A Geek in Japan (9784805313916)

Created specifically for fans of Japanese "cool culture," A Geek in Japan is one of the most iconic, hip, and concise cultural guides available.

This new edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded with new chapters on Japanese video games, architecture, and a special section on visiting Kyoto. Reinvented for the internet age, it's packed with personal essays and hundreds of photographs, presenting all the touchstones of both traditional and contemporary culture in an entirely new way.

The expansive range of topics include:

• Bushido, Geisha, Samurai, Shintoism, and Buddhism
• Traditional arts and disciplines like Ukiyo-e, Ikebana, Zen meditation, calligraphy, martial arts, and the tea ceremony
• Insightful essays on code words and social mores; dating and drinking rituals; working and living conditions and symbols and practices that are peculiarly Japanese
• Japanese pop culture genres and their subcultures, like otaku, gals, visual kei, and cosplay

For visitors, the author includes a mini guide to his favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo as well as tips on special places of interest in other parts of Japan. Garcia has written an irreverent, insightful, and highly informative guide for the growing ranks of Japanophiles around the world.


About the Author:
Hector Garcia was born in Spain in 1981. After earning his M.S. in software engineering and working for CERN in Switzerland, he moved to Japan, where he worked on voice recognition software and later for Digital Garage, developing the technology needed for Silicon Valley startups like Twitter and Technorati to enter the Japanese market. He has been living in Tokyo since 2004. During his free time, he runs ageekinjapan.com, one of the most-read blogs in the world in the Spanish language (and also available in English), and writes books about his experiences in Japan. The first edition of A Geek in Japan, and also his first book, is a bestseller in Spain and is in its eighth printing. He is working on his third book.