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The Japanese Mind

Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture

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The Japanese Mind

By: Roger J. Davies, Osamu Ikeno
Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
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About this listen

In The Japanese Mind, Roger Davies offers Westerners an invaluable key to the unique aspects of Japanese culture.

Listeners of this book will gain a clear understanding of what makes the Japanese, and their society, tick. Among the topics explored: aimai (ambiguity), amae (dependence upon others' benevolence), amakudari (the nation's descent from heaven), chinmoku (silence in communication), gambari (perseverance), giri (social obligation), haragei (literally, "belly art"; implicit, unspoken communication), kenkyo (the appearance of modesty), sempai-kohai (seniority), wabi-sabi (simplicity and elegance), and zoto (gift giving), as well as discussions of child-rearing, personal space, and the roles of women in Japanese society.

All in all, this book is an easy-to-use introduction to the distinguishing characteristics of Japanese society; an invaluable resource for anyone - business people, travelers, or students - perfect for course adoption, but also for anyone interested in Japanese culture.

©2002 Roger Davies and Osamu Ikeno (P)2019 Tantor Anthropology Asia Customs & Traditions Etiquette Japan Social Sciences Workplace & Organisational Behavior Tradition Business Imperial Japan China Japanese Culture

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All stars
Most relevant  
From the point of language to history and customs, explained Japanese way of thinking with comparison to western culture. Very informative, coauthored by many .

very broad look at the Japan

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As a basic textbook introduction to some foundational concepts underpinning Japanese society and mindsets, this is decent enough. It does, however, feel pretty dated - it was compiled almost a generation ago, and seems based very much on attitudes from the 1980s when a) Japan was still coming to terms with the idea of being a major global economy, and b) teleological assumptions that West is Best were still largely unchallenged.

Today's Japan is both more global and has less of an inferiority complex than the Japan of 30-odf years ago, which makes some of the underlying concerns about both cross-cultural misunderstandings and the potential loss of Japanese identity and traditions feel a little quaint. And in any case, those same concerns pervaded much of Japanese literature for most of the century following the Meiji Restoration...

But then, this was written largely by university students, for university students, so it's natural that it'll be pretty simplistic. It also means it has the benefit of being pretty concise, and very easy to follow. Just skip the pathetically basic, often kinda offensive discussion topics at the end of each chapter.

The narrator's American accent annoyed me, and his Japanese pronunciation was variable. Mostly fine, sometimes just far too American to do much more than wince.

A decent enough introduction

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This is a good audio book and is a good eye opener. However, it's not very complete and the authors could have been more thorough. I enjoyed it, but the reader is not so good. If you are going to find voice talent for a book on Japan, find one who can pronounce the words properly.

Worth listening

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Generally this was an interesting book. I just did not like the “discussion points” at the end of each chapter that are not useful for a reader who just wants to learn about Japanese culture

Some interesting information

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I read this book, along with several others before visiting Japan. I gave me a very precise understanding of how Japanese people think, their attitudes to work, marriage, society, culture and history.
I would have liked of the reader has skipped over the references as I found it slightly distracting.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to the authors.

An exceptionally good read

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I very much enjoyed this as I found certain of my own behaviours laid bare for contemplation and consideration.

very informative on the Nuances of Japanese Societal behaviours

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