Hey everyone,
I studied Japanese for about 3 years in high school and managed to pass the JLPT N2—mostly thanks to my obsession with JPOP at the time. But during my first year of university, I decided to take a break from all things Japanese… and honestly, I didn’t realize how much I missed it until this summer.
Over the past few months, I’ve been diving deep back into Japanese media—films, literature, architecture, cultural psychology, unspoken social rules—and I realized: this is what gives me a sense of meaning. I want to understand what makes something feel uniquely Japanese. I’m especially interested in researching or analyzing emerging patterns, subcultures, or fields in Japan that could lead to fresh insights into Japanese society or aesthetics.
Some books I've really enjoyed so far:
- Anatomy of Dependence by Takeo Doi
- Emergent Tokyo: Designing the Spontaneous City
- Norwegian Wood & Kafka on the Shore by Murakami
- Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
Would love to hear any recommendations for resources (books, articles, documentaries, anything really) or hear from others who’ve gone down similar rabbit holes. I don’t know anyone IRL who’s as obsessed with Japanese culture as I am, so this feels like the right place to reach out. Thanks in advance!
by Rediapers