Includes index

Includes bibliographical references

Showa-Era Japan and Beyond: From Imperial Japan to Japan Inc. / Peter Duus -- Four Cultures of Japanese Politics / David Leheny -- The Cultures and Politics of Language in Japan Today / Nanette Gottlieb -- Japanese Education and Education Reform / Roger Goodman -- Religion in Contemporary Japanese Lives / Mark R. Mullins -- Law and Society in Japan / Lawrence Repeta -- The Urbanization of the Japanese Landscape / Paul Waley -- Social Class and Social Identity in Postwar Japan / David Slater -- The Politics of Gender in Japan / Robin M. LeBlanc -- Change and Diversity in the Japanese Family / Merry White -- Japan's Queer Cultures / Mark McLelland -- Race, Ethnicity, and Minorities in Japan / Richard Siddle -- Life on the Margins in Japan: Homeless, Migrant Day Laborers, and People with Disabilities / Carolyn S. Stevens -- Aging and Social Welfare in Japan / Leng Leng Thang -- The New Prominence of the Civil Sector in Japan / Akihiro Ogawa -- Contemporary Architecture in Japan / William H. Coaldrake -- Japanese Film and Television / Aaron Gerow -- Manga and Anime: Entertainment, Big Business, and Art in Japan / Susan Napier -- Popular Music in Japan / Ian Condry -- The Sportscape of Contemporary Japan / William Kelly -- Cultural Flows: Japan and East Asia / Koichi Iwabuchi -- Cuisine and Identity in Contemporary Japan / Theodore C. Bestor.

The Routledge Handbook of Japanese Culture and Society is an interdisciplinary resource that focuses on contemporary Japan and the social and cultural trends that are important at the beginning of the twenty-first century. This Handbook provides a cutting-edge and comprehensive survey of significant phenomena, institutions, and directions in Japan today, on issues ranging from gender and family, the environment, race and ethnicity, and urban life, to popular culture and electronic media. Written by an international team of Japan experts, the chapters included in the volume form an accessible and fascinating insight into Japanese culture and society. As such, the Handbook will be an invaluable reference tool for anyone interested in all things Japanese. Students, teachers and professionals alike will benefit from the braid ranging discussions, useful links to online resources and suggested reading lists