Aspects of Japanese Culture and Society
An anthropologist writes about the historical background of Japanese culture, town
life, commercial dealings, education etc. On the Internet Archive, as their parent domain has
disappeared.
The Fireworks of Edo
A survey of Edo and its transition to modern Tokyo, discussing how Western influence
and changes in materials and technology have altered the design and culture of the city. Excellent, but
rather heavy on academic jargon.
Suicide and Modern Japan
Informative student essay on a phenomenon that many find disturbing.
International
Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Japan
Humboldt University hosts a scholarly and objective look at sexual attitudes around
the globe.
The World History of
Male Love: Japan
Masculine love was an established tradition in Japanese culture well into modern
times.
Journal of Japanese Culture
Academic and pretty rarefied, the subjects here range from points of grammar to Heian
court literature to contemporary attitudes about World War II.
Japanese History
for Gay Men
Changing constructions of homosexuality through the ages. The value of this site is
its great collection of links to everything from Buddhist tradition to Saikaku Ihara stories to
modern statistics on AIDS.
Additional Reading:
Smith, Robert J. and Ella Lury Wiswell. The Women of Suye Mura. University of Chicago Press, 1982. ISBN 0-226-76345-5
Standlee, Mary W. The Great Pulse: Japanese Midwifery and Obstetrics through the Ages. Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1959.
Bornoff, Nicholas. Pink Samurai: Love, Marriage & Sex in Contemporary Japan. Pocket Books, 1991. ISBN 0-671-74265-5
Screech, Timon. Sex and the Floating World: Erotic Images in Japan 1700-1820. University of Hawaii Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8248-2204-8
Leupp, Gary P. Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan. University of California Press, 1997. ISBN 0-520-20900-1