Japanese Gestures: Modern Manifestations of a Classic Culture

This book examines the significance of the unconscious gestures that are an integral part of the Japanese culture. Chapters have such headings as "Looking Down, Shyly," "Staying Close," "Sitting on the Floor, and "One's Unconscious Expressions." The reader recognizes, however, that the gestures explained in historical context by the author actually have universal significance. The translators of this book, published originally in Japanese, say it "explores the most intimate and genuine of communications: the gesture, that simple, nearly forgettable everyday detail which, however, holds within it the key to an entire culture's way of being."