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Rating: 
Summary: Lucid, precise, irreverent---this is a must-read!
Review: Anyone interested in Japan, the arts, cultural criticism or the art of the essay should read this book. Donald Richie is the preeminent Japan scholar of our time, beloved in Japan and honored in the rest of the world. Time Magazine has called him "the dean of arts critics in Japan." But forget the cliche of Japanese temples and cherry blossoms... Richie isn't one of those old-fashioned Western Japanophiles nostalgic for some ancient version of "the Far East." He's interested in Japan here & now. Better yet, he's a fabulous writer--lucid, precise, irreverent, and never jaded. These essays are a great way to "get to know" Donald Richie--you get his essays on everything from Tokyo Disneyland to traditional Noh theatre, from contemporary Japanese film to tattoos. My personal favorite is the disturbing but amazing essay on Japanese "eroduction." And if you're a film buff, Richie is also the man who introduced modern Japanese film--Kurosawa, Ozu--to the West. Look for his perceptive essays about these artists. (Did you know he was the film curator at the NYC MOMA?) This is a must-read and a great way to introduce yourself to Donald Richie's work and to Japan!
Rating:
Summary: Lucid, precise, irreverent---this is a must-read!
Review: Anyone interested in Japan, the arts, cultural criticism or the art of the essay should read this book. Donald Richie is the preeminent Japan scholar of our time, beloved in Japan and honored in the rest of the world. Time Magazine has called him "the dean of arts critics in Japan." But forget the cliche of Japanese temples and cherry blossoms... Richie isn't one of those old-fashioned Western Japanophiles nostalgic for some ancient version of "the Far East." He's interested in Japan here & now. Better yet, he's a fabulous writer--lucid, precise, irreverent, and never jaded. These essays are a great way to "get to know" Donald Richie--you get his essays on everything from Tokyo Disneyland to traditional Noh theatre, from contemporary Japanese film to tattoos. My personal favorite is the disturbing but amazing essay on Japanese "eroduction." And if you're a film buff, Richie is also the man who introduced modern Japanese film--Kurosawa, Ozu--to the West. Look for his perceptive essays about these artists. (Did you know he was the film curator at the NYC MOMA?) This is a must-read and a great way to introduce yourself to Donald Richie's work and to Japan!
Rating: 
Summary: A new perspective on Japan.
Review: This is a good collection of short essays under the umbrella term `Japan`, but divided into handy categories such as Cinema, Tokyo and Popular culture. As the title suggests, these are often from a `lateral` viewpoint. The author doesn`t just tell you that the average family home is small and (relatively) uncomfortable to live in, he theorizes on the reason why this is, in this case (apart from the obvious space constraints in urban Japan) Richie argues that traditionally, the man of the house has many different `homes`, the office, the bar, the apartment etc and therefore doesn`t place so much importance on the Western concept of 'home'. The book does shed light on a lot of questions that those who live in Japan, or even those who just visit, may be wondering about. Such as, why do most Japanese TV news shows have an anchorman who is invariably supported by a `yes-woman`, and why do `yes-people` appear in small boxes at the top corner of the screen nodding to indicate agreement when agreement is needed and vice-versa. The only drawback to this collection is that some of the essays are old, with the latest being written in about 1989, so you`re not going to get any post-bubble commentary and the essays on `popular-culture` may be a little redundant now. There is also an essay written in the 1970`s on the problems of putting Japanese script onto paper with a typewriter and wondering what the future holds with the possibilities of the personal computer. However, the rest is a wonderful introduction to thinking about Japan differently, and while sometimes a little critical, shows a true love for the place.
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