Kansai Cool: A Journey into the Cultural Heartland of Japan
"This fascinating collection of essays illuminates the mind-blowing diversity of "cool" in contemporary Japan. From Lolita fashion to Buddhist microtemples, this is a must-read for anyone interested the hidden treasures of Kyoto, Osaka and Nara."—Ian Condry, MIT professor and author ofThe Soul of Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Japan's Media Success Story"Christal Whelan's highly intelligent new book on the essence of Japan seems to manage to include a revelation on every page…Endlessly engaging and supremely readable."—Simon Winchester, OBE, journalist, author ofThe Professor and the Madman"A very fun read. I read this before spending a year in the Kansai region (Kyoto prefecture, to be precise) and as soon as I landed I was hearing all these wonderful Kinki words! Without this book giving me a basic understanding, I would have struggled a lot more. As well as being very light-hearted, it's very informative. And unlike some other books I've seen on Kansai-ben, it's very clear that there are a lot of differences between the different parts of the region." —Goodreads