Лучшие книги Мэтта Альта

Япония довольно продолжительный период оставалась одной из самых закрытых стран в мире, из-за чего ее культура шла по совершенно уникальному пути. Поэтому, когда во второй половине XX-го века Япония стала ближе для иностранцев, весь западный мир увидел, насколько привлекателен и самобытен местный колорит.

В этой книге автор разобрался в том, как японская популярная культура захватила весь мир, и почему интерес к ней только продолжает расти уже не первое десятилетие. Из "Чистого вымысла" вы узнаете историю главных японских брендов, которые управляют культурой развлечений, поймете, откуда прорастают корни загадочного японского менталитета и выясните, почему весь мир воспринимает Японию как страну будущего.

Автор этой книги, а также еще нескольких бестселлеров про жизнь в Японии, американец Мэтт Альт, живет и работает в Японии уже не первый год, и представляет западный взгляд на такую причудливую и манящую японскую культуру: от аниме, караоке и Sony до манги, тамагочи и Nintendo. А также объясняет, почему без Японии современная поп-культура существовала бы в совершенно ином виде.

Yokai Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's traditional monsters and creepy-crawlies.

Yokai are ethereal sorts of beings, like ghosts, nearly always encountered at night; everyone has their own take on how they might look in real life and what sorts of specific characteristics and abilities they might have. This book is the result of long hours spent poring over data and descriptions from a variety of sources, including microfilms of eighteenth-century illustrations from the National Diet Library in Tokyo, in order to bring you detailed information on almost 50 of these amazing creatures for the first time in English.

Illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential appearance of each yokai. Alongside each illustration is a series of "data points," with each yokai's significant features at a glance—especially handy for any potential close encounters.

Yokai Attack! will surely convince you that Japan's tradition of fascinating monsters is a long one—yet far from being history.
Together with Yurei Attack! and Ninja Attack!, Yokai Attack! is the last guidebook to Japan you'll ever need.

The Walkman. Karaoke. Pikachu. Pac-Man. Akira. Emoji. We've all fallen in love with one or another of Japan's pop-culture creations, from the techy to the wild to the super-kawaii. But as Japanese-media veteran Matt Alt proves in this brilliant investigation of Tokyo's pop-fantasy complex, we don't know the half of it. Japan's toys, gadgets, and fantasy worlds didn't merely entertain. They profoundly transformed the way we live. In the 1970s and '80s, Japan seemed to exist in some near future, soaring on the superior technology of Sony and Toyota while the West struggled to catch up. Then a catastrophic 1990 stock-market crash ushered in…

Yurei is the Japanese word for "ghost." It's as simple as that. They are the souls of dead people, unable--or unwilling--to shuffle off this mortal coil. Yurei are many things, but "friendly" isn't the first word that comes to mind. Not every yurei is dangerous, but they are all driven by emotions so uncontrollably powerful that they have taken on a life of their own: rage, sadness, devotion, a desire for revenge, or even the firm belief that they are still alive. This book, the third in the authors' bestselling "Attack!" series, after "Yokai Attack!" and "Ninja Attack!" gives detailed information on 39 of the creepiest yurei stalking Japan, along with detailed histories and defensive tactics should you have the misfortune to encounter one. Ghosts include: Oiwa, The Horror of Yotsuya Otsuyu, The Tale of the Peony Lantern The Lady Rokujo, The Tale of Genji Isora, Tales of Moonlight and Rain Orui, The Depths of Kasane

Ninja Attack! introduces dozens of unforgettable real-life ninja straight out of the annals of Japanese history—many of whom are all but unknown outside their home country. Ninja masters. Solo assassins and operatives. Femme fatales as deadly as they were sexy. Swordfighters out of legend. And the Shogun and warlords who commanded them. Each individual is profiled with a full-page manga-style drawing and a dossier brimming with top-secret information, including photos, anecdotes, and dramatic stories of the individuals in action.The book covers ninja clothing styles, the types of weapons that were used, ninja tools, ninja tricks of the trade, and the basics of the ninja diet. It also includes a do-it-yourself tour of ninja related spots in modern Tokyo.Ninja Attack! is everything you always wanted to know about ninja but were too afraid you'd get a shuriken in the eye to ask.

Shogun Warriors. Godaikin. Micronauts. They came in their legions, leaping straight from Japanese TV sets onto toy shelves. Shiny, outrageously colorful, sporting spring-powered missiles and "rocket punches"—they were unlike anything seen