NTC's dictionary of Japan's cultural code words

by Boye De Mente

For centuries the Japanese used their language as a barrier to prevent non-Japanese from learning about the inner workings of Japnese society and to ward off foreign influence. In fact, for a long period in Japan's history the teeaching of Japanese to foreigners was a serious crime against the state. In this enlightening work, renowned Japanologist Boye Lafayette De Mente discusses how the psychology of the social and political system that evolved over the centuries became imbued in and expressed by the language to a degree seldom seen in other cultures. The author brings more than 25 years of experience in Japan to the task of revealing the hidden cultural significance of current expressions in the Japanese language. With ample reference to history, psychology, philosophy, and religion, the reader learns how the Japanese view certain behaviours and attitudes and why they are conditioned to respond in certain ways to specific situations. Features: 230 quintessentially Japanese expressi