okyo Ueno Station: A Novel (JR Uenoeki K?enguchi, 2014) by Y? Miri recounts the heartbreaking life story of an unnamed man, born in the same year as the now Emperor Emeritus Akihito (b. 1933; reigned 1989–2019). The protagonist’s son was born on the same day as Akihito’s eldest son, the present Emperor Naruhito, on 23 February 1960. In more ways than one, the life of the pro…
Japan is arguably today's most successful industrial economy, combining almost unprecedented affluence with social stability and apparent harmony. Japanese goods and cultural products--from animated movies and computer games to cars, semiconductors, and management techniques--are consumed around the world. In many ways, Japan is an icon of the modern world, and yet it remains something of an en…
Japan is a country of contradictions and extremes. It is a country of age-old practices and cutting edge technology, strong martial traditions and refined artistic accomplishments. Few countries have been the subject of so much attention yet remain so elusive. Japan is an island nation defined by its close proximity to, yet isolation from the Asian mainland. Throughout history, ideas adopted fr…
To tease out the evolution of institutions, organisations and transport requires a broad search of historical accounts written both in English and in Japanese. Published in English, there is scholarship rich in details of ancient and modern aspects of Japan, its politics and economy. Computer search engines and the website Academia allow access to data bases th…