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There is a lot of material written about many aspects of Japanese
culture, and available from many more authoritative sources than a
computer news group. This bibliography lists a few widely available
titles that are aimed toward general readers, not sociologists. Some
of the books listed have their own bibliographies for further study. A
search of any good library's catalog will list many more.
Note: for sake of consistency, all Japanese names in this FAQ are written
given names first.
Japanese Society and Culture:
The Japanese Mind; Robert C. Christopher
A general introduction to Japanese society. Widely available. Includes
a bibliography.
Learning to Bow; Bruce Feiler
An American teaching English at public jr. high schools in rural
Japan. Describes the educational system, relations between Japanese
and foreigners, and other aspects of current culture.
Japanese Things; Basil Hall Chamberlain
Describes Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era (from 1868). Some
parts are dated, and therefore more of a historical reference, others
still apply.
The Book of Tea; Kakuzo (Tenshin) Okakura
The book that made tea ceremony famous around the world. The book
itself is rather old, but it is an overview of the tea culture that
is insightful even to native Japanese.
History:
Japan; Edwin O. Reischauer
A brief introduction to the long history of Japan. Not great, but
widely available.
History of Japan; Sir George B. Sansom
A considerably more extensive history. 3 volumes.
Literature:
Yasunari Kawabata
Snow Country
Thousand Cranes
_Snow_Country_ is one of the most famous novels in Japan. It
describes the relationship of a teacher from Tokyo and a geisha
at a small hot spring resort.
Soseki Natsume
Botchan
Kokoro
Sorekara (published in English as _And Then_)
Soseki is considered by many to be Japan's greatest author, and
_Kokoro_ is often considered his most important novel. Botchan
is earlier in his career, a much more lighthearted story.
Yukio Mishima
Temple of the Golden Pavillion
Mishima is perhaps, as famous for his 1970 storming of the Japan Self
Defense Forces headquarters and subsequent suicide as for his writing.
Many of his novels have been translated to English. Mishima is probably
more popular outside Japan than at home.
Junichiro Tanizaki
The Makioka Sisters
The Key
Some Prefer Nettles
Tanizaki lived through approximately the same time as Mishima, but
was much more popular in Japan than Mishima. "The Makioka Sisters"
and "Some Prefer Nettles" have the transition from traditional to
modern (westernized) Japan. Widely available in English.
Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Rashomon
The Hell Screen (Jigokuhen)
Words of a Fool (Shuju no Kotoba)
Akutagawa was active in the early 1900's. His short stories
are often inspired by _Konjaku Monogatari_, a collection of
stories from the Heian era. Akira Kurosawa's movie _Rashomon_
was inspired by his short story of the same name. His stories
are available in English in the collections "Kappa," "Tales
Grotesque and Curious," and "Rashomon and other stories."
The following authors and collections represent modern Japan. They may
never reach the stature as the authors listed above, but some are popular
and all represent to some degree what's happening in Japan now.
Kobo Abe
The Woman of the Dunes
Beyond the Curve (short stories)
Abe is sometimes called the Edgar Allen Poe of Japan. Similar
macabre or twisted type stories. Died in January 1993.
Kenzaburo Oe
Man-en Gannen no Futtoboru (English title: The Silent Cry)
Kojinteki na Taiken (English title: A Personal Matter)
Winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in literature, Oe is said to
be heavily influenced by Western writings; his bold style contrasts
with the sensitive style pursued by Kawabata and others.
Haruki Murakami
A Wild Sheep Chase
The Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Murakami is a current best selling author in Japan. These
two novels are (sometimes wild) fantasy adventures.
Shuusaku Endo
Silence
The Sea and the Poison
Endo passed away in 1996. A devout Roman Catholic, Endo explored
the problem of morality (and lack thereof) in contemporary
Japanese society. He was also an excellent humorist, although
few--if any--of his humorous works have been translated into English.
The Showa Anthology; Van C. Gessel * Tomone Matsumoto Ed.
Includes stories by some of Japan's most
respected authors.
New Japanese Voices; Helen Mistios Ed.
More recent than _The_Showa_Anthology_.
Monkey Brain Sushi; Alfred Birnhaum, Ed.
Also very recent. 11 short stories by authors including
Murakami, Masahiko Shimada, and Amy Yamada.
Banana Yoshimoto
Kitchen
A popular female author.
Economics and Business:
Made In Japan ; Akio Morita
Widely available in the U.S. Morita is the founder of Sony. Describes
where Japan went right, and others.
The Political Economy of Japan; K. Yamamura and A. Y. Yasuba, eds.
Covers many aspects of Japanese economics and Politics, easy for
non-specialists to read.
Religion:
On Understanding Japanese Religion; Joseph M. Kitagawa
A collection of essays, on topics ranging from prehistoric background
of Japanese religion, cross-cultural influences, folk religion,
Shinto, Buddhism and Kobo Daishi, Confusiansim, and New Religions.
H. Byron Earhart
_Japanese Religion: Unity and Diversity_, 1982
H. Byron Earhart
_Religions of Japan: Many Traditions within One Sacred Way_, 1984
Ichiro Hori
_Folk Religion in Japan: Continuity and Change_, 1968
Ian Reader
_Religion in Contemporary Japan_, 1991
The following are OK, but not great references.
Shinto, The Kami Way
Tuttle publishing. A brief overview of Shinto organization and practices.
Japanese Pilgrimage; Oliver Statler
Partly historical fiction, partly Statler's writing about walking a
pilgrimage to 88 temples in Shikoku.
Computing:
Understanding Japanese Information Processing; Ken Lunde
The author has been a frequent SCJ contributer in the area of Japanese
text processing. It comes highly recommended from several sources.
User Contributions:Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:Top Document: soc.culture.japan FAQ [Monthly Posting] [1/3] Previous Document: (3.6) Why are there so few Japanese posters in SCJ? Next Document: (5.0) Japanese culture and customs Part1 - Part2 - Part3 - Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: shimpei@gol.com (Shimpei Yamashita)
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Throughout history, we can see how we have been strategically conditioned to come to this point where we are on the verge of a cashless society. Did you know that the Bible foretold of this event almost 2,000 years ago?
In the last book of the Bible, Revelation 13:16-18, it states,
"He (the false prophet who deceives many by his miracles--Revelation 19:20) causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666."
Referring to the last generation, this could only be speaking of a cashless society. Why? Revelation 13:17 states that we cannot buy or sell unless we receive the mark of the beast. If physical money was still in use, we could buy or sell with one another without receiving the mark. This would contradict scripture that states we need the mark to buy or sell!
These verses could not be referring to something purely spiritual as scripture references two physical locations (our right hand or forehead) stating the mark will be on one "OR" the other. If this mark was purely spiritual, it would indicate both places, or one--not one OR the other!
This is where it really starts to come together. It is incredible how accurate the Bible is concerning the implantable RFID microchip. This is information from a man named Carl Sanders who worked with a team of engineers to help develop this RFID chip:
"Carl Sanders sat in seventeen New World Order meetings with heads-of-state officials such as Henry Kissinger and Bob Gates of the C.I.A. to discuss plans on how to bring about this one-world system. The government commissioned Carl Sanders to design a microchip for identifying and controlling the peoples of the world—a microchip that could be inserted under the skin with a hypodermic needle (a quick, convenient method that would be gradually accepted by society).
Carl Sanders, with a team of engineers behind him, with U.S. grant monies supplied by tax dollars, took on this project and designed a microchip that is powered by a lithium battery, rechargeable through the temperature changes in our skin. Without the knowledge of the Bible (Brother Sanders was not a Christian at the time), these engineers spent one-and-a-half-million dollars doing research on the best and most convenient place to have the microchip inserted.
Guess what? These researchers found that the forehead and the back of the hand (the two places the Bible says the mark will go) are not just the most convenient places, but are also the only viable places for rapid, consistent temperature changes in the skin to recharge the lithium battery. The microchip is approximately seven millimeters in length, .75 millimeters in diameter, about the size of a grain of rice. It is capable of storing pages upon pages of information about you. All your general history, work history, criminal record, health history, and financial data can be stored on this chip.
Brother Sanders believes that this microchip, which he regretfully helped design, is the “mark” spoken about in Revelation 13:16–18. The original Greek word for “mark” is “charagma,” which means a “scratch or etching.” It is also interesting to note that the number 666 is actually a word in the original Greek. The word is “chi xi stigma,” with the last part, “stigma,” also meaning “to stick or prick.” Carl believes this is referring to a hypodermic needle when they poke into the skin to inject the microchip."
Mr. Sanders asked a doctor what would happen if the lithium contained within the RFID microchip leaked into the b (...)