Demetra Dement

In one of my cultural-insight books on Mexico *Why Mexicans Think & Behave the Way They Do*] I quote a well-known saying, *Como Mexico no hay dos * There is no other country like Mexico ]. This saying is even truer in the case of Japan because Japanese history is much longer; its culture is far more distinctive, and the exotic and erotic aspects of Japan are far more fundamental. The* ori*ginal core values and behavior of the Japanese emanated from Shintō precepts, their native religion, which was based on the imperatives of nature, including the importance and role of the sensual and the sexual. Buddhism, the Samurai Code and Confucianism were later added to this mix, resulting in a lifestyle that, despite some very harsh elements, allowed the Japanese to pursue sensual, emotional, intellectual and spiritual pleasures to a degree well beyond what existed in most other countries. Fundamental changes have occurred in Japan since the fall of the Shogunate in 1867, but the Japanese-and both foreign residents and visitors-can still indulge in a variety of activities that are unique to Japan. This book highlights cultural, historical and present-day aspects of Japan that provide a lifestyle that is both fascinating and seductive to foreigners, especially Westerners.