Publications of Note

The First European Description of Japan, 1585: A Critical English-language Edition of Striking Contrasts in the Customs of Europe and Japan by Luis Frois, S.J. Edited and translated by Richard K. Danford, Robin D. Gill, and Daniel T. Reff. Routledge, London, 2014. 312 pages. $160.00. Long-time missionary in Japan Luis Frois drafted the first systematic comparison of Western and Japanese cultures. This volume offers a translation of the text, a substantive introduction, and annotations to explain context and to compare with contemporary Japanese life.

Rattraper et dépasser la Suisse: Histoire de l’industrie horlogère japonaise de 1850 à nos jours. By Pierre-Yves Donzé. Éditions Alphil, Neuchâtel, 2014. 504 pages. 39 CHF, paper. Donzé analyzes the particular case of the watch industry in Japan’s efforts to catch up with and surpass the West—in this instance, Switzerland. The chapters are divided into sections on the birth of the industry, conquering the world market, and the industry since 1985.

Japan an jenem tag: Augenzeugenberichte zum 11.März 2011. Edited by Albrecht Rothacher. Iudicium Verlag, München, 2013. 283 pages. €14.00. The eyewitness reports of the triple disaster of March 11, 2011, gathered in this volume are the observations and experiences of native speakers of German who are long-term residents of Japan. The 23 contributors responded to a notice on the website of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens.