Japan is a contradictory country that simultaneously astonishes, delights, and frustrates travelers. The tales in this book reveal the alluring, enigmatic land beneath the surface -- a place of tranquil temples and traitorous high-tech toilets, exquisite ancient inns and lurid love hotels, a country where electric baths sit beside indoor ski slopes and cherry blossoms fall on kindly grandmothers, cynical salarymen, wise monks, and wild lovers alike. From flower arranging to garbage scavenging, public grieving to private laughing, these stories illuminate the old and ever-changing heart and soul of Japan.

Notable authors include: Pico Iyer, Donald Richie, Alan Booth, Dave Barry, Cathy N. Davidson, Alex Kerr, T. R. Reid, David Mura, and Leila Philip.