Sony and Nissan have become household names, and Japanese animated cartoons have packs of British fans, but there are many other aspects to Japan's vigorous pop culture. In 70 informative entries, the author covers the years from 1945 to the present, pulling together film, cartoons, every genre of pop music, comedians, matinee idols, sumo wrestlers, gourmet fads, best sellers, baseball stars, quiz shows, discos, song contests and more. The interconnections between phenomena are traced - singers who become actresses who marry writers who become game-show hosts who become journalists covering...

This comprehensive look at Japanese cinema in the 1990s includes nearly four hundred reviews of individual films and a dozen interviews and profiles of leading directors and producers. Interpretive essays provide an overview of some of the key issues and themes of the decade, and provide background and context for the treatment of individual films and artists.
In Mark Schilling's view, Japanese film is presently in a period of creative ferment, with a lively independent sector challenging the conventions of the industry mainstream. Younger filmmakers are rejecting the stale formulas that...