The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture

This is a must read before going to Japan. The author does a great job of highlighting salient facets of Japanese culture. I read the book before going to Japan and re-read most of it while traveling in Japan for a month. Japan really is a world unto itself. Understanding the Japanese culture and mindset helped my wife and I have a wonderful time in Japan. We used a little Japanese, politeness, civility and approached Japanese people we met in a way that worked for them. The result was a treasure trove of excellent connections with people in Japan. For example, after reading Japanese mind how to respond to compliments. I received numerous compliments on my Japanese language. Each time I knew to respond with humility and downplay my skills. This was actually easy because I only have a very limited Japanese vocabulary. However, I responded appropriately in Japanese culture. Another example, we had a female guide for a day in one of the cities we visited. At first I was bothered that she never made eye contact with me. When I would ask her question, she would look at my wife and respond. Quickly I remembered reading how men, age, professional levels are viewed as authorities and how this affects communication patterns between men and women. In the U.S. we think of parking our social status at the door on holiday. Not how it works in Japan.Bottom Line: Loved the book. I found the essay style chapters very appealing. Each chapter appears to be authored by someone different and some of the chapters over lapped which was actually helpful. I found the repetition and approaching it from different angles helpful. I also really liked the discussion questions and the cross cultural issues at the end of each chapter. It provided interesting discussion points for my wife and I.Highly recommend this book. Well done!!!

I'll just say that this is a fantastic overview of the history, practices, and concepts underlying Japanese culture, and I have yet to find another single volume that covers as much ground as this one - business practices, social etiquette, etc. Just a word of caution, this is not book meant to be read cover to cover. The book is structured as a listing of terms tackled in alphabetical order, with each term covered in a little as a few paragraphs or as much as few pages. Sometimes there can be a bit of repetition as several terms sharing the same root word are covered in order, and there's also a fair amount of overlap as you read through that certain concepts originated during certain historical periods.I would recommend you use this as a reference guide, or read a few sections at a time over coffee or lunch to absorb the material. Highly recommend!

I highly recommend this for frequent visitors to Japan for business or vacation. It should also be useful for foreign residents in Japan who are there to study or work. I also recommend this for those who work with or interact with Japanese visitors. It is a helpful reference that explains some aspects of Japanese culture that should aid in gaining better understanding or appreciation of the Japanese. It is NOT intended to be an in-depth study of Japanese culture or behavior, as each topic or subject is covered fairly briefly.The chapters are organized alphabetically by topic, with some questions for study at the end of each chapter. Clearly this book is intended for students, rather than general reading, but it doesn't detract from the material. Unfortunately there is no benefit for readers who study this alone as there is no discussion on answers to the questions. The topics are easy to read and understand. Examples are also provided to help explain each concept or chapter topic. I believe that including the Japanese characters helps with overall understanding of each topic. In many instances, discussion of a topic will refer to one or two other topics, so you may need to flip back and forth as you read through the book. That may be a bit frustrating for some readers, but alphabetical organization is likely easier to use overall than any other method of grouping for a book of this nature.For those readers who've been in Japan or worked with Japanese, you may find a few "a ha" moments as you look through the chapters. Although I have been exposed to Japanese culture and people my entire life, visited there frequently, and lived there for extended periods twice, I was also able to gain a better appreciation for why the Japanese think or behave the way they do. I will say though that Japan, and the Japanese, are not static, so there are some things that will evolve or change based on different generations. Undoubtedly globalization, social networking, and other aspects of the country such as declining birth rates are putting new pressures on Japan, but changes in reaction to those pressures will likely still have Japanese characteristics.Should you buy it? Yes if you plan to spend a lot of time in Japan or with someone from Japan and just need a cursory understanding. The book could form the basis of further study for some. It's an outstanding reference, and one I will likely keep on my Kindle on a permanent basis.

I found this book to be very enjoyable and informative. I learned a lot about Japanese culture and I feel that I have a deeper understanding of it.I especially liked that fact that the book was written by students in the applied linguistics and TEFL program at a Japanese university. Some people might find the writing to be formulaic and there to be an overuse of transition words, but someone who is used to non-native English speakers' writing style, it didn't bother me.Some chapters repeat concepts that are covered in other chapters. This did not bother me. In fact, it just reinforced and deepened myunderstanding of the concept.I think this book is really good for someone who teaches Japanese students or who is going to live and work in Japan.I generally get my books from the library and rarely can afford Amazon books, but I did buy this one and I am glad I did. It is one that I will probably return to several times to remind myself of why a Japanese person said or did something.