Highlighting JAPAN

THEME FOR October
From Meiji to the Present:Looking Back on 150 Years of Progress

Japan’s ability to rapidly assimilate everything from technology to architecture to food and come up with singular, successful and often superior variations of its own has astounded the world since the Meiji Period. In this issue, we introduce some of the most noteworthy of these accomplishments, and how the country’s openness to ideas took it from being a feudal society to one of the world’s most modern and influential in the world.

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Meiji and the Dawn of Modernization in Japan

An interview with political history scholar Takashi Mikuriya

PDF(904KB) | HTML English | Japanese

Japan’s Railway Legacy

How Japan went from having only models of trains in 1853 to become a rail technology leader and the home of the shinkansen

PDF(1,402KB) | HTML English | Japanese

Meiji Innovation Heats Up:The Yawata Steel Works

The story of a steelworks in Kitakyushu that helped turn Japan into a modern technological superpower

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The Dawn of Modern Japanese Architecture

Kingo Tatsuno and other Japanese disciples of an influential British architect shaped the country’s modern cityscapes

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How Nikko Became a Prime Resort Destination

The Kanaya Hotel’s Western style brought a wave of foreign visitors to Nikko and a whole new concept of leisure to Japan

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Daughters of Meiji: Bringing Women’s Education to Japan

Three young Japanese girls absorbed U.S. educational and societal practices and returned to transform women’s education here

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Four Novels That Illuminate Meiji Society

Japan’s most influential writers chronicled the often-painful changes Japan’s swiftly modernizing society experienced during Meiji

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The Roots of Tonkatsu: A Delicious Fusion of East and West

As with architecture, social mores and design, Japan put its own delicious spin on cuisine from the West, including tonkatsu

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PRIME MINISTER’S DIARY?E?INFORMATION

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POLICY-RELATED NEWS

Restoring the Meiji Spirit 150 Years After It Emerged

PDF(1,926KB) | HTML English | Chinese | Japanese

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
The Future of Regenerative Medicine for Hair Follicles

PDF(293KB) | HTML English | Chinese | Japanese

MY WAY
A French Employee at a Japanese Event Venue

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FROM JAPAN TO THE WORLD
The Many Charms of Japanese Stationery Goods

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A TRIP BY LOCAL TRAIN
Enjoy Hokkaido’s Coastline and a BBQ Feast from the Land and Sea

PDF(2,440KB) | HTML English | Chinese | Japanese