For nearly two decades, the Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions has served as a valuable resource for students and scholars of religion in Japan. This exciting update expands the audience to include non-specialists of Japan while also complicating the notions of “Japan” and “religion.” Asking the provocative question “why study Japanese religions?” the editors argue that studying Japan is vital for the academic study of religion writ large and make a case for the continued importan...

Building Sustainable Agrifood Systems and Resilient Rural Communities in Japan explores the challenges Japan has been facing as a post-industrialized society. Through case studies across rural Japan, this book shows how these challenges are being addressed in terms of reorganizing agriculture, food systems, and rural livelihoods. Although the contexts surrounding rural areas in Japan are different from elsewhere in the world, this volume provides possible lessons on sustainability and adap...

We live in a fragile world. This much is evident as stories abound of natural disasters that wipe out communities in an instant. How can we survive the future on such a planet, amid intensifying climate change? This question is particularly poignant along the Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt in the Pacific region that routinely faces some of the most devastating disasters in the world. Based on ethnographic research spanning seven years, Play to Survive examines the work of preparedn...