Cool Japanese Men

Japanese men are becoming cool. The suit-and-tie salaryman remodels himself with beauty treatments and 'cool biz' fashion. Loyal company soldiers are reborn as cool, attentive fathers. Hip hop dance is as manly as martial arts. Could it even be cool for middle-aged men to idolize teenage girl popstars? This collection of studies from the University of Cambridge provides fascinating insights into the contemporary lives of Japanese men as it looks behind the image of 'Cool Japan.' (Series: Japanese Studies / Japanologie, Vol. 6) [Subject: Japanese Studies, Cultural Studies]

“Recreating Japanese Men is a wonderful and invaluable book. Its interdisciplinary mix of essays opens the door to a new world of scholarship on masculinity in Japan." —David L. Howell, Harvard University “By considering a wide variety of alternative masculinities throughout Japanese history, these essays reveal the tensions, conflicts and overlapping between competing masculine and feminine ideals and practices in surprising ways.” —Robert A. Nye, Oregon State University “This gallery of striking but also subtle images of Japanese masculinity both reinforces old and reveals new historical understandings of Japanese political and military institutions, social divisions, and cultural anxieties. Essential reading in both Japan and masculinity studies.“ --Gary Cross, author of Men to Boys: The Making of Modern Immaturity.

The story of how Japan adopted and ultimately revived traditional American fashion Look closely at any typically "American" article of clothing these days, and you may be surprised to see a Japanese label inside. From high-end denim to oxford button-downs, Japanese designers have taken the classic American look—known as ametora, or "American traditional"—and turned it into a huge business for companies like Uniqlo, Kamakura Shirts, Evisu, and Kapital. This phenomenon is part of a long dialogue between Japanese and American fashion; in fact, many of the basic items and traditions of the modern American wardrobe are alive and well today thanks to the stewardship of Japanese consumers and fashion cognoscenti, who ritualized and preserved these American styles during periods when they were out of vogue in their native land. In Ametora, cultural historian W. David Marx traces the Japanese assimilation of American fashion over the past hundred and fifty years, showing how Japanese trendsetters and entrepreneurs mimicked, adapted, imported, and ultimately perfected American style, dramatically reshaping not only Japan's culture but also our own in the process.

The only book to look at the uniquely delicate situation that confronts every Western businesswoman, whether traveling to Japan or meeting Japanese clients at her home office. Using real-life anecdotes, cultural explanations, and extensive lists of tactics and dos and don'ts, Doing Business with Japanese Men tells women how to quickly establish their authority and work effectively. Included are practical discussions of preparation, meeting protocol, socializing, and gift giving, as well as tips on wardrobe, make-up, special health and safety concerns, and fending off unwanted attention.

Japan's gender roles are in turmoil. Traditional life courses for men and women are still presented as role models, but there is an increasing range of gender choices for those uncomfortable with convention. This collection of studies from the University of Cambridge provides fascinating insights into the diversity of gendered images, identities, and life-styles in contemporary Japan - from manga girls to herbivore boys, from absent fathers to transgender people. (Series: Japanese Studies / Japanologie - Vol. 3)

Kawaii. The love of all things cute has become the dominant image of Japanese girls and women. Real Japanese women are, however, more complex. Some celebrate their uterus, others experiment with fashion and cross- dressing or embrace their chubbiness, many struggle with motherhood. And some may even return as vengeful ghosts. This third collection of studies by young scholars from the University of Cambridge looks beyond the kawaii image and explores the diversity and complexity of being a Japanese woman in the new millennium.

Love with a Western woman: A guide for Japanese men Do you want to be successful with women? Date and romance them with confidence and charm? And be fantastic in bed?! Whether you want romance, love, dating, sex, or marriage, this book will help you get it! Love with a Western woman is a funny and entertaining guide for Japanese men who want to understand the international women of today, and find out how to please them ... in every way! Based on interviews with 150 Western women who shared their intimate desires and dreams as well as their experiences and expectations, this guidebook teaches Japanese men how to develop and maintain happy, healthy relationships throughout their lives. Full of quotes from the women who were interviewed, and interspersed with photographs of Western women and the Japanese men they adore, this book will coach and inspire you along the way as you search for love. You will learn how to: be more attractive to women let women know you like them be a "gentleman" create dates to remember avoid misunderstandings and mishaps propose marriage just like in the movies ensure that she always feels special make a happy home together be an amazing and considerate lover, and even make your penis look bigger And if you're already in a relationship with a Western woman, this book will help you improve that relationship by giving you a better understanding of her mind and her body. Love with a Western woman will also help you with your relationships with Japanese women! Find out what women want and how you can give it to them ... become an international ambassador for love! WARNING: ADULT CONTENT

The essays in this groundbreaking book explore the meanings of manhood in Japan from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries. Recreating Japanese Men examines a broad range of attitudes regarding properly masculine pursuits and modes of behavior. It charts breakdowns in traditional and conventional societal roles and the resulting crises of masculinity. Contributors address key questions about Japanese manhood ranging from icons such as the samurai to marginal men including hermaphrodites, robots, techno-geeks, rock climbers, shop clerks, soldiers, shoguns, and more. In addition to bringing historical evidence to bear on definitions of masculinity, contributors provide fresh analyses on the ways contemporary modes and styles of masculinity have affected Japanese men’s sense of gender as authentic and stable.