Selected Book Reviews by students at JLCC (OMF’s Japanese Language and Culture Centre)
In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival / A Geek in Japan (Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen , and the Tea Ceremony) / Understanding Japanese Society / Modern Japan – A very short introduction
In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival
by John Dougill
This secular account of Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians) reads easily, like a personal travelogue, rather than an academic historical narrative. Dougill visits key sites in Japan’s early Catholic history, recounting his sensory experiences of current surroundings, information gained from locals and tour guides, and imaginative descriptions of centuries past. He concludes that the Kakure Kirishitan were neither very hidden, nor very Christian. He supports his conclusions by citing evidence that they registered as non-Christians at their local temples and publicly denounced Christ. He found evidence that the Kakure Kirishitan secretly recited prayers in gibberish Latin and worshipped Buddhist-style statues in lieu of actual Mary figurines. This is a fascinating and cautionary tale for anyone, especially those working to plant lasting indigenous Japanese churches.
Review by Audrey Eusey
A Geek in Japan (Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen , and the Tea Ceremony)
by Héctor García
The author has lived in Tokyo since 2004 and his blog www.kirainet.com has become very popular. Like the blog, the book contains hundreds of short and independent articles illustrated with many pictures. The author has a gift for describing complicated topics in a short and accurate way, illustrating them with practical examples and making them easy to understand. The book is of particular interest to people who don’t know much about Japan, but those who already live in Japan can also learn a lot from the book. It covers a wide range of topics including “The origins of Japanese culture” as well as “Modern Japanese Music”.
Review by Christian Baumgartner
Understanding Japanese Society
by Joy Hendry
This book takes a social anthropological approach, which seeks “to see the world as the people themselves see it.”1 It then “translates this understanding . . . into language . . . that the lay reader or student familiar with Japan can understand . . . to introduce the non-specialist to the anthropology of Japan.”2 The reader is asked “to suspend their own judgements or assumptions about how people should or should not order their lives and try to imagine how a Japanese person might see things differently.”3
The book examines small social units such as the family, school, and neighbourhood and gradually moves on to society (in everyday and ceremonial/ritual life) and larger social units such as the workplace, politics and the legal system. Throughout the book the author pays particular attention to aspects of Japanese worldview and behaviour, such as: communication, reciprocity, hierarchy, harmony, equality, and cooperation.
This is a detailed but easy-to-read book for both the beginner and those who have some knowledge of Japan.
Review by Margaret Rugira
1. Joy Hendry, Japanese Culture and Society, (Oxford: Nissan Institute, 2013), 2.
2. Ibid, 2.
3. Ibid, 2.
Modern Japan – A very short introduction
by Christopher Goto-Jones
This is a 150-page introduction to Japan’s historical, cultural and political development from the mid 17th century to the present day. Even though only a brief overview is possible, the author argues that modernity and westernisation are distinct, and that there were ideas and agents of change within Japan setting the foundations for its emergence as a modern nation, before the west ‘arrived.’ It’s a quick read, fairly easy to digest. I highly recommend it as a succinct primer.
Review by Jude Tindale