The Rules of Play: National Identity and the Shaping of... - Leheny, David

The Rules of PlayNational Identity and the Shaping of Japanese Leisure\nAuthor(s): David Leheny\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cornell University Press, United States\nImprint: Cornell University Press\nISBN-13: 9780801440915, 978-0801440915\nSynopsis\nThe Japanese government seeks to influence the use of leisure time to a degree that Americans or Europeans would likely find puzzling. Through tourism-promotion initiatives, financing for resort development, and systematic research on recreational practices, the government takes a relentless interest in its citizens' \""free time.\"" David Leheny argues that material interests are not a sufficient explanation for such a large and consistent commitment of resources. In The Rules of Play, he reveals the link between Japan's leisure politics and its long-term struggle over national identity.\n\n Since the Meiji Restoration, successive Japanese governments have stressed the nation's need to act like a \""real\"" (that is, a Western) advanced in.