A Brief History of Japan

Samurai, Shogun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun

By: Jonathan Clements

Narrated by: Julian Elfer

This fascinating history tells the story of the people of Japan, from ancient teenage priest-queens to teeming hordes of salarymen, a nation that once sought to conquer China, yet also shut itself away for two centuries in self-imposed seclusion.

First revealed to Westerners in the chronicles of Marco Polo, Japan was a legendary faraway land defended by a fearsome Kamikaze storm and ruled by a divine sovereign. It was the terminus of the Silk Road, the furthest end of the known world, a fertile source of inspiration for European artists, and an enduring symbol of the mysterious East. In recent times, it has become a powerhouse of global industry, a nexus of popular culture, and a harbinger of post-industrial decline.

With intelligence and wit, author Jonathan Clements blends documentary and storytelling styles to connect the past, present, and future of Japan, and in broad yet detailed strokes reveals a country of paradoxes: a modern nation steeped in ancient traditions; a democracy with an emperor as head of state; a famously safe society built on 108 volcanoes resting on the world's most active earthquake zone; a fast-paced urban and technologically advanced country whose land consists predominantly of mountains and forests.

©2017 Jonathan Clements (P)2019 Tantor

Excellent condensed piece

Understanding the Japanese culture from a westerner's perspective requires starting from scratch and delving through a large amount of information. This book manages to deliver the essential through an alert narrative and subtle changes of pace allowing for easy ingestion of even dry data. I've been listening on Tokyo subways and Kyoto walks making for a complete immersive experience.

Learned a lot

Good book. Given it was a brief version it glossed over many historical events. Suggest complementing with other reads. Overall I enjoyed it even though it portrayed historical figures and events under what felt like a rather cynical light.

Engaging, informative, humorous overview

This provided an excellent overview of Japanese history with a narrator striking the perfect tone to match. It strikes an even balance between detail and coverage of events. Each chapter's content leads well into the next, sketching out the general trends of the different periods of Japanese history without getting too bogged down in the details of any one period.

You will of course need to look to other books to go further in-depth on specific periods, but after this you will be able to jump in anywhere in the history of Japan without being lost.

An excellent introduction to the subject.

Well written, and well read, this book serves as an excellent introduction to the subject of Japanese history and culture. I recommend it if you are in a hurry to get some knowledge under your belt, and then begin to dig deeper.

Succinct history of Japan

I wish the medieval and modern history had received more elaborate coverage than the ancient mythology.

Good brief history

it was a good introduction to Japanese history. I was looking to get some insight into the Samuria's role in Japanese history and didblewrn a little, but wasn't the focus.

Just what I needed for my trip to Japan

Very informative with history and customs, and has made my trip to Japan more comprehensive and enjoyable.

Just what was advertised

After listening to this book I have a better understanding of the history of Japan and it’s culture, delivered in the compact package of a 9 hour audiobook. Precisely what I was looking for as a complete amateur in the subject. Sure, the specifics are ignored and certain points are sure to be the subject to historical debate, but it’s the perfect diving board into the Japanese for the uninitiated historian.

Too much data presented in a somewhat monotonous manner

Hard to follow the narrative despite being a good source of Japan’s history.
Format could have been more friendly.

An enjoyable historical overview

A very well put together brief history that does a great job of what the author intended to do. I like how the author started with the Mongol invasion but then went back in time to the very beginning until we arrived back at that point before segwaying into the medieval and modern times. This had a very theatrical draw to it that effectively pulls the reader in before laying out boatloads of historical data dumping that would likely bore most. I'm very much interested in learning more about Japan in the late 19th and early 20th century, as a result of this book.