JapanNewbie

I’m reading it now, and things seem to jive so far…except the part where he says “The Chinese called them Jih-pen—the Place Where the Sun Rises. To the inhabitants of the islands that became Nippon, or Nihon.”

In Japanese history class I learned that it was actually a Japanese emperor who came up with that name, and it highly offended the Chinese emperor. The Chinese emperor considered Japan a colony or province at the time, while the Japanese emperor was doing his best to make Japan the greatest nation in the known world.

I don’t see a glossary in the book, so I’m not sure where he got his information. My Japanese history class was very critical of all of its sources, and sought to draw conclusions based on multiple points of view. It could be that this explains any discrepancies.

Still, it looks to be an interesting read.