Vanishing Japan: Traditions, Crafts, & Culture

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Summary: Saving the past from disappearing completely
Review: Elizabeth Kiritani should be familiar to anyone who has lived in Japan for a while. She has become noted for her knowledge of traditional Japanese culture, and this book is an excellent example of the author's deep knowledge of the subject. In great detail, accompanied by simple but clear illustrations, she explains things that were once common, but are rapidly disappearing. One of the most interesting segments for me was the section on traditional thatched-roof houses. They are plentiful in Nagano, where I live, but I didn't imagine that any were left in Tokyo. Not only does the author interview a person that makes thatched roofs, but she gives an interesting and detailed account of life in a thatched roof home, both from point of view of the older generation who can't imagine anything else, and the younger generation who aren't as enthusiastic. Like all other developed nations, Japan's traditional crafts are rapidly disappearing, as young people become accustomed to convenience and expediency. Kiritani has preserved, in text form at least, an important part of Tokyo's and Japan's cultural history.