Studying Japan: Handbook of Research Designs, Fieldwork and Methods Edited by Nora Kottmann and Cornelia Reiher Studying Japan is the first comprehensive guide on qualitative methods, research designs and fieldwork in social science research on Japan. More than 70 Japan scholars from around the world provide an easy-to-read overview on qualitative methods used in research on … Read more
David H. Slater September 15, 2020 Volume 18 | Issue 18 | Number 2 Article ID 5482 This is a collection of original articles on diverse vulnerable populations in Japan in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic. The effects of COVID-19 are felt differently, with some among us at much greater risk of infection … Read more
An Affair with a Village By Joy Hendry When doctoral student Joy Hendry first visited the Japanese village of Kurotsuchi in the 1970s, little could she have known that her relationship with the community there would span several decades, leading to the formation of lifelong friendships and a connection which endures to this very day. … Read more
Beyond Kawaii: Studying Japanese Femininities at Cambridge. edited by Brigitte Steger, Angelika Koch and Christopher Tso with contributions by Anna Ellis-Rees, Ellen Mann, Alexander Russell and Tianyi Vespera Xie About: Kawaii. The love of all things cute has become the dominant image of Japanese girls and women. Real Japanese women are, however, more complex. Some … Read more
Urban Migrants in Rural Japan: Between Agency and Anomie in a Post-growth Society By Susanne Klien **Awarded 2020 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title in the US** Summary Offers an in-depth ethnography of paradigm shifts in the lifestyles and values of youth in post-growth Japan. Urban Migrants in Rural Japan provides a fresh perspective on theoretical notions … Read more
Women Managers in Neoliberal Japan: Gender, Precarious Labour and Everyday Lives By Swee-Lin Ho Book Description This book, based on extensive original research, presents a detailed analysis of the varying opportunities and challenges experienced by Japanese women with professional careers, an important category of the population in Japan, whose lives remain little known. It … Read more
Family-Run Universities in Japan: Sources of Inbuilt Resilience in the Face of Demographic Pressure, 1992-2030 By Jeremy Breaden and Roger Goodman Book Description Globally, private universities enrol one in three of all higher education students. In Japan, which has the second largest higher education system in the world in terms of overall expenditure, almost … Read more
By Genaro Castro-Vázquez Book Description Drawing on the concept of the somatic self, Castro-Vázquez explores how Japanese men think about, express and interpret their experiences concerning body weight control. Based on an extensive ethnographic investigation, this book offers a compelling analysis of male obesity and overweight in Japan from a symbolic interactionism perspective to delve … Read more
In case you have students who need an introductory text, and you are not too bored with it, I thought you might like to know that my book Understanding Japanese Society is now out in its 5th edition. Updating is enhanced this time by a contribution to each chapter by a younger scholar working in a field … Read more
By Wolfram Manzenreiter, Ralph Luetzeler and Sebastian Polak-Rottmann Japan’s New Ruralities presents a counterargument to the inevitable demise of rural society. Contrary to the dominant negative perceptions, this book highlights the spatial dimension of power differences behind uneven development in contemporary Japan. Most chapters are fieldwork-based case studies on topics such as corporate farming, local energy … Read more