Christopher Harding, the author of Japan Story: In Search of a Nation, 1850 to the Present, comes back with a new book – The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives. It’s a curious endeavor to tell the history of Japan through 20 remarkable people. There are, among others, the shaman-queen Himiko, Oda Nobunaga, the feminist – Tsuda Umeko, the superstar – Misora Hibari, and the present empress Masako.
Just like Japan Story tried to tell the story of Japan as a community and focused on phenomena, social movements, trends and events, The Japanese puts the spotlight on fascinating individuals – but of course, there’s so much history in the background. And finding connections between particular people brings a lot of satisfaction!
The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives is, on one hand, a really accessible source, fun to read and on the other hand, it’s full of details and interesting facts and will definitely please the demanding readers of the popular science genre. The question put forward in the preface – “who are the Japanese” – may seem over the top, especially coming from a “white” researcher from “the West” but still, it’s worth having this book on your Japanese bookshelf.