Planet Japan: Discovering an Alternative Modernity in Crisis

In this collection of essays, Australian journalist and sociologist Jonathan Gadir probes the issues that fascinate him most about Japan. This personal and realist exploration of Japanese social life goes beneath the surface, featuring some of the best sociological analyses of a country which often mystifies outsiders. Ranging across diverse topics including the reasons behind Japan’s social order, low crime, horrifying working hours, unique economic arrangements, English language industry and public drunkenness, Gadir looks at whether Japan offers the possibility of an alternative to neoliberalism.