Encompassing a wide range of issues in Japanese literature and culture, the 29 essays in this volume focus on how cultural and literary genres and norms have developed in response to historical and cross-cultural influences. Each essay deals with an aspect of Japanese culture. They cover Japanese literature from the Heian period to the present, discussing poetry, drama, fiction autobiographical writing, film, the visual arts and social and intellectual history. They touch on topics such as: the art of translating Takuboku; Mishima Yukio's notion of "No"; the poetry of Saito Mokichi's "Shoen"; Japanese words used in Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake"; and Yokobue in literature and history.