Japan Books

I am writing this review on the day Joe Rosenthal died. Joe Rosenthal was the photographer who took one of the most famous photos of all time, the picture of the Marines raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi in the Pacific island of Iwo Jima where one of the war's key and most bloodly battles was fought in 1945. Afterwards there was a controvery and accusations that he had staged this. This present book provides overwhelming evidence of the falsity of the claim. It also provides a detailed recounting of the story of the battle of Iwo Jima.
Rosenthal who was by all accounts a modest man said , once 'What difference does it make who took the photograph? I took it. But what is important is that the Marines took Iwo Jima.' Six thousand Americans lost their lives in that battle.
In this book Tedd Thomey who was a Marine wounded in the battle of Iwo Jima, tells the story of the two ' raisings of the flag' He also tells of the military photographer William Genaust whose photographs and words corroborated Rosenthal's claim that the photo was not staged.
The photo itself is of course a legenday one. I remember seeing it as a child and being struck by it without really knowing why. The effort, the leaning forward of the Marines, the struggle, the aspiration, the flag blowing in the wind, all seemed to express together a picture of American patriotic dedication and greatness, and something too about the human spirit in fighting for what it really believes in.
Rosenthal, again , was a modest man, and according to Thomey, a great patriot. In an instant he gave America a picture of one of its finest moments, and truest meanings.

In the interests of full disclosure I must confess that Tedd Thomey is an old pal. But never mind about that. Tedd would be the first to agree that I must not allow sentiment to compromise my opinions. So let me be brutally honest here: Immortal Images is a brilliant and unique and moving book, the capstone to the author's long and colorful career. Uncovering the--sometimes startling, always intriguing--hidden history behind the iconic photos of the flag-raising at the battle of Iwo Jima, Thomey is part reporter, part private eye, part crusader and part soldier with the insider's viewpoint only a veteran of battle could have brought to the page. How wonderful to find that at this late date, fifty-plus years after the events in question took place, great new books on WWII are still being created by men who actually experienced and survived and won that long-ago conflict. Read it. Know what it was like. This is history you can taste brought to you by a man who was there.

If you have ever wondered who Joe Rosenthal was, read this book. If you wish to know about the photographers who took the images of the Flag Raisings on Iwo Jima, then read this book. If you have ever wondered about what is the true story of the Iwo Jima Flag Raisings by the US Marines on Mount Suribachi, read this book. If you have ever wanted to learn about why there could have been so much controversy surrounding the Iwo Jima Flag Raisings in February, 1945, read this book. Tedd Thomey has put an exhorbitant amount of research and details, some never before known, in the story of two photographers, who by chance, happened to be in the same place at the same time, capturing one of the most famous and widely reproduced images of all time. The book covers a wide range of stories on the people, places, graphic battlefield portrayals surrounding the Joe Rosenthal, Lou Lowery photographs and Bill Genaust 16mm filming of the event. I highly recommend this book for any World War II, Marine Corp, Photojournalism or history lover. Great human drama.

A superbly written book which refutes the minsinformation (both intentional and untentional) surrounding the two flag raisings atop Suribachi Yama on Iwo Jima. The facts are so well proven and documented, the reader will be left with no doubt as to the true course of events.

The author vividly recounts the negative effects these fallacious facts wrought on the men and families of those participating in this historic event.

Although Tedd Thomey was wounded and evacuated on D Day, February 19, 1945, he successfuly recreated much of the 36 day battle. This reader, also, a member of the First Battalion, 28th Marines, found himself completely spellbound as Thomey's narration traveled from the foot of Suribachi north to Hill 362A, over Nishi Ridge into the Badlands, and finally to Bloody Gorge.

Only a true journalist with a passion for the truth could have written this book.

An Introduction to Japanese Society is a book no serious student of Japan (or East Asia generally) can afford to pass up. It affords an unflinching and incisive look at the nature of Japanese democracy by a Japanese scholar who pulls no punches. While quite a few Western scholars have characterized the Japanese elementary school classroom, for example, as less authoritarian than its American counterpart, Sugimoto contends that authoritarianism is pronounced but subtly pervasive throughout Japanese society. Instead of accentuating top-down coercion by authorities, as Korean and Chinese societies do, Japanese authoritarianism is more subtle, relying heavily on indirect controls such as small group pressures, extensive surveillance, moralistic ideologies, positive reinforcements, mythologies of benevolent leadership, and pleasant rituals to mask underlying and potentially coercive power. As Sugimoto persuasively demonstrates, "Japanese friendly authoritarianism does not normally exhibit its coercive face." But when all else fails, it can and does exercise the full measure of its power. Sugimoto's book should inspire more Western scholars to take a closer look at the informal mechanisms of control in Japanese society. If Sugimoto is right, Japan has far to go before it becomes a full-fledged democracy.

In a world of Inside/Outside, it is refreshing to get a view form the inside. YOSHIO SUGIMOTO'S "An introduction to Japanese society" is probably the most functional addition to the limited number of books which give a wide-ranging coverage of Japanese society fit for an preliminary Japanese society course, and more sophisticated students will find much in it as well. As a counterpoint to myriad of books and thesis, which show Japan as culturally homogenous, and predominantly white collar, Sugimoto zeroes-in on Japan's multiculturalism and class distinctions which he posits are more akin to other highly industrialized societies. The Japanese "everyman" (term mine) he posits from the get-go is not a highly educated "salaryman" working for a large company, but rather older woman with less education maybe working for a smaller company or family firm. What is important to note is that Japan, with a dropping birth rate, aging population and more emphasis on individualism in education and work, Japan might be even more like other countries.

Sugimoto manages to cover a large selection of the essential issues that affect Japanese society at present time and its historical development. Furthermore, Sugimoto presents a balanced perspective of the weaknesses and strengths of the Japanese system. In Chapter 2, dealing with the issue of "stratification", Sugimoto explains that while class distinctions have become less apparent in the post-war period, inequality is actually on the rise. Chapter 3, Sugimoto discusses regional disparities, the positions of minorities, regional variations, and the influence of Tokyo on the more peripheral regions of the country. This section is insightful as it is pedagogical - Sugimoto's treatment of ethnic diversity is clear, concise and balanced.

Chapter 4 deals mainly with the economy. Sugimoto examines the rupture between those permanently employed in the large corporations, and those with less secure jobs in small enterprises. Chapter 6, focuses on women's exclusion from the permanent employment sector of the job market (either by exclusion through education or other means), despite what might seem like equal opportunities legislation. Chapter 7 engages in the discourse of discrimination, namely that against Koreans. Burakumin, the Ainu in Hokkaido, and Japan's now substantial number of foreign immigrant workers. Perhaps the most important chapter in dispelling the homogeneity myth, this chapter explores what is apparently a long and complex discourse of race and race relations in Japan.

Most interesting to Sociologists and Japanese Studies majors is Chapter 8 on the Japanese establishment, and the close and often dubious 3 way links between bureaucrats, politicians and business leaders. For a more detailed but less compelling dissertation of this issue, you can also examine MIKISO HANE'S EASTERN PHOENIX - JAPAN SINCE 1945. Chapter 9 leads in with "Internationalization" and is clearly related to the discussion of popular culture, which includes karaoke, pachinko, the sex industry as well as new religions. For those looking for a Japan textbook, this is looks to be the definitive account of a sociological experiment with it's primary focus in stratification. It does cover a lot and from my discussion above, looks to be a long book. It is not. Much like MIKISO HANE'S book it is well worth the read.

Miguel Llora

This book should be required reading for any introductory course for Japanese Studies. Sugimoto presents a very unbiased view of Japanese society, and covers many different aspects, such as gender, hierarchy (the vertical society), and education that play daily roles in the maintaining of the structure and implement of Japanese ways. Excellent reading for anyone with an interest in Japan, necessary reading for any student of Japanese Studies.

While no book is able to entirely encapsulate a culture, Yoshio Sugimoto's "An Introduction to Japanese Society" manages to showcase the ethnic and economical diversity alongside pop culture and "Friendly Authoritarianism," something that one can see every day in Japan. Scholarly in tone, this is a competent book for serious students of Japan, who want more than can be offered by "culture" books and such.

An impressively wide examination, each of the ten chapters examines a particular face of Japan. Economic class and stratification, varieties in work and labor, diversity and unity in education, minority groups and gender stratification, almost every possible angle is seen. Popular and folk culture are examined in detail, with the "Four Japanese Phenomena" described as manga, pachinko, karaoke and the sex industry. As someone who has spent considerable time in Japan, I can assure that these four areas have more impact on modern Japan than the tea ceremony and the Japanese garden!

Although it is packed with information, "An Introduction to Japanese Society" is also small enough as to not be intimidating. It is only an introduction, but it should be a gateway to those seeking insight into a fascinating culture.

Joe O'Donnell captured the aftermath of World War II with his photographic record of the Japanese rubble. As a 23 year-old US Marine, O'Donnell served as a photographer, and a sample of the photographs he took are included in his book, JAPAN 1945: A US MARINE'S PHOTOGRAPHS FROM GROUND ZERO. The collection is a visual snapshot of the Japanese landscape of the cities and towns, Sasebo, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, almost a month after the atomic bombings and air raids.

Indeed, JAPAN 1945 includes poignant and moving exposures of remnants of the worn torn landscape. The book is a composition of photographs of O'Donnell's seventh month long tour of the Japanese cities in which he documented what was left of the cities -- pure destruction without a living thing in sight. There are numerous shots worth mentioning, such as the boy and his young brother on the cover of the book, the boy served as O'Donnell's guide through the streets of Hiroshima, as well a man severely burned, "Victim with Rope" who is covered with an immense amount of clothing in order to protect his skin. However, there are also photographs depicting reconstruction, such as the shot where a teacher leads a class with the classroom still intact despite the outside view of the devastating rubble that lurks in the background.

JAPAN 1945 is an excellent photographic record of the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. O'Donnell's account of what he had seen has been best described not with words, but with the photographs he presents. The book may further provide a better understanding of World War II history as well as how photographs provide a template to how history is interpreted.

Photographer Joe O'Donnell, a 23-year-old Marine assigned to the occupation of Japan, has released many of his photographs that he took while on station. Locked away for some 45 years, these vivid, graphic, and moving photos show what life was like immediately after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

O'Donnell's photo archive begins with images from his arrival in Japan. A prayer service offered aboard a landing ship, and the unloading of equipment are shown in this section. The harbor at Sasebo is photographed with many American ships filling its waters, but it is in this section where the reader gets their first glimpse of the level of destruction wrought by American planes; most of the surrounding city is literally flattened. Many displaced Japanese citizens are shown wandering the streets of what has become a barren wasteland.

O'Donnell has also included images of American soldiers giving candy to Japanese children, and Japanese geishas performing dances. Images of children with babies strapped to their backs cleaning rubble and elderly displaced civilians with few or no possessions really touch the reader.

The most eye-catching part of the book for me was the images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both cities were literally wiped off the face of the earth; only massive piles of rubble remained. O'Donnell had to travel by horse to navigate through the massive piles of debris. Images of people wandering about aimlessly, smashed factories, and burn victims dominate this part of the book.

The most piognant pictures I saw in the book are the one of the three brothers in Nagasaki; the eldest pushing his brothers in a make-shift cart, and the most heartbreaking one, the photo of the child who has come to the cremation site in Nagasaki with his dead baby brother strapped to his back, all the while struggling to keep from crying. I can't remember seeing a more moving photograph.

This is a tremendous book. Each photograph tells its own story, and O'Donnell has provided excellent narrative above each photo. I highly recommend this fine book. Open it up and take a photographic journey through a defeated Japan. Some photos will inspire awe; others pity, and you'll get a true sense of what it was like in Japan immediately after the war ended.

Could it be that we see a photo of an 8 or 9 year old boy bringing the body of his dead baby brother to a site in Nagasaki for cremation? Could it be that this photo was taken by a 23 year old American Marine? Would it be possible that the Marine was mistaken, perhaps he misunderstood? Perhaps the baby is only sleeping. Alas, the older brother's face belies the truth as the baby's body hangs lifeless. Marine photographer Joe O'Donnell was obviously moved by many of the photos he took during his time in Japan, just after the war ended.

But it's not just bombed out cities that he shares with us. There are happier times when American GI's were talking to children, geisha and hotel maids and other slices of Japanese life that would interest most any foreigner (or perhaps today's Japanese even). We can only wonder how many other photos he has that are have not been published.

I think Japanese history is at its most interesting when it interacts (or collides) with other countries. O'Donnell shares with us images of a Japan that no longer is. Perhaps Japan never has publicly atoned for its war time actions sufficiently; but this book shows clearly that it certainly was punished sufficiently.

We've all seen the pictures of Hiroshima where everything but the shells of a few building is flattened. Here are seventy-four pictures from several cities, fire-bombed with conventional munitions, not atomic bombs, that look just as devastated, just as destroyed.

But more than that are pictures of the people. There's a picture of the crowd at an Athletic Day - women, children, and old men - the young men are gone, probably never to return. There's a picture of a young boy, perhaps eight years old. To his back is strapped his little brother, perhaps one year old. The little brother is dead and the boy is delivering him to the cremation site.

Yes the pictures from other wars, the child at the railway station after the rape of Nanking, those from the camps in Germany are equally tragic. Even the pictures showing Charleston after Sherman's army went through show this kind of destruction.

But there is a special feeling I get from these pictures. Perhaps it comes as a residual of the racial hatred this country felt towards Japan. I hope not, but the fact is that these striking photographs make me feel terrible.

Beautifully illustrated with tons of large pictures of houses and gardens on every page with notes on each one. Very tastefully put together. Great style which epicts beautiful Japanese living in a more contemporary way. An excellent book for anyone wanting ideas on how to decorate their home or garden in the typical Japanese or Asian style. Also makes a wonderful coffee table book. Very pleased that I bought this.

Beautiful photos of great interiors. Mostly traditional Japanese homes as they are currently lived in. Features homes with collections of traditional Japanese crafts. Also, some modern homes designed with Japanese aesthetic. I would also recommend the book "Japanese Style".

Among our collection of a dozen or more illustrated books about Japanese architecture and design, this is by far the best. The exquisite photographs are accompanied by a thorough yet interesting explanation of the various traditional styles found in Japanese architecture.
Although the emphasis is upon traditional homes, the volume also includes examples of the adaptation of these styles to elegant homes in Japan today. Be forewarned, however, many of the homes illustrated, both very old and modern, are far more spacious than middle-class Japanese are able to enjoy, even those living in rural Japan.
When our present home, blending Japanese and Craftsman influences, is finished, we will give this book to our architects and contractor as tokens of our appreciation.
(By the way, this reviewer lived in Japan for ten years.)

Like one of the other reviewers, I own quite a few books on Japanese houses and architecture. This is an outstanding example, with very beautiful high quality photography and printing, as well as a great selection of houses I have not seen before. Most are traditional, but a few are modern. I am glad I bought this book.

As a lecturer of Japanese refugee law and policy, I found this book to be essential reading for myself and my students. Dr. Ryuji Mukae's study provides an insightful analysis of the Government of Japan's refugee reception policies over four main periods. He examines how Japan's self interest and international pressure played often contradictory roles in shaping refugee policies.

During the first period between 1895 and 1945, for example, Mukae argues that the Japanese government provided support for revolutionaries like China's Sun Yat-sen and Korea's Kim Ok-kyun as a means of enhancing Japan's imperialist foreign policy objectives in its neighboring countries. He also examines Japan's restrictive policies towards Russian Jews during World War I, the era after World War II, the Indochinese refugee crisis of 1978, and Japan's accession to the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees in 1982.

The study provides rich empirical evidence to dispel the myth that Japan has no significant history of receiving refugees while it also underscores the ramifications of Japan's foreign policy interests on this issue. The book could benefit from more in-depth discussion of Japan's external refugee policy and a less pedantic writing style. However, the study should be commended as an impressive work of nuanced scholarship on a subject that might not otherwise be available to the English-language world.

Please remove the two reviews of my book, which appear on this site because these two reviewers admit that they haven't read my book. As a general rule, people should not write reviews of the books they haven't read.

Professor Mukae is very informative with International Politics. Therefore, although I have never read this book, I think it should be great based on his knowledge.

I have Mukae as an IR professor. He is very good. I did not read the book, but he's a good man. Buy the book, it's gold.

After reading an article in the local paper about the history of the Bly Oregon incident where a family was killed by one of these bombs, I did a search on the internet for more information. I was referred to this book by several newsgroups. After opening this book, I read it cover to cover in one sitting. If you are not enthralled by the Japanese effort into these balloon bombs, you soon will be. This book is an excellent record of this little known part of our nations history.

When the original book was published in 1973 I saw the author interviewed on a Portland, OR tv talk show. Having grown uo on the east coast I'd never heard of the ballon bombs before. My own interest was piqued and I also knew that my dad who was a WW2 vet would love to receive the book for his birthday. I sent for a copy and must admit I read it before giving it to him! It was truly a book I couldn't put down!

I sent it to my dad and he raved about it. In fact, I recall him mentioning it several times over the following years before his death how much he enjoyed it and appreciated my sending it to him .

It's a fascinating bit of history many of us knew nothing about. It would be a great gift for anyone who enjoys history and a perfect gift for WW2 buffs!

I give it 5 stars without reservation! I'm delighted to know it's been reproduced...I'll buy my own copy now.

The new International Balloon Museum in Albuquerque features the remnants of a Fu-Go balloon bomb, along with one of the hand-made paper envelopes built to carry the device across the Pacific Ocean. Mikesh's detailed report is an excellent supplement to the museum exhibit. It's a fascinating look into one of the most intriguing chapters in military history. Few know that the only victims of World War II on U.S. soil were killed by this ingenious device. Its potential use in germ warfare and its contribution to UFO hysteria are interesting side notes. Well worth a read.

Excellent technical explanations of the balloon weapons and how they were used against the North American continent. From production in Japan to the US defensive response to the threat, everything you'd ever want to know about these early intercontinental ballistic weapons is in this book. Heavily illustrated with maps, diagrams, and photography including aerial photography of the balloons in flight. Excellent.

You, as well as I, or lot of people more have heard stereotypes of Japan and its people, for sure. Maybe you use such stereotypes when talking about any topic on Japan. However, there are very good explanations for them, and I recommend you this book to know such basics.

In the first half, you'll read about Japan's history and the evolution of its society. In the second, you'll use those arguments to understand the behaviour of the groups of Japanese identified through the book.

The book set clearly two distinctions:
1. Talk about groups of Japanese, not "the Japanese," that is, don't use stereotypes.
2. Consider the time. Any argument is valid only in a certain period of time.

On that second point, the book was edited in 2001. It has arguments for 2005 or so. After that, you should look for new arguments.

McCreery is an anthropologist who has spent years working in the Japanese advertising industry -- not working in the sense of anthropological field work, but actually earning a living in the Japanese advertising industry. His book draws both on his insights into the industry and its products from this perspective, and his anthropological training. It is a data-rich book that ingeneously makes use of advertising or marketing research to create portraits of what advertisers think about different generations or sub-sets of Japanese consumers. It is a fascinating mosaic of materials and in many ways an experimental ethnography. Highly recommended.

The expertise gained from years of experience in Japanese advertising is supplemented with interviews and translations from Hakuhodo's think-tank newsletter on consumer mindsets. Highly recommended.

Japanese Consumer Behavior is a challenging book. There are multiple frames of reference: an analytical outsider, analyzing insiders analyzing their own culture, and changing trends within that culture. And that is just the approach. Then there is the data, relatively rapid changes across generations within a culture in response to major post-World War II, economic, gender-role, urbanizing, and, well, other real big changes. In essence there is a real fine grained analysis coupled with an analysis of the larger trends. And then there is the weird sense of dislocation, of finding "sneaker middles" in Japan bearing an almost but not quite resemblence to "yuppies" and trying to put a finger on what that "almost" but "not quite" is. The traditional anthropological road map one acquires does not apply very well to this book, hence it is an active reader book. If anyone is interested in what anthropology is going to be like in the future this is a good place to start.

This book is by far one the best collections in my library. The pictures alone are worth the money. I can't tell you how much inspiration I extracted for future projects. A definite buy for any gardener.

Very beautiful photos. Nicely printed. Each photos has detailed description. Good for someone who loves Japaense culture, or who just loves gardens. I got this for a gift, but I will have to get some more for other friends, and for me!

I work in 1 inch scale with miniatures and want to start a Japanese Garden Roombox. I found some wonderful details in this lovely book and can hardly wait to reproduce them. In fact, I found exactly what I was looking for. My "Japanese Gardener" and my "Geisha" are waiting patiently for their habitats to be created. These are the figures I found that gave me the idea to do a garden and a tea room. It will be a fine winter's project.

Inspiring book. Both traditional and contemporary courtyards are covered

My greatest source for researching detail to incorporate into my Japanese design based furniture. A wealth of images!

If you are an architectural students or professionals, you must get this book for your visual reference. Beautiful photographs of details and traditions of Japanese architecture... you will know why it's so influential to world and modern architecture.

The book is Excellent. It is filled full of high color textures. This is one wonderful reference book for anyone interested in Japanese Architecture. The book is the closest thing to actually being in Japan and looking at the architecture on these buildings.

Japanese architecrure was firstly influenced American master architect----Frank Lloyd Wright,which you could occasionally find such trails of a natural simplicity acted super perfect in his mid-life works.Wright had using many of Japanese architectural tecniques within his residential projects:for example,the garden sitting,that he agreed traditional Japanese architectural philosophy-----the private garden may bestly mirrored owner's taste of life.Consquently,Wright was a picky architect that especially paying more attention on the rendering of a small enviroment.I am appreciated the choises of materials for Japanese architecture,no more greed,just got sufficient things they need,even for the palaces,still builded without any wasting,it must be hard to looking for another country to comparing with.The structures of Japanese architecture were mainly copied from China.In the same way,it added some new thing different with Chinese architecture.Like wells,beams,doors.lanterns...etc.,Japanese improved those details,and involved in their cultures.The architecture surely centered Eastern intelligence ,moreover,the love of the life.....

This book is the best Japanese reference book you can own! It identifies swords, dirks, tassels, belt buckles, civilian swords, and pretty much anything else you can think of. This book is a must have for any Japanese sword collector! In fact this book itself is very hard to find and is skyrocking in value. Whatever you have to pay for this book it is worth it, I know I made up for the price with the first purchase I made.

Excellent book for the new or advanced collector. lots of good photos never published info. Clear and concise info on anything you may find at estate sales flea markets or antique shops

This book is very comprehensive and has more information than most books of a similar topic. Great reference material as well as some nice closeup details of rare swords. A MUST HAVE item for anybody that wants to collect Military swords and such. Information of the type included within this book will assist newcomers to buy swords with confidence. Well worth $50 price!!

This is an excellent reference for anyone interested in Japanese swords. The authors have made not only a great handbook, but also one that is easily readable. It is an excellent buying guide in terms of identification, authentication, and evaluation. It also provides great information on sword knots, sword belts, and hangers as well as collecting tips and period photos. Don't go to a show without it! It gives you a knowledge advantage over 90% of the folks selling Japanese military swords. Easily pays for itself with your first treasure find.