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The Shortest History of Japan

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The Shortest History of Japan

By: Lesley Downer
Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
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About this listen

Zen, haiku, martial arts, sushi, anime, manga, film, video games . . . Japanese culture has long enriched our Western way of life. Yet from a Western perspective, Japan remains a remote island country that has long had a complicated relationship with the outside world.

Japan—an archipelago strung like a necklace around the Asian mainland—is considerably farther from Asia than Britain is from Europe. The sea has provided an effective barrier against invasion and enabled the culture to develop in unique ways. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shoguns successfully closed the country to the West. Then, Japan swung in the opposite direction, adopting Western culture wholesale. Both strategies enabled it to avoid colonization—and to retain its traditions and way of life.

A skilled storyteller and accurate historian, Lesley Downer presents the dramatic sweep of Japanese history and the larger-than-life individuals—from emperors descended from the Sun Goddess to warlords, samurai, merchants, court ladies, women warriors, geisha, and businessmen—who shaped this extraordinary modern society.

©2024 Lesley Downer (P)2024 Tantor Asia Japan Politics & Government World
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As a book, it makes for a credible, informative "light read" about the history of Japan.
The book is well researched and is an easy page-turner, offering a neutral and unbiased view of Japan's origins, its development and its place in the modern world.
However, due to the poor sound recording/processing of the narrator's voice, every word that ended with the letter "S" (or sometimes just contained the letter "S") sounded like a recording of a basket of snakes on a cheap, mistuned shortwave radio.
Sadly, it made the experience a chore to listen to.
I persevered but I'm returning the title.
I'll keep the paperback.

Better as a paperback...

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The tone and clarity of narration was fine but I fail to understand why the producers could not find someone able to pronounce Japanese words and names accurately. This rather spoiled my enjoyment of an otherwise decent overview. (Sorry, this sounds pompous, I know).

Excellent summary marred by incorrect pronunciation

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