Japan from Anime to Zen

David Watts Barton is an award-winning freelance journalist who has covered popular music, culture, travel and outdoor recreation for 40 years for newspapers, magazines, radio and online. His former employers include The Sacramento Bee, Bloomberg, and NPR. For the last five years he has worked exclusively in Japan.He was writer/editor of Japanology.org and has written freelance for Japanese clients that include architectural firms, art galleries, hotels and branding companies.In addition to awards including the first Arts Journalist of the Year, given by the Sacramento Arts and Business Council in 2011, Barton has been a fellow at UC Berkeley's Knight Digital Media Center and at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

• TABLE OF CONTENTS (tentative)Introduction: A Land Apart: Japan’s Defining Geography Part One: Food and DrinkIntroduction to Part One Chapter 1: The Greenest Staple: Sea Kelp and its Many Uses Chapter 2: Umami, Japan’s “Fifth Flavor”Chapter 3: Condiments and Ingredients in Japanese CuisineChapter 4: Some Exotic Foods the Japanese LoveChapter 5: Rice and its infinite products Chapter 6: Noodles: Udon, Ramen, Soba, Yakisoba and SomenChapter 7: Japan’s consensus “Greatest Invention”: Instant RamenChapter 8: What Makes Kobe Beef the World’s Best Chapter 9: Japanese Table MannersChapter 10: The Fine Art of Kaiseki DiningChapter 11: Beyond The Pub: Japan's Izakaya CultureChapter 12: All About Sake Chapter 13: The Unique Qualities of Japanese Whiskey Chapter 14: Beginners Guide to Japanese Tea Chapter 15: Wagashi, Japan’s Irresistible Sweets Part Two: Modern Arts, Entertainment and SportsIntroduction to Part TwoChapter 16: Karaoke!Chapter 17: Kawaii and the Culture of Cute Chapter 18: The Story of Manga Chapter 19: The Art of Anime Chapter 20: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki Chapter 21: 8 Japanese Films to See Before You Visit JapanChapter 22: Internationally-known Modern Japanese ArtistsChapter 23: How Art Transformed Naoshima Island Chapter 24: Crucial Post-War Japanese Architects Chapter 25: A Compact History of the Capsule Hotel Chapter 26: Bujitsu: Six Contemporary Martial Arts Chapter 27: How Baseball Came to Japan (and Became Japanese) Chapter 28: Sumo Wrestlers: The Life of a True Warrior Chapter 29: The Novel: Japan’s 20th Century Literary Titans Part Three: Traditional Arts and Culture Introduction to Part Three Chapter 30: Hanami, Japan’s the Most Iconic SceneryChapter 31: Elements of Japanese Garden Design Chapter 32: The Art of Ikebana Chapter 33: The Art of Bonsai: Creating Little Green WorldsChapter 34: From Food to Flooring: The Many Uses of Bamboo Chapter 35: Kyoto and the Template of Japanese ArchitectureChapter 36: Japan’s Delightful Ryokan Chapter 37: The Pleasures of the Traditional Onsen Chapter 38: The Sento, Japan’s Everyday Onsen Chapter 39: Haiku and the Japanese Love of Brevity Chapter 40: The Strange Story of Japan's Alphabet(s) Chapter 41: Japanese Woodblock PrintingChapter 42: Folded Form: Origami and Kirigami Chapter 43: Three Forms of Classic Japanese Theater Chapter 44: The Kimono, Japan’s Traditional GarmentChapter 45: Elements of a Traditional Japanese WeddingChapter 46: The Japanese Tea Ceremony Part Four: History and Archetypes Introduction to Part Four Chapter 47: Amaterasu and the Gods of Ancient Japan Chapter 48: Carp, Cranes and other Symbolic (but Real) Animals Chapter 49: Gifts, Giri and Japan’s Obsession with PackagingChapter 50: The Heian Period: Japan’s Classical EraChapter 51: The Shogunate Chapter 52: Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan Chapter 53: Ways the Meiji Restoration Shaped Modern Japan Chapter 54: The Samurai Class: More Than Warriors Chapter 55: The Mysterious NinjaChapter 56: The Role of Buddhist Monks in Modern Japan Chapter 57: Things to Remember When Visiting a Shrine or TempleChapter 58: Who the Geisha Really Were – and AreChapter 59: The Great Japanese Empire Chapter 60: The Imperial Family TodayChapter 61: Japan’s Demographic Time Bomb Part Five: The Foundations of Japanese Culture Introduction to Part Five Chapter 62: The Ubiquitous Power of Kata Chapter 63: Bowing, the Fundamental Courtesy Chapter 64: The Individual and the Group Chapter 65: Japan’s “High Context” Society Chapter 66: Honne vs. Tatemae: The Two Faces of Japan Chapter 67: Uchi-Soto: In-Groups and Out-GroupsChapter 68: What is Ki? Chapter 69: The Two Pillars: Buddhism and ShintoChapter 70: Zen Buddhism v. Pure Land BuddhismChapter 71: The Subtle, Confounding Zen Koan Chapter 72: The Five Elements in Japanese Culture Chapter 73: What Does Wabi-Sabi Mean?Chapter 74: Ikigai: A Reason for Living

“A deep-dive into the traditions and cultural, historical, and social context of Japan. Japan from Anime to Zen has much more to offer than your average cultural guidebook.”—Metropolis"To those looking to take their first trip to Japan, or maybe left pondering many of the nuances of the nation’s culture on their return, the sheer expansiveness in scope of the book makes it an ideal travel companion."—The Japan Society UK Review"Japan from Anime to Zen brings readers a wealth of interesting and relevant information covering a broad variety of topics with an impressive amount of detail. I learned a lot!"—Abby Denson, Cool Japan Guide"This is truly a book about Japan from A to Z. David Barton offers deep insight into Japanese culture, history, and language to show what makes Japan so endlessly fascinating. An excellent achievement!"—Yoji Yamakuse, author of Japaneseness“Neatly organized and easy to browse, with a good level of information and helpful details not found in other, similar books.”—Gilles Poitras, author of Tokyo Stroll