The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan (1993)

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan is the essential reference to all facets of Japan past and present. Up-to-date, authoritative and wide-ranging in scope, it covers all the general reader, student, business person, journalist, researcher, tourist or armchair traveller would want to know. A highly absorbing read, the Encyclopedia is also filled with the facts, figures and general data on Japan that make it an indispensable source of information: for example, that the safest place to be during an earthquake in Japan is in a bamboo grove; or that one of the greatest delicacies of Japanese cuisine, the fugu, is deadly poisonous in the hands of an unskilled chef. It gives the latest statistics too, from Japan's dramatically ageing population, to a complete listing of its prime ministers, to valuable data on the powerful Japanese advertising industry. Throughout, full-colour photographs, maps and graphics generously illustrate the book and additional boxed features highlight important topics or issues relevant to the text. This, in a single volume, is a complete and fascinating picture of Japan and its people: its rich inherited traditions and culture, its modern complexities and its tantalising future role in the world.