Roots of Japan. From Tanuki to Kabuki

Alexander Raevsky - historian of Japan, candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor at Tohoku University (Japan). He graduated from the Institute of Asian and African Studies of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, defended his candidate's dissertation on the... religious sect "Aum Shinrikyo". In 2019, he moved to Japan, where he still lives and works.

You are holding the second part of the book "I Understood Japan", continuing the story of the mysterious island country that has conquered the whole world with its amazing culture. As in the first book, only the most important and interesting information from a vast array of scientific knowledge about Japan has been selected, and academic knowledge is presented in a lively and accessible language to make acquaintance with this country as engaging as possible and help the reader understand and love it.
This book is for those who have already delved a little into the history and customs of Japan but would like to learn more about the hidden roots of this amazing culture, which have made it what we know and love today. This time, the focus will be on the religion and art of Japan. These topics are not easy to discuss, but without them, it is impossible to fully understand this country. 
Within the pages of this book, you can expect:
• ancient gods, myths about the origin of Japan, and strange religious rituals;
• werewolves, ghosts, malevolent spirits, and dark forces - what the Japanese have been scaring themselves with since time immemorial and up to the present day;
• the main aesthetic principles of Japanese art - what is beautiful to the Japanese and why;
• poetic tournaments of aristocrats and theatrical performances of mountain hermits.

Get ready: the journey to the roots of Japan can be much more exciting than you expected!