A Brief History of Japan: Samurai, Shogun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun - Jonathan Clements Audiobook

Written by Jonathan Clements
Read by Julian Elfer
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Series: Brief Histories
Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc.
Release date: October 22, 2019
Duration: 08:41:28

This fascinating history tells the story of the people of Japan, from ancient teenage priest-queens to teeming hordes of salary-men, a nation that once sought to conquer China, yet also shut itself away for two centuries in self-imposed seclusion.

First revealed to Westerners in the chronicles of Marco Polo, Japan was a legendary faraway land defended by a fearsome Kamikaze storm and ruled by a divine sovereign. It was the terminus of the Silk Road, the furthest end of the known world, a fertile source of inspiration for European artists, and an enduring symbol of the mysterious East. In recent times, it has become a powerhouse of global industry, a nexus of popular culture, and a harbinger of post-industrial decline.

With intelligence and wit, author Jonathan Clements blends documentary and storytelling styles to connect the past, present, and future of Japan, and in broad yet detailed strokes reveals a country of paradoxes: a modern nation steeped in ancient traditions; a democracy with an emperor as head of state; a famously safe society built on 108 volcanoes resting on the world’s most active earthquake zone; a fast-paced urban and technologically advanced country whose land consists predominantly of mountains and forests.

Comments..”… Really engaging writer and a super reader: listened to it on Audible. Vastly more insightful and interesting than previous short history of Japan I’d read. Having just returned from a 10-day trip there, this book pulled together all the historical sites along with the geographical shifts in capitals and power. Highly recommend this book for anyone traveling to Japan to get a handle on how what you’re seeing came about.”
“…..Overall, I really enjoyed the way it was written in a largely narrative fashion. I can’t recall ever reading a history book like it. The only thing that tripped me up was that I am used to history books having footnotes, in-text citations, etc. Flipping through the bibliography shows that the book is very well sourced and supported, but I still couldn’t help but twitch a bit every time I felt a citation was needed or was expecting to see a footnote. All that aside, the writing style makes the book incredibly accessible and easy to read. It even has cool little story excerpts at the beginning of each chapter to add a bit of flavor to each section. I quite liked that little tidbit.”

Note—ebook included for you.