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A review by ac130j
Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Modern Japan by Alex Kerr
5.0
God this was interesting. Explained many cultural curiosities and tied early 21st century Japan to the attitudes of the Meiji Reformation, Taisho Renaissance, and MacArthur's destruction of the military/robber baron system of the second world war. Particularly fascinating were the descriptions of construction programs and the strange marriage of excess and stagnation which marks the ministries and popular culture.
Kerr did a great job with this. The book is honest and heartfelt, if a bit outdated by now. He conveys an understanding of Japan as a deliberately hyper-bureaucratic state, and my only critique is that he perhaps does not see how much of that intent was imposed upon Japan by western powers after the war - even if it was received willingly by the Japanese government.
Kerr did a great job with this. The book is honest and heartfelt, if a bit outdated by now. He conveys an understanding of Japan as a deliberately hyper-bureaucratic state, and my only critique is that he perhaps does not see how much of that intent was imposed upon Japan by western powers after the war - even if it was received willingly by the Japanese government.