Living in Japan but knowing very little about its History seemed like a crime. I had visited many historical sites such as Kyoto, Castles and Hiroshima without truly understanding their context or the truth behind the touristic propaganda. Japan: A Short History by Mikiso Hane changed all that.
Normally I would choose fiction, but for once my thirst for knowledge for the place where I lived led me to the world history section of Waterstones (*other retailers are available) and I chose this book based on its wide time frame; I wanted to know about all of its history and most book focus in specific eras. This book guides us through each era in turn, focusing on aspects such at the economy, the role of women and the power struggle. I found it fascinating to find out how the Samurai lived compared to average farmer, and appalling how late in history women had true rights here. All areas were not covered in detail, but it was interesting to get a overview of the different areas of focus.
In terms of the writing style itself, it must have been difficult for the author to try and cover such an all encompassing history, and perhaps the challenge was too much. All too often there was repetition within the text and some of the timelines are a little jumbled, skipping past important dates and then sliding back in time to discuss them making it more difficult to stay engaged
Despite this rather clumsy written style however, I still very much enjoyed reading Japan: A Short history, and feel that I have a good overview of the history of this remarkable country. If you are looking for an overview that will not take you too long to read then look no further. This book is the one for you.
Normally I would choose fiction, but for once my thirst for knowledge for the place where I lived led me to the world history section of Waterstones (*other retailers are available) and I chose this book based on its wide time frame; I wanted to know about all of its history and most book focus in specific eras. This book guides us through each era in turn, focusing on aspects such at the economy, the role of women and the power struggle. I found it fascinating to find out how the Samurai lived compared to average farmer, and appalling how late in history women had true rights here. All areas were not covered in detail, but it was interesting to get a overview of the different areas of focus.
In terms of the writing style itself, it must have been difficult for the author to try and cover such an all encompassing history, and perhaps the challenge was too much. All too often there was repetition within the text and some of the timelines are a little jumbled, skipping past important dates and then sliding back in time to discuss them making it more difficult to stay engaged
Despite this rather clumsy written style however, I still very much enjoyed reading Japan: A Short history, and feel that I have a good overview of the history of this remarkable country. If you are looking for an overview that will not take you too long to read then look no further. This book is the one for you.