Japan Now! a Japanese Language Reader: Bilingual Stories and Essays about Contemporary Japan (with Free Online Audio Recordings) - Paperback

Learn about contemporary Japan while improving your language skills!

• LBGTQ Rights in Japan -- Eriko and Anna Sato explain how the Japanese courts have recently declared bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Is Japanese society finally becoming more inclusive?
• Japan's Underground Tattoo Culture -- Brian Ashcraft, author of Japanese Tattoos, takes a deep dive into the world of Japanese tattooing, an art traditionally practiced mainly by yakuza gangsters.
• Japan's High Suicide Rate -- Eriko and Anna Sato ask whether Japan's suicide rate has always been high? Is this due to the traditions of seppuku and kamikaze or to the stigma around seeking therapy in Japan? Or are other factors at work?
• Why I Love Japan Even More Since the Earthquake -- journalist David McNeill, a longtime Japan resident, explores the aftereffects of the devastating 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown on Japanese society.
• The Origin of Sake -- bestselling sake experts Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay look at the history of the Japanese drink that has gained huge popularity worldwide.