The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture - Softcover

Schilling, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0834803801 ISBN 13: 9780834803800

Publisher: Shambhala, 1997

Synopsis

In the West, Japanese culture comes in the form of Power Rangers, Godzilla movies, and Sanrio products, but of course the indigenous pop culture is much richer. Rather than focus on what the rest of the world has already encountered, Mark Schilling provides an encyclopedic compendium of books, movies, music, comedians, and cultural scandals that have had the greatest impact in Japan. Thus, for the outsider, The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture is an insider's guide to post-war Japan. Not content to simply catalog his entries, Schilling provides real depth and analysis in his articles, opening up Japan's rich pop heritage to the world at large.

About this title

Review:

"Japanese pop culture is the beta version of twenty-first century American pop culture. Mark Schilling's encyclopedia is an invaluable guide to a rich but labyrinthine subject. I use it not to look up what I don't know, but to find out what I should know."--Roger Ebert, movie critic

"Over seventy entries cover Japanese popular culture from 1945 to the present, covering music, comedy, fads, popular media, and all aspects which have fueled Japanese popular concerns over the decades. This does more than create listings of movements: it provides the historical references and connections essential to understanding how these interests developed."-- Midwest Book Review

Synopsis:

Sony and Nissan have become household names, and Japanese animated cartoons have packs of British fans, but there are many other aspects to Japan's vigorous pop culture. In 70 informative entries, the author covers the years from 1945 to the present, pulling together film, cartoons, every genre of pop music, comedians, matinee idols, sumo wrestlers, gourmet fads, best sellers, baseball stars, quiz shows, discos, song contests and more. The interconnections between phenomena are traced - singers who become actresses who marry writers who become game-show hosts who become journalists covering politicians who were once stand-up comics - along with the complicated genealogies of pop-music dynasties. This illustrated text is an introduction to contemporary Japan which aims to show that it is something other than the land of Genji, cherry blossoms and samurai.

About this edition

• Publisher: Shambhala
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0834803801
• ISBN 13: 9780834803800
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 344