The aftermath of an economic miracle: An ethnography of the Japanese recession

During a decade of recession, many changes have been taking place in Japanese society. How have people's everyday lives, ways of thinking, and values been affected by the end of the postwar economic growth that culminated in the "bubble economy" of the 1980s? This research places some aspects of recession-era Japan in the contexts of economic globalization and of ongoing questioning of Westernization, modernization and continual economic growth. As some of the systems and structures of the postwar high economic growth era shift towards what are identified as more American or "global" models, there are related changes throughout society. At the same time as creating possibilities for progressive change, this shift may also facilitate movement towards a society of individuals who fit more easily into a globalized economy and culture. The narratives of urban, middle-class Japanese people are a starting point for exploring these issues.