The first and last paragraph of the Introduction "Throughout most of history Japan has been remote from us of the West and all but unknown-but when it has broken through its isolation to come to our attention, it has never failed to amaze us. When the Portuguese and then other Europeans first came to Japan in the middle of the16th Century, they found this feudal land reminiscent of their own and, appreciating the familiar, decided that the Japanese were most admirable of all Asian peoples. Later, when Japan, after more than two hundred years of self-imposed isolation, was "rediscovered" in the middle of the 19th Century, it soon astounded Europeans by its unique ability among all non-Western lands to close with speed the technological gap that had opened up between the West and the rest of the world." Behind Japan's great achievements lies a very special historical narrative. This is what Mr. Leonard tells with skill and grace, covering the period from Japan's Shadowy beginnings as a backward land on the edges of the civilized world, to the time when the pattern of its own cultural greatness had become well set by the early 17th Century. Edwin O. Reischauer U.S. Ambassador to Japan, 1961-1966

The history of early Japan. ( )

i didn't know any of this. my only other info about japan is movies and samurai movies. i enjoyed the overview of beautiful china and pagodas.. ( )

Disappointing. Instead of repeating it it would have been much better if the author inserted a little bit more information. History written about stops in the middle of the 19th century ( )

A Time-Life history of Japan from about 500 A.D. to near-modern times. It's not a place or period of particular interest to me, but the good folk at Time-Life do their usual fine job of making an erudite topic as interesting as possible. I think the most interesting tidbit here was that the reason that Kabuki theater actors are always men (which I knew), is that in 1629 actresses were banned from the stage when the government found that many were doubling off-stage as prostitutes, and using highly suggestive performances to promote themselves. ( )