Yoshio Sugimoto (ed)
Cambridge University Press, 2009

Instant verdicts first, minor quibbles later. From Shinzo Abe (remember him?) to Zen, Cambridge has come up trumps with this ambitious cultural primer on things Japanese. In a score of essays that refer to Haruki Murakami, high-tech innovation, parasaito shinguru (parasite singles), otaku (geek), plus page after page on anime and manga, we get nearly the full story on Japan’s recent cultural transformation.

Yoshio Sugimoto has marshaled his troops in a score of quality essays that attempt to pin contemporary Japan to the wall in 400 pages. His edited work is going to be valuable both to newcomers looking for clues on everything from language to leisure culture and for established Japan wallahs who may reckon that they already have the complete story nailed down on politics and cultural nationalism.

The underlying theme behind Sugimoto’s contributors is a sense that contemporary Japan is becoming a more diverse, less equal and increasingly open society. Of course no one overarching statement is going to fit with any precision, but the editor’s introduction begins by gently suggesting that “an unacknowledged paradigm shift appears to be under way in contemporary Japanese culture, with public discourse suddenly focusing upon internal divisions and variations in the population.”

Not all contributors bother overmuch, though, about sticking exactly to this party line – thank goodness. Several are careful to warn us that many Japanese have strong reservations about, for example, the increasing internationalization of their society and a reluctance to move far from conventional family values. Others deal with such topics as Japanese religious culture and “whole person education” in junior high schools that remain far more static than the multiculturalists might perhaps wish.

It’s probably best to treat the Companion as a mini-encyclopedia. Don’t attempt to plow your way through dutifully from concepts of Japan by the distinguished academic Harumi Befu to later chapters on food and the claims of a changing world of today’s “less aggressive” sports culture. Instead mix ’n’ match at will – most essays are self-contained.

Certainly the impact of rapid globalization gets invoked frequently (the inclusion of a Marxist author might have reminded us of how ancient this phenomenon actually is), but some commentators turn this theme nicely on its head. Instead of yet again noting the importation of McDonalds and rock music, some point to the sushi boom overseas and the export of J-pop and the ubiquitous manga and anime. Clearly there is an amorphous entity where Japan’s soft power (once known more formally as cultural diplomacy) comes into play, even if the new Hatoyama Cabinet is reported to be putting an ax to the anime hall of fame. Yet those who find this entire topic endlessly dreary need not despair, as there are plenty of alternatives on display besides Astro Boy and Pokemon.

Be warned, though, that not all the major issues of Japanese contemporary culture receive a fair hearing. FCCJ members will be surprised at the near total exclusion of discussion of the media (both print and visual), while those who wonder about the claims of Japanese civility, mass higher education and modern architecture could be equally disappointed. A brief historical introduction would also have helped, since the inclusion of a rough chronology that runs from 1858 to the early 21st century is hardly an adequate substitute for a decent textual survey.

Carping aside, there is much to be grateful for in a work that generally avoids heavy social-science jargon, though there is pretty little comic relief. Only one essayist is granted two bites of the cherry, but since this is Takashi Inoguchi, formerly of Todai and now running Niigata University, we can all benefit. His two chapters on politics and nationalism are strongly recommended for placing Japanese postmodernist culture in an Asian comparative context and for concluding that “it is a sign of maturity and adaptability of Japanese nationalism today that it is expressed mainly in cultural terms.” Challenging stuff that alone is worth the price of the book. ❶