Current happenings

I'm trying to educate myself about Japan and some of its current public debates - I thought I might share some resources in case others are interested!

• Patrick Smith, Japan: A Reinterpretation, (1997). A great book (admittedly, I'm only about half way through... but it's wonderful so far!) from a career journalist who lived in Japan for many years. Smith works through the Western myths and misconceptions about Japan, particularly related to the reconstruction era following the war. He also explores some of the cultural pillars of Japan - the educational system, the status of women, the evolving definition of public versus private space, the "salaryman" culture, the place of history in current political debates... a really interesting cultural and intellectual survey.
• Tracy Kidder, Mountains Beyond Mountains (2004). Not about Japan, but a great read about global poverty issues (in the context of Haiti, Russia, and Rwanda) and how poverty is fundamentally linked to basic resource issues.
• The New York Times profile on Japan. Includes links to past articles and other online resources.
  

Cheers for now! If you have any good reads about Japan, please drop me a line!