CONTENTS THE JAPAN FEW PEOPLE SEE 04 Why Is Japan Different? 06 The Initial Culture Shock 07 CHAPTER 1: THE ORIGINS OF JAPANESE CULTURE 08 An Extremely Brief History of Japan 10 The Intricacies of the Japanese Language 12 The Ancient Bushido Code: The Way of the Warrior 15 Meet the Real Geisha 16 Religion and Philosophy 18 Visiting a Temple or Shrine 20 CHAPTER 2: THE TRADITIONAL ARTS & DISCIPLINES 24 Ukiyo-e: The Floating World 26 Shodo 26 Chado: The Tea Ceremony 28 Kabuki Theater 29 Zen Meditation 29 Zen Koans 30 Ikebana 31 The Martial Arts 32 CHAPTER 3: THE UNIQUE JAPANESE CHARACTER 34 Honne and Tatemae 36 The Virtue of Humility 37 The Concept of Giri 38 Man-Woman Relations in Japan 39 I'm Sorry, Excuse Me 40 The Culture of Chotto 40 Aesthetic Values 41 Do = The Way 42 The Influence of Do in Modern Japan 43 Amae 44 Soto-Uchi 45 CHAPTER 4: CURIOSITIES & SYMBOLS 46 Animal Figures 48 Sakura, Cherry Blossoms 49 Why Do People Wear Face Masks in Japan? 49 The Japanese Bath 50 The Traditional Kitchen 51 Pachinko 51 Nio Protectors 52 The Manji Symbol 52 Shachihoko Monsters 52 The Naruto Phenomenon 53 Blood Groups 53 Why Do Japanese Women Cover Their Mouths When They Laugh? 54 Big Ears, Good Luck, and Money 54 The Seven Gods of Fortune 55 Karakuri: The Origins of the Japanese Passion for Robots 56 CHAPTER 5: THE JAPANESE AT WORK 58 The Japanese Economy after WWII 60 Japanese Agriculture 62 The Invisible Hand in Japan 63 Kaizen: Constant Improvement 64 The Structure of a Japanese Company 65 Relationships in a Japanese Company 66 Technology and Science 67 The Japanese Automobile Industry 68 Workplace Manners 69 The Importance of Nemawashi 70 Daily Life in a Japanese Company 71 CHAPTER 6: JAPANESE SOCIETY & DAILY LIFE 72 Positives and Negatives 74 Safety in Japan 75 Life of a Family 76 Longevity 77 Life of a Retiree 77 The Delights of Japanese Cuisine 78 Sake, Awamori and Shochu 80 Personal Relationships in Japan 81 Japan's Train Culture 82 Urban Legends 82 Why Do the Japanese Commit Suicide? 83 CHAPTER 7: JAPAN TODAY 84 Life of an Otaku 86 Life of a Student 88 Life of a Career Woman 89 Life of a Salaryman 89 Yakuza Gangs 90 Subcultures and Urban Tribes 90 Aspects of Otaku Culture 92 Visual Kei 93 The Lolita Complex 94 Role-Playing 95 Japanese Popular Culture: A Chronology 96 CHAPTER 8: THE WORLD OF MANGA & ANIME 98 The Manga Revolution 100 The Origins of Manga 101 Osamu Tezuka: The Father of Manga 102 Manga's Golden Age 103 Manga Today 104 The Mangaka 105 Publishing Cycles and Formats 105 Japanese Anime 106 CHAPTER 9: MODERN JAPANESE MUSIC 108 A Brief History of Japanese Music 110 Enka Ballads 111 Japanese Music Today 112 J-Pop 113 Popular Singers and Groups 114 CHAPTER 10: MOVIES & TELEVISION 116 Japanese Cinema 118 The Classics 119 Television 120 The First Television Phenomena 121 Dorama TV Series 122 Diagram of a Cultural Phenomenon in Japan Based on the Actual Case of Densha Otoko 124 CHAPTER 11: VISITING TOKYO 126 Tokyo's Various Districts: Roppongi 128 Tokyo Midtown Area 129 Megalopolis Walking Tours 130 Cultural Walking Tours 131 Gadgets Walking Tours 131 Shibuya 132 Aoyama 133 Harajuku and Omotesando 134 Shinjuku 136 Akihabara 138 Ginza 140 Tsukiji 141 Asakusa 142 Ueno 143 Odaiba 144 Otaku Walking Tours 145 CHAPTER 12: TRAVELING AROUND JAPAN 146 General Advice for Travelers 148 Essential Places 152 My Secret Places 154 Basic Japanese for Travelers 157 INDEX 157 EPILOGUE 160 CREDITS 160 BIBLIOGRAPHY 160 THE JAPAN FEW PEOPLE SEE For centuries, Japanese culture has fascinated the world as something mysterious and remote. In classifications made by anthropologists, Japan’s culture and that of other Asian countries are usually perceived as distinct: the Land of the Rising Sun has its own personality. Japan is also completely different from the West. It’s like living in an alien country, and adjusting to life here is no easy matter. Even the smallest detail can be strange and fascinating at the same time. Japan’s people have been able to preserve their past while adapting to new times and have turned their country into a worldwide financial and cultural leader. I am one of those people who feel passionate about Japan, so I set off for it with loads of questions, seeking answers. Living, studying, and working in this archipelago helped me gradually to understand the country, its people, its companies, its technology, its culture, its way of thinking, and so forth. I decided to write about it on the Internet, so I could share my experience of discovery and new understanding step by step, as I lived it every day. With this aim, I created a blog, www.kirainet.com, A Geek in Japan, where I continue to post as I learn and discover new things. My blog became something of a phenomenon thanks to the enormous interest elicited by the unknown, for Japan has hardly any presence in Western media, despite being for decades the second-largest economy in the world. Why doesn’t it appear in the news very often? We’ll begin to appreciate why through our journey in this book. We’ll see that the Japanese are naturally reserved and don’t like standing out. How many Japanese public figures can you name? But if we rarely see Japan in the media, it’s always present in our daily lives. Every electronic device you use, your computers, phones, cars, trains, airplanes—Japanese technology is inside them: Japan is inside them! How have they managed to spread their creations all over the world in such a discreet, harmonious way, with us barely noticing? In this book, I try to sort out the keys to Japanese culture, the way of life of its inhabitants, the business culture of its companies, and its influence on the rest of the world. We’ll find out what the Japanese are like, how they think, how we should relate to them. We‘ll learn about the origins of manga, anime, martial arts, Zen meditation, and other elements of Japanese culture that have reached the West, sparking great interest and passion. You can read this book in two ways: by skipping around and reading those chapters that interest you most, or sequentially. I would recommend reading straight through, since some points are supported by concepts explained in earlier chapters and can’t be fully grasped without them. But above all, enjoy it: I hope the book will help you better understand Japan and its people’s way of being. Of course, the ideal ending for this book would be a trip to Japan. So I encourage all of you to come here and enter a world completely different from the West. It’s an experience you’ll never forget. Ramen restaurants are among the best places to restore your energy. Cheap and good! GEEK Normally used to refer to enthusiasts who want to know as much as they can about the latest in technology. However, a broader definition might be: a person fascinated by learning and discovering new things. “A geek in Japan” would then be something like: someone fascinated by Japan, and with learning and discovering all about its culture and traditions. Delivering food by bicycle in the Gion district of Kyoto