This is a brilliant book. I've been involved in Japan for close to 25 years and lived most of the mid 1980s in Tokyo. This book spanning from the late-Edo period to 1964 truly helped me to better understand the country and put the contemporary politics and culture into a perspective.
I think Ian shows a continuum of interrelated things that explains why and how Japan is and what it is today. I believe this critical and innovative book is a veritable tour de force. This book also contains an excellent bibliography for the further research.
