An Anthropologist in Japan: Glimpses of Life in the Field (ASA Research Methods Series)

An Anthropologist in Japan is a highly personal narrative which draws the reader into a fascinating cross-section of Japanese life. Joy Hendry tells the story of her nine-month period of fieldwork in a Japanese seaside town. She originally sets out on a study of politeness, but a host of unpredictable events--including a volcanic eruption, a suicide and her son's involvement with the family of a powerful local gangster--dramatically changes the direction of her research. An Anthropologist in Japan is a highly personal narrative which draws the reader into a fascinating cross-section of Japanese life. Joy Hendry relates her experiences during a nine-month period of fieldwork in a Japanese seaside town. She sets out on a study of politeness but a variety of unpredictable events including a volcanic eruption, a suicide and her son's involvement with the family of a powerful local gangster, begin to alter the direction of her research. This volume exemplifies the role of chance in the acquisition of anthropological knowledge and demonstrates how moments of insight can be embedded in a mass of everyday activity. The disturbing and disordered appears alongside the neat and the beautiful, and the vignettes here illuminate the education system, religious beliefs, politics, the family and the neighbourhood in modern Japan. An Anthropologist in Japan is reflexive anthropology in action. It demonstrates how ethnographic fieldwork can uniquely provide a deep understanding of linguistic and cultural difference. Joy Hendry Tells The Story Of A 9 Month Period Of Fieldwork In A Japanese Seaside Town. There To Study Politeness, She Had To Deal With A Suicide, A Volcanic Erruption And Her Son's Friendship With The Son Of A Powerful Local Gangster. Pt. I. Settling In And Making Contacts. 1. Arrival ... And An Invitation. 2. The Neighbourhood: A 'world Of Blossom And Willow'. 3. The Hospital ... And A Strange Encounter. 4. The School ... And A Fight. 5. A Pilgrims' Trail. 6. Shiroyama, The Satomi Legend And A New Look At Power -- Pt. Ii. Events To Attend. 7. Wrapping The Body: Two Local Festivals. 8. The Housewives' 'club For Life'. 9. Cubs, Sports And A Shock. 10. Suicide, Funerals And The Well-wrapped Gift. 11. Paper Walls And Flowers At The Bank -- Pt. Iii. The Role Of Experts. 12. A Foreigner At The 'culture Festival'. 13. 'your Japanese Is Psychological Torture'. 14. A Volcanic Eruption. 15. Tennis And The 'surreal' Dinner. Joy Hendry. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 155) And Index. In this highly personal account Joy Hendry relates her experiences of fieldwork in a Japanese town and reveals a fascinating cross-section of Japanese life. She sets out on a study of politeness but a variety of unpredictable events including a volcanic eruption, a suicide and her son's involvement with the family of a poweful local gangster, begin to alter the direction of her research. The book demonstrates the role of chance in the acquisition of anthropological knowledge and demonstrates how moments of insight can be embedded in everyday activity. An Anthropologist in Japan illuminates the education system, religious beliefs, politics, the family and the neighbourhood in modern Japan.