Japan’s Modern Myth: The Language and Beyond

This text analyzes the Japanese psyche through the Japanese language, and the myths and misconceptions that have been built around it.

“As the author says: ‘In order to understand Japan, the world needs all the help it can get.’ And it is just this assistance which he gives in this acute, critical and profoundly insightful book. How the Japanese see themselves, through the paradigm of their language, is where we must begin our understanding of the Japanese. But not, thanks to Dr. Miller, where we end.” — Donald Richie, The Japan Times