Japan

This clearly written and succinct volume romps through Japan's history and provides useful cultural descriptions and essays. --Contexts

It succeeds admirably in its goal of making the present country comprehensible through a narrative of its past, with asides on everything from bonsai to zazen, in a brisk, highly readable style...you could easily read it on the flight over, if you skip the movie. --The Washington Post

... delightfully written... Its conciseness makes it one of the best books for a traveller to read before visiting Japan. --Academic Library Book ReviewTames's readably concise survey of Japanese history comes supplied with an impressive array of facts and statistics. --The TLS

NEW 4th EDITION A Traveller s History of Japan not only offers the reader a chronological outline of the nation s development but also provides an invaluable introduction to its language, literature and arts, from kabuki to karaoke. This clearly written history explains how a country embedded in the traditions of Shinto, Shoguns and Samurai has achieved stupendous economic growth and dominance in this century.