A Japanese Mirror: Heroes and Villains of Japanese Culture. Ian Buruma

Buruma serves up a wealth of observations based on his own unique perspective and remarkable insights. Focusing primarily on cultural mores, he delves into subject matter that is by nature impossible to review objectively. Buruma's gift is his ability to write candidly and artfully about cultural generalizations that his trained eye has noticed. Certainly the sexual culture of any nation is difficult to fully discuss in a slim volume, but Buruma's discussions of pop culture and myths is always intriguing. He offers few judgements and challenges the reader with provocative observations. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author "Race Against Evil."

Discovered during the early years of my decade+ in Japan, this book turned over the well-polished stone of Japanese culture and turned the eye of a naturalist on the life below. Though subjective, Buruma is seldom self-serving in his observations and analysis. Japan de-mystified becomes only more fascinating when viewed through this lens. I passed this on to so many expat friends that the book took on a life of its own, eventually passing beyond my own reach. I'm longing to search out a copy just to reread what served as a formative influence for my long stay.

So I picked this one up the other day and tore through it--really engaging speculations going on. Buruma takes you all the way through the myths of Shinto, to every titilating back alley of tokyo, explaining sexual practices all the way. Somehow I felt guilty of participating in a stereotype generating fest...The research is not so wildly apparent, a lot seemed to be straight from the author's point of view. I'll probably still site it in my thesis, but with a grain of salt.