Through Japanese Eyes Author:Richard H. Minear, Leon E. Clark Through Japanese Eyes shows us Japanese history and society through the eyes of a wide variety of Japanese (and a few non-Japanese) observers male and female, young and old, novelists, poets, and journalists. With an emphasis on young people and their educations, this volume interweaves the historical and the contemporary, the laudatory a... more »nd the critical, the domestic and the foreign. It demolishes all stereotypes of Japan and leaves students with a new appreciation of Japanese diversity. And it challenges students to ask the same questions of their own society that these Japanese are asking of Japan. Sections with four to seven readings each treat "Japan before 1850," "The War Years," and "Japan Today." Sections with somewhat tighter focus treat "Textbooks and the Teaching of History," "Nature and Pollution," "Gender." A concluding section introduces the topic of "Japanese Americans." The text is accompanied by many boxes, photos, and charts. It is suitable for seventh grade and up. Varied, non-stereotyped; fascinating. What People are Saying A rich anthology of historical and literary writings by Japanese combined with a wealth of information about Japan today, this reader is intended for the American classroom, where it will be appreciated by students and teachers alike. There is nothing quite like it. Carol Gluck, Expanding East Asian Studies, Columbia University Through Japanese Eyes is a vivid introduction to Japanese history, culture, society, economics, politics, and the tumultuous US-Japan relationship all this through the words and acts of diverse Japanese, past and present. Never again will students be tempted to say, "The Japanese are like that." Instead, they will ask: Which Japanese? When? Where? Why? And: How do we too confront the issues Japan confronts? This work demolishes stereotypes by introducing students to a stunning variety of Japanese writers, historians, leaders, war makers and atomic victims, patriots and internationalists, women and men, environmentalists and industrialists. Mark Selden, Senior Fellow, East Asia Program, Cornell University Through Japanese Eyes provides a wealth of fascinating readings, visuals, and statistics from Japan, past and present, that will captivate students' imagination. People in Japan, it turns out, wrestle with familiar issues the stresses of school and work, changing gender roles, diversity and discrimination, youth culture, historical legacies, the environment but they do so in different and often surprising ways. The teaching of history and the production of textbooks, for example, are sources of enduring debates, both for historical and institutional reasons. The editor's careful introduction to each piece assists both teachers and students to place it in its appropriate context. Comparisons between Japan and the United States or other Asian countries, often presented in statistical form, provide great starting points for class discussions. This new edition is updated to incorporate some of the critical debates at the turn of the millennium and speak first-hand to Japan's social, cultural, economic, and political life. Franziska Seraphim, Department of History, Boston College« less