{"product_id":"book-gln4","title":"Japan","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA captivating anthology of programmes, painting a multi-faceted portrait of a unique country\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJapan is a land of complexity, contrast and contradictions. The world's third-largest economy, it is a powerhouse of innovation and a pioneer in technology, fashion and pop culture. But it also has a rich, ancient heritage and a deep reverence for custom, ritual and tradition. This illuminating 2-part radio collection traverses the different aspects of this fascinating country, from its famous historical figures to its diverse cultural landscape.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart 1: History opens with \u003ci\u003eJapan in Five Lives\u003c\/i\u003e, in which cultural historian Christopher Harding portrays the lives of five colourful characters from the country's past to answer the question 'Who are the Japanese'? In \u003ci\u003eKilling Time in Imperial Japan\u003c\/i\u003e, he explores early 20th Century Tokyo, a bustling, cosmopolitan capital where the meaning of 'time' was hotly contested. \u003ci\u003eDark Blossoms\u003c\/i\u003e sees him examining the doubts and misgivings accompanying Japan's rapid embrace of modernity, while in \u003ci\u003eJapanese Tsunami\u003c\/i\u003e, broadcasters Richard Lloyd Parry and Matthew Sweet discuss the devastating natural disaster that rocked the country in 2011. In \u003ci\u003eLand of the Rising Sums\u003c\/i\u003e, Alex Bellos visits Kyoto to ask why Asian cultures seem so much better at maths; in \u003ci\u003eJapan and Religion\u003c\/i\u003e, Roy Jenkins discusses the place of religious traditions in modern Japan; and in \u003ci\u003eSupernatural Japan\u003c\/i\u003e, Christopher Harding looks at how the Japanese have used ghosts and ghost stories to make sense of their world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart 2: Culture celebrates Japan's art, literature and film. In \u003ci\u003eJapan Now 2020\u003c\/i\u003e, Philip Dodd talks to writers Hiromi Ito and Yukiko Motoya and photographer Tomoko Sawada about women's roles in Japanese culture today. Meanwhile, in \u003ci\u003eImages of Japan\u003c\/i\u003e, illustrator Fumio Obata and manga translator Jocelyne Allen discuss Japanese comic book imagery, and we join novelists Kyoko Nakajima and Yuya Sato in conversation with Christopher Harding. \u003ci\u003eLandmark: Seven Samurai\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLandmark: Rashomon\u003c\/i\u003e see Matthew Sweet and Rana Mitter investigating the stories behind Akira Kurosawa's two most influential films, in the company of guests including film scholar Ian Christie and authors SF Said, David Peace and Natasha Pulley. \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e takes us into the shimmering world of mediaeval Japan, as Rana Mitter explores Murasaki Shikibu's masterpiece, widely considered to be the world's first novel. Finally, in \u003ci\u003eGodzilla and Hayao Miyazaki\u003c\/i\u003e, Christopher Harding considers cinematic depictions of Japanese fear, as exemplified by the legendary monster king and the 2013 animated film \u003ci\u003eThe Wind Rises\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eContents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJapan in Five Lives\u003cbr\u003eKilling Time in Imperial Japan\u003cbr\u003eDark Blossoms\u003cbr\u003eJapanese Tsunami\u003cbr\u003eLand of the Rising Sums\u003cbr\u003eJapan and Religion\u003cbr\u003eSupernatural Japan\u003cbr\u003eJapan Now 2020\u003cbr\u003eImages of Japan\u003cbr\u003eLandmark: Seven Samurai\u003cbr\u003eLandmark: Rashomon\u003cbr\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003cbr\u003eGodzilla and The Wind Rises\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49358060257584,"sku":"BDgln4","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/61302-gln4-Square.jpg?v=1734442019","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-gln4","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}