I received this book today and flipped through it while doing laundry. I'm impressed. It's been a long time since I read a history book and this isn't like the dry, boring texts I remember from school.I won't waste time mentioning that he covers all the obvious stuff, all the wars and major political events that you would expect a history book to cover.
What struck me is his ability to smoothly give you the big picture while sticking in little bits that give you some idea of what the people at the time thought and experienced.
In addition to telling you about the hardships of farming, he gives a picture of a 21-year-old girl's hands; that's all you need to see. In addition to telling you about the influence of the west, he shows you pictures of Japanese women in wanna-be outfits that just say it all. The cartoons, political posters, songs, propaganda posters -- they give a feel for Japan I wasn't expecting from a book.
This book is mostly text; I don't want to imply it has a ton of extras but it has enough to really drive home some of his points.
All that and I haven't even read the book yet!
It was interesting to learn that (obviously) Japan wasn't always like it is now. The description of the employment situation in the 1920s sounds quite a lot like America in the 1990s boom -- no loyal employees with lifelong employment then! Knowing that less than a hundred years ago the reserved, peaceful Japanese engaged in widespread political riots where they beat each other and the police shook up my stereotypes.
Good book, highly recommended.
