Escaping Japan ― Reflections on Estrangement and Exile in the Twenty-first Century

The idea that Japan is a socially homogenous, uniform society has been increasingly challenged in recent years. This book takes further the resulting view that Japan is socially and culturally complex by exploring this complexity in relation to particular life situations, exploring the extent to which specific situations, personal experiences and lifestyle choices influence this complexity. Adopting an ethnographic approach, and considering a range of “escapes” including physical “escapes” to tourist destinations, to Japan’s northern Hokkaido island or to retirement villages in southeast Asia, and also metaphorical “escapes” such as immersion in literature, alcoholism and personal searches for personal identity, the book provides a rich picture of the complex nature of contemporary Japan’s society and culture.

Blai Guarne is a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain

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Paul Hansen is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Tsukuba, Japan