Exploration into Japan - Richard Tames

One of a series which describes the cultural history of continents or regions through several centuries, this book is about exploration into Japan and it starts off with a history and description of some of the traditional societies and how they are interrelated. It continues by discussing the significance of European exploration and the colonization that followed.;The emphasis is on how the nature of exploration has changed over time and the implications of "opening up" traditional communities to the outside world. Views of travellers to Japan give an unusual slant as in the comments of Sir Rutherford Alcock, Britain's first diplomat in Japan (1809-1897); Isabella Bird, (1831-1904) who travelled by horseback through northern Honshu and Hokkaido and the visit by Rudyard Kipling in 1889. Japan's biggest impact on westerners however was in the field of art.;The book then goes on to look at alliance and defiance in Japan and examines how the region has survived in the 20th century, the change that has occurred and the significant forms of exploration that are taking place.;Specially commissioned maps show the region before and after exploration.