively low considering the circumstances. In general the malaise of the Japanese economy seems less exceptional now, after the United States and Europe endured the collapse of a financial bubble in 2008.

There have been some changes in society that appear to have resulted from the collapse of the bubble and the consequent reduction in faith in the governing elites.Read more ›

Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Report abuse

See all 44 customer reviews (newest first)

Write a customer review

Most Recent Customer Reviews

An Excellent and poignant look at modern Japan

Pilling builds an examination of the Japanese political economy and culture around the country's response to the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and aftermath. Read more

Published 9 days ago by H.

Five Stars

Beautiful piece of writing and very insightful and sympathetic to a people we both love and respect.

Published 2 months ago by drphilipk

Solid overview of recent Japanese economics and politics

Well written. Not much that I disagree with, but neither was there much that surprised me. Balanced account. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Amazon Customer

He is pleased and looks VERY forward to reading it

Gift for husband who worked with Japanese businesses for many years in his career. He is pleased and looks VERY forward to reading it. 😉

Published 3 months ago by W. Bamberg

Enjoyable Read

Well written narrative. Some chapters hit home given I was in a Tokyo skyscraper during the 3-11 earthquake and remained in town during the nuclear crisis. Read more

Published 5 months ago by iosakwe

In depth and as unbiased as a foreigner is likely ...

In depth and as unbiased as a foreigner is likely to be able to accomplish. A must read for anyone interested in the intersection between Japanese cultural and economic histories.

Published 7 months ago by Ian G Wittman

The Little Nation That Could: Japan’s Upstanding Continuity

As a nation that rapidly modernized not only once but twice during the duration of a 100 years, Japan is no stranger to overcoming misfortunes while continuing to move forward. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Mama Jo

Insightful and easy to read

David Pilling in his monograph Bending Adversity does a good job conveying how Japan has rose and dealt with adversity. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Julie Xiong

Very good insights again Japanese cultural identity

Through the book Bending Adversity, David Pilling presents strong arguments to support the Japanese’s ability to bend challenges and turn them into the advantages. Read more

Published 10 months ago by dang huy viet

History of Modern Japan Book Review - Dakota Darkstar

David Pilling’s book Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival made a strong argument for the incredible ability of Japan to seemingly rise time and again from the ashes and... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Dakota Darkstar

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more

This item: Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival

Set up a giveaway