Prologue
Japan clings to a reputation for high-speed trains, robots, and futuristic cities, but that’s not quite the impression you get walking past one of Japan’s many DVD stores or watching someone at the office fiddling with the fax machine.
The pace of technological change in Japan can be slow but when it does occur, it tends to be premeditated and meticulously choreographed. There are several examples in Japan’s rich history, but nothing compares with the country’s swift transition to an industrialized powerhouse.
You may have thought the fax machine was overstaying its utility by several decades, but only 160 years ago, Japan was governed by a feudal system left over from medieval times. The drawing of the curtain on Japan’s feudal ...
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