Introduction to Japanese Culture

Its literature, music, art and cuisine embody the richness of Japan's renowned culture. Preserved for centuries in its highly independent and utterly unique rituals, festivals, and ethics, Japanese culture may now seem utterly Westernized—yet much of it will seem mysterious to Westerners. Introduction to Japanese Culture presents an overview, through sixty-eight original and informative essays, of some of JapanÆs most notable cultural achievements. From the anything-but-prosaic box lunch to the inscrutable Noh plays, these cogent essays, complemented with photographs and illustrations, reveal the tenacious cultural past still resonant in JapanÆs arts, festivals, and customs. They focus on the essential constants that remain in present day Japan and their counterparts in Western culture. A fascinating read.