In Japanese, the word for "foreign country" means "outnation." But to many Americans and Japanese, it is Japan itself, despite its increasing influence in world affairs, that is the outsider-the outnation: a country, as some have said, in the world but not of it. How different is this industrial superpower? Why did its fast climb to the pinnacle of the global economy also contain the causes of its subsequent fall? And what can we all-Americans and...

This insightful book by a leading expert on the subject explores the ways in which luck-encouraging and misfortune-repelling rituals - long woven into the fabric of Japanese life--are used in tandem with diligence and a positive attitude to engender a healthy optimism that helps people survive all of life's many twists, turns and bad patches. It explores how customs and beliefs play a vital role in creating positive personal expectations - not only...