In this clear and concise guide, Davies explains the key religious traditions that influence life in modern Japan. -Publishers Weekly With his balanced air and refusal to indulge in glib theories, Roger Davies has produced a book that helps enormously in the demystifying of Japan. -Green Shinto blog This is definitely a book you need to pick up if you want to learn more about Japanese culture and would like more of an understanding of what influenced it. -JLPT Boot Camp blog Japanese Culture is an in-depth introduction to different aspects and influences that make Japan the unique world it is. From its history, its isolation, and its aesthetics to the influence of the Chinese, the West, and beyond, this book won't make you an expert, but it will give you a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon...With numerous thought-provoking questions to discuss and appendices loaded with additional information, Japanese Culture is both an accessible, erudite guidebook and a launching pad to greater, more enriching studying to come. -Manhattan Book Review Immensely enlightening -Robert O'Neil, author and EFL textbook writer Roger J. Davies has written a well-needed summing up of the philosophical underpinnings of Japanese culture. A well-rounded, succinct, and thought-provoking analysis that everyone in the Japan field can benefit from. -Alex Kerr, author of Lost Japan and Dogs and Demons; Winner of Japan's prestigious Shincho Gakugei Literature Prize Roger J. Davies has written a well-needed summing up of the philosophical underpinnings of Japanese culture. A well-rounded, succinct, and thought-provoking analysis that everyone in the Japan field can benefit from. -Alex Kerr, author of Lost Japan and Dogs and Demons; Winner of Japan's prestigious Shincho Gakugei Literature Prize