Matt Alt

The untold story of how Japan became a cultural superpower through the fantastic inventions that captured--and transformed--the world's imagination. "A masterful book driven by deep research, new insights, and powerful storytelling."--W. David Marx, author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style The Walkman. Karaoke. Pikachu. Pac-Man. Akira. Emoji. We've all fallen in love with one or another of Japan's pop-culture creations, from the techy to the wild to the super-kawaii. But as Japanese media veteran Matt Alt proves in this brilliant investigation of Tokyo's pop-fantasy complex, we don't know the half of it. Japan's toys, gadgets, and imaginary worlds didn't merely entertain. They profoundly transformed the way we live. In the 1970s and '80s, Japan seemed to exist in some near future, gliding on the superior technology of Sony and Toyota while the West struggled to catch up. Then a catastrophic 1990 stock-market crash ushered in the "lost decades" of deep recession and social dysfunction. The end of the boom times should have plunged Japan into irrelevance, but that's precisely when its cultural clout soared--when, once again, Japan got to the future a little ahead of the rest of us. Hello Kitty, the Nintendo Entertainment System, and multimedia empires like Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z were more than marketing hits. Artfully packaged, dangerously cute, and dizzyingly fun, these products made Japan the forge of the world's fantasies, and gave us new tools for coping with trying times. They also transformed us as we consumed them--connecting as well as isolating us in new ways, opening vistas of imagination and pathways to revolution. Through the stories of an indelible group of artists, geniuses, and oddballs, Pure Invention reveals how Japanese ingenuity remade global culture and may have created modern life as we know it. It's Japan's world; we're just gaming, texting, singing, and dreaming in it.

How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World

Pure Invention

Hiroko Yoda

Yokai Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's traditional monsters and creepy-crawlies. Yokai are ethereal sorts of beings, like ghosts, nearly always encountered at night; everyone has their own take on how they might look in real life and what sorts of specific characteristics and abilities they might have. This book is the result of long hours spent poring over data and descriptions from a variety of sources, including microfilms of eighteenth-century illustrations from the National Diet Library in Tokyo, in order to bring you detailed information on almost 50 of these amazing creatures for the first time in English. Illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential appearance of each yokai. Alongside each illustration is a series of "data points," with each yokai's significant features at a glance—especially handy for any potential close encounters. Yokai Attack! will surely convince you that Japan's tradition of fascinating monsters is a long one—yet far from being history. Together with Yurei Attack! and Ninja Attack!, Yokai Attack! is the last guidebook to Japan you'll ever need.

The Japanese Monster Survival Guide

Yokai Attack!

Yurei Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's traditional ghosts and spirits. Surviving encounters with angry ghosts and sexy specters. Haunted places. Dangerous games and how to play them. And more importantly, a guided tour of what awaits in the world of the dead. Yurei is the Japanese word for "ghost." It's as simple as that. They are the souls of dead people, unable—or unwilling—to shuffle off this mortal coil. Yurei are many things, but "friendly" isn't the first word that comes to mind. Not every yurei is dangerous, but they are all driven by emotions so uncontrollably powerful that they have taken on a life of their own: rage, sadness, devotion, a desire for revenge, or even the firm belief that they are still alive. This book, the third in the authors' bestselling Attack! series, after Yokai Attack! and Ninja Attack! gives detailed information on 39 of the creepiest yurei stalking Japan, along with detailed histories and defensive tactics should you have the misfortune to encounter one. Japanese ghosts include: Oiwa, The Horror of Yotsuya Otsuyu, The Tale of the Peony Lantern The Lady Rokujo, The Tale of Genji Isora, Tales of Moonlight and Rain Orui, The Depths of Kasane Together with Yokai Attack! and Ninja Attack!, Yurei Attack! is the last guidebook to Japan you'll ever need.

The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide

Yurei Attack!

jak japońska popkultura podbiła świat

Czysty wymysł

マットアルト

Yutaka Kondo

A guide to Japan's scariest most infamous ninja, immortalised in literature, TV drama and cinema. It covers ninja such as Hattori Hanzo, Yagyu Jubei, Kosaka Jinnai, Momochi Tanba, Fuma no Kotaro, and Sarutobi Sasuke. This is a guide to Japan's scariest most infamous ninja, immortalised in literature, TV drama and cinema. An entire generation has become fascinated with the stealth, ferocity and wisdom of the legendary spy/assassins: the epitome of the Japanese warrior spirit. The book covers ninja such as Hattori Hanzo, Yagyu Jubei, Kosaka Jinnai, Momochi Tanba,

True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws

Ninja Attack!

Karaoke e Walkman, Pac-Man e Pokémon, Tamagotchi ed emoji sono solo alcune delle novità made in Japan che hanno contribuito a portare la modernità nelle nostre vite. Tra gli anni Settanta e Ottanta il Giappone sembrava vivere in un futuro prossimo, grazie alle avanzate tecnologie di Sony e Toyota, e a manga e anime visionari. Nel 1990 il crollo del mercato azionario inaugurò il Decennio perduto, rischiando di far precipitare il Paese nell’irrilevanza, ma il suo peso culturale, invece, non fece che aumentare. Hello Kitty, Nintendo, Dragon Ball Z sono stati più che semplici successi di marketing: confezionati ad arte, divertenti e pericolosamente kawaii hanno trasformato il mondo, innescando connessioni e isolamento, e diffondendo nuovi immaginari.Intrigante e perspicace, POP ポップ ripercorre le storie di geni e artisti stravaganti che hanno fatto del Giappone una vera e propria factory delle fantasie del mondo.

Come la cultura giapponese ha conquistato il mondo

Pop ポップ

Joh Sasaki

When the Japanese decide to honor their military treaty with Germany by sending a few Zeros for their allies to study, they face the prospect of flying the planes over hostile territory, including the Soviet Union, in order to successfully make the delivery.

Zero Over Berlin

Robert Duban

Matt Alt describes the best from the 'golden age' of Japanese robot toys, from Mazinger Z to Valkyrie. He introduces the foremost Japanese toy companies and highlights significant developments.

Japanese Robot Toys, 1972-1982

Super #1 Robot

Melinda Joe

Provides over eighty self-guided tours based on such interests as culture, sports, dining, nightlife, and island life, and features reviews of attractions, restaurants, shopping centers, and hotels.

Frommer'sÂ Japan Day by Day

寛子·依田

Presents examples of the common "super cute" comic art characters used in Japanese advertisements, signs, and public service announcements.

Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan

Hello, Please!

Ninja Attack! introduces dozens of unforgettable real-life ninja straight out of the annals of Japanese history—many of whom are all but unknown outside their home country. Ninja masters. Solo assassins and operatives. Femme fatales as deadly as they were beautiful. Swordfighters out of legend. And the Shogun and warlords who commanded them. Each individual in this graphic novel is profiled with a full-page manga-style drawing and a dossier brimming with top-secret information, including photos, anecdotes, and dramatic stories of the individuals in action. The book covers ninja clothing styles, the types of weapons that were used, ninja tools, ninja tricks of the trade, and the basics of the ninja diet. It also includes a do-it-yourself tour of ninja related spots in modern Tokyo. Ninja Attack! is everything you always wanted to know about ninja but were too afraid you'd get a shuriken in the eye to ask. Legendary ninja covered in this book include: Prince Shotoku Mochizuki Chiyojo Hattori Hanzo Matsuo Basho Mamiya Rinzo Jiraiya Together with Yokai Attack! and Yurei Attack!, Ninja Attack! is the last guidebook to Japan you'll ever need.

アルトマット

Tatsuya Morino

This entertaining, informative guide to traditional Japanese monsters--who are the ancestors of many of the characters found in today's manga, anime and J-horror flicks--features original illustrations and an at-a-glance data sheet for each yokai.Kodansha International

Yokai Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's traditional monsters and creepy-crawlies. Yokai are ethereal sorts of beings, like ghosts, nearly always encountered at night; everyone has their own take on how they might look in real life and what sorts of specific characteristics and abilities they might have. This book is the result of long hours spent poring over data and descriptions from a variety of sources, including microfilms of eighteenth-century illustrations from the national Diet Library in Tokyo, in order to bring you detailed information on almost 50 of these amazing creatures for the first time in English. Illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential appearance of each yokai. Alongside each illustration is a series of "data points," with each yokai's important features at a glance—especially handy for any potential close encounters. Yokai Attack! will surely convince you that Japan's tradition of fascinating monsters is a long one—yet far from being history. Together with Yurei Attack! and Ninja Attack!, Yokai Attack! is the last guidebook to Japan you'll ever need.

Bastien Toune

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