ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book imparts enduring lessons that popular culture teaches about history, international relations, business, class, gender, sexuality, art, novelty, nostalgia, humanism, nationalism, multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism, urbanization, and notions of "home." It helps students become aware of how they themselves engage with Japanese popular culture in order that they may fully understand its globalization. The book is an answer to our students' complaint that much contemporary literature on Japanese popular culture articulates theories that do not match the trends as they experience them. It intends to make a wide and inclusive claim about what cultural forms are representative and worthy of academic attention, as the table of contents attests. The book is dedicated to students who have inspired by the author with their enthusiasm for and curiosity about Japanese popular culture.
