In the 120 years since Lafcadio Hearn first arrived on these shores, Japan has traded superstition for Super Mario. Were Hearn to disembark in Yokohama today and travel through the country, would he be able to compile contemporary “Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan” or “Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things?”
Through films, television, manga, and technology, Japan is as familiar as Hello Kitty, Haruki Murakami, Takeshi Kitano, Wagamama, and Yo! Sushi. Gone are the “Shadowings,” replaced by the neon brightness of Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Susukino.
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