In this scintillating book, Ian Buruma peels away the myths that surround Japanese culture. With piercing analysis of cinema, theatre, television, art and legend, he shows the Japanese both 'as they imagine themselves to be, and as they would like themselves to be.'

A Japanese Mirror examines samurai and gangsters, transvestites and goddesses to paint an eloquent picture of life in Japan. This is a country long shrouded in enigma and in his compelling book, Buruma reveals a culture rich in with poetry, beauty and wonder.

Ian Buruma is the Luce Professor of Democracy, Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College, New York. His books include
Year Zero: A History of 1945,
The China Lover: A Novel,
Murder in Amsterdam,
Occidentalism,
God's Dust,
Behind the Mask,
The Wages of Guilt,
Bad Elements,
and
Taming the Gods. He writes frequently for
The New York Review of Books,
The New York Times Magazine,
The New Yorker, and the
Financial Times.