4th cover: In Japan, overcrowded megacities, saturated transport, violence in social relations alongside creativity, national solidarity, perfectionism and politeness. Land of contrasts, the archipelago marry advanced technology and traditional customs.
Witness alert and passionate, Karyn Poupée scans daily life of the Japanese and decrypts the historical and socio-cultural springs from disturbing operation of this unique society. She paints a mixed picture and the country of the rising sun and its people. Bled out of the Second World War, the country has become in a few decades the second global economic power. Today, after his demotion behind China and the accident in Fukushima, Japan is facing new challenges.
Amonth the books I’ve read that Japan, this one has everything, or almost, to understand the contemporary Japanese and lifestyle.
It is about the history of Japan, especially since the end of World War II, their way of living, behaving, of living in society.
I wait to see what is of Japanese politeness, which seems quite extraordinary through all the trials that I have read.
I was fascinated by economic solidarity of small, medium, large and even internationally companies, becoming unite to protect themselves from the attacks of international finance pirates. I admired the cult of quality and safety, which seems to go very far away from the political “all for profit” that seems so popular among us. Sometimes I even felt ashamed.
I hope I can fully understand, during the trip, that love for the beautiful object and its painstaking creation, far from the Made in China.
All I want is that the Japanese are not too westernized.
The presentation of the Japanese in this book is mainly through economic means: how they occur, how they are distributed, how they buy, especially what they buy.
Obviously we can say a lot about a population through its relation to objects and work (tell me how you consume and I’ll tell you who you are).
I regret that there have no more than 5 chapters that do not speak of economics and politics; even the manga is treated with this view. In the end, I feel that the Japanese are very conformist buy machines.
I wished to learn more about the tastes of Japanese on what they do outside of work (I refuse to believe that they just dine with colleagues and drink to be sick) what they are doing their weekend and little vacation they take. Who are these women who do not work, except to raise their children? What Japanese value about literature? What about libraries, museums? Do they have national parks? What do they eat? What are their favorite meals? How does the health system?
In short, after being very specific in many ways, it made me want to learn even more and discover Japan.
And in my mind, it was never a question of geisha.
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