Japan: Then and Now - Eguchi & Dumas (Bilingual Japanese-English Book - Downloadable Audio)

Japan: Then and Now (英語で語る日本事情), by Hiroyuki Eguchi and Daniel Dumas, is a book published by The Japan Times Publishing that explains Japan in English from every angle: geography, history, religion, family and today's pop culture.

It is written in plain English. It is useful for preparing the Japanese licensed guide-interpreter exam (通訳案内士) and for anyone who wants to introduce the country to foreign visitors.

Recommended level: Upper intermediate to advanced (JLPT N2 and above). About half of the book is in Japanese, with the vocabulary typical of topics such as history, religion, politics and economics.

Languages included: Japanese and English, in roughly equal parts. The English part is written in a simple style.

Key contents:

• 20 chapters: geography and climate, history (two chapters), tourism, clothing and housing, food and drink, public holidays, annual events, customs and ceremonies, religion, sport and leisure, fine arts and crafts, performing arts and music, literature, pop culture and media, the Japanese mindset, government, economy and industry, family, and changes and challenges.
• Keyword index (Key Words & Related Key Words).
• Downloadable audio.