As these essays show, Japanese culture flourished in the Asuka and Nara periods (550–794). Asuka-era architectural styles impress even today. In that period, the Japanese brought stringed instruments back from China. Around the same time, the Japanese began producing copious inksticks, leading to calligraphy, ink drawing, and ink painting (and soon to dyeing clothes). Simultaneously, the literary world made great gains; the first nonfiction (two history chronicles) and a poetry anthology came out—all still significant works. The earliest Japanese gardens also emerged in the late Nara period.

Eighth-century Japanese governments exercised astounding power. The authorities established colors that each rank of bureaucrats could wear and permitted only the highest-ranking ones to dress in dark purple (紫). The imperial court cultivated (墾) certain fields using public labor, permitting regular people to hold private land permanently only in 743. A rigorous legal and political framework known as the ritsuryo system forced people to do 10 days of unpaid labor if they couldn't pay taxes. And the Dazaifu, an agency governing all of Kyushu, wielded such might that it had its own diplomatic relations with China.

Thank archaeologists for demystifying the Jomon and Yayoi eras (c. 14,000 BCE–300 CE). By examining shell mounds—glorified trash heaps—these scholars have determined what ancient people ate, owned, and valued. Bones from a Tokyo shell mound revealed that Jomon cannibalism existed. Moreover, archaeologists have found a crucial Jomon food source (Castanopsis nuts), unearthed bronze Yayoi-era vessels and Yayoi-era defensive structures, and uncovered about 15,000 goggle-eyed figurines (c. 3000 BCE–400 CE). Many look pregnant, so people likely associated them with fertility, also possibly believing that one could transfer illnesses into them and out of humans.

Researchers studying ancient Japan have little material—mainly ruins of buildings, earthenware, and iron tools. Nevertheless, as these essays show, scholars understand much about what drove the Jomon and Yayoi (ethnic groups who fought and killed each other). For instance, people hungered for metal to craft weapons, vessels, coins, and needles (to make clothes), and this quest sparked battles. Still, many aspects of the Jomon and Yayoi eras (c. 14,000 BCE–300 CE) remain contested; experts disagree about the origins of the Yayoi people and of wet rice cultivation in Japan, as well as the existence of Stonehenge-like Jomon-era monuments.

The collection reveals copious ways in which the Japanese try to usher in luck, wealth, and good harvests. They offer sacred mochi to the gods. Flattening it brings longevity, eating it on a kid's first birthday helps the child grow, and coloring mochi red repels evil. People rely on fortune telling, using everything from palms, blood types, and facial features to birth dates, dreams, and even the shape of lingering snow. Folks treat certain birthdays as auspicious, thanks to visual wordplay with kanji. Finally, because turtles symbolize luck and longevity, people use 亀 (turtle) in shop names.

These essays show how the Japanese spot omens in small details. If a sandal thong breaks, that portends doom, such as death or an accident. When a product logo slopes to the right, the item alarmingly symbolizes economic decline. To stave off misfortune, people take measures: After lightning strikes, they chant to ward off bad luck. When a party must end, a host announces this euphemistically, avoiding words that suggest separation or divorce. People associate the 水 of 水曜日 (Wednesday) with a term for "to be canceled," so realtors typically take Wednesdays off to avoid having contracts canceled.

As this bundle shows, ingrained religious and spiritual beliefs drive Japanese superstitions. Prohibitions around chopstick usage govern table manners (e.g., believing that crossing chopsticks symbolizes death). Gods and people are thought to eat together, and the ends of chopsticks are associated with the divine. Thunder might be a divine scolding, and lightning prompts people to use protective amulets. After nightmares, repeating an incantation supposedly makes a supernatural being eat the dream so it won't come true. Women refrain from visiting a certain Japanese island; not only is the land sacred but the ground itself is a Shinto god.

These essays show how Japan excels in hospitality. From swanky accommodations for VIPs to banquets and wedding receptions, Japanese hosts make everyone feel like guests of honor. You'll learn about traditional restaurants that resemble large, understated houses and that are so expensive that some Japanese people may never dine in one. You'll find out about banquets, where each course comes on its own tray and where the contents, layout, sequence, and placement of each tray on the table are predetermined. And you'll discover the formality and elegance of dining on trays, which is unthinkable in the West.

When it comes to equipment for everyday dining in Japan, there are abundant choices. From saucers to soup bowls to share plates, dish designs vary. Dining tables can be so low that people must sit on cushions or tatami mats. Trays for presenting goodies vary depending on whether they're for cakes, other sweets, or tea. And chopstick styles differ according to whether they're for cooking or for a man, woman, or child. Chopstick etiquette is paramount, and the staggering number of chopstick no-nos drives home the concept of copious possibilities, so many of them wrong!

These essays teach vocabulary for home furnishings (futons, beds, tables, desks, chairs, and shelves) and flooring. Two essays explore the alcove known as a tokonoma. You'll also learn the figurative meanings of "putting away bedding" and "flipping over a table." Beyond that, you'll discover terms for "clinical," "power struggle," "barbershop," "putting plans on ice," "position of authority in a government or company," and "hotbed of crimes," even delving into matters of floor area, dentures, air circulation, windfalls, faultfinding, Bon offerings to ancestors, trellises, hospital size, theater stages, a Guinness world record, round-table conferences, and dining platforms across rivers.

With these four kanji, you can lose yourself: You can put your heart and soul into pursuing a goal. You can become so passionate that you're obsessed. You can become intoxicated by an onsen or fascinated by music—even drunk on your own charms. You can admire a teacher so much that you're hopelessly devoted. Is all of this positive or negative? On the plus side, a fanatical mindset enables you to create elaborate things, feel deeply, commit fully, and master skills. On the minus side, you will likely annoy others as you slide into monomania and perfectionism!