The Japanese

The book discusses how the Japanese perceive the world—what matters to them, and why you can understand them only through Japanese thinking. It invites you to break stereotypes and begin genuine acquaintance. For us, the Japanese—people of the Land of the Rising Sun—remain a mystery: distant and unlike us, like neighbors who never became friends, like partners who never became partners. There are many myths and stereotypes about them. But do we truly know who they are, how they see the world, what they consider important? Can we understand their soul?

The book attempts to answer these questions, though it is not the first such effort. Many researchers and cultural figures have tried to reveal what is unique about the Japanese, but they did it from an outside perspective. The Japanese say that to understand their language you need to think in Japanese—this also applies to understanding. To penetrate the Japanese world, you need to be part of it—or at least grow up in it. Still, the book strives to do exactly that. It tells about the formation of the Japanese nation, its uniqueness, history, culture, and mentality, including “forbidden” aspects; Japanese relations with the world and with themselves; and the meaning of Mount Fuji. The publication is decorated with original engravings and paintings by Japanese artists of the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries.