The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan (Cambridge World Encyclopedias) - Hardcover

"Because of the...superb editing...readers will get a firm impression of a well-synthesized book on the past history and present conditons of Japan...Recommended for high schools, colleges, and general libraries." Seiko Mieczkowski, American Reference Books Annuals

"School libraries (from junior high to university) and public libraries alike should find the splendid Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan both a practical and affordable purchase. Highly recommended." Reference Book Review

"A newcomer to Japan would do well to read this book straight through, and would not find any of it indigestible or tedious....a brave and valuable enterprise, which is distinguished not only for the quality of the contributions but also for being quite simply such a good read." Insight Japan

"...deserves high praise for its authoritative and comprehensive treatment of Japan and for its lavish format. It is splendidly informative as well as being (a) handsome....Beautiful illustrations and comprehensive subject indexes render this volume a useful reference tool. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries." Library Journal

"An excellent resource for broad discussions of Japan...coverage is quite comprehensive...a worthwhile purchase." School Library Journal

"...highly readable volume..." Christian Science Monitor

"This appealing, authoritative encyclopedia will be especially useful in libraries that lack the comprehensive nine-volume Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan" Wilson Library Bulletin

"...unquestionably the best single-volume work on Japan. An extraordinary resource for students, scholars, travelers, and casual readers alike; it could easily serve as a text for survey courses. It deserves to be on the shelves, both reference and circulating, of almost all libraries." M.K. Ewing, Choice

"...very readable...a valuable addition to reference or circulating collections in academic, public, and high school libraries." RQ

"...Information is presented in a highly readable, and physically attractive format...School libraries and public libraries alike should find the splendid Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan both a practical and affordable purchase." Reference Book Review

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan is the essential reference to all facets of Japan past and present. Up-to-date, authoritative and wide-ranging in scope, it covers all the general reader, student, business person, journalist, researcher, tourist or armchair traveller would want to know. A highly absorbing read, the Encyclopedia is also filled with the facts, figures and general data on Japan that make it an indispensable source of information: for example, that the safest place to be during an earthquake in Japan is in a bamboo grove; or that one of the greatest delicacies of Japanese cuisine, the fugu, is deadly poisonous in the hands of an unskilled chef. It gives the latest statistics too, from Japan's dramatically ageing population, to a complete listing of its prime ministers, to valuable data on the powerful Japanese advertising industry. Throughout, full-colour photographs, maps and graphics generously illustrate the book and additional boxed features highlight important topics or issues relevant to the text. This, in a single volume, is a complete and fascinating picture of Japan and its people: its rich inherited traditions and culture, its modern complexities and its tantalising future role in the world.