"An English authority's subtle and meticulous account of life in a small and newly prosperous Japanese village during the last twenty years. . . . The details are fascinating: from the history of toilets to the techniques of rice-planting and the rise of family discussions."—Todd Gitlin, The Nation

"When a master of a seemingly exotic discipline writes for the general public, writes lucidly with wit and grace, and in the process creates a work of value to his fellow experts, it is cause for celebration. Shinohata, an intimate account of a Japanese hamlet, is just such an accomplishment. The sweep of modern Japanese social history—particularly the spectacular changes that have occurred since World War II, occupation, and the achievement of industrial parity—is meshed with marvelously revealing portraits of how the hamlet is structured, how it works, and what it means to live in this most elemental and formative of all Japanese social entities."—Thomas Rohlen, New York Times Book Review

"An affectionately ironic portrait. . . . The subtle shifts in the relation of family members, of superiors and inferiors, of men and nature, are here captured with wisdom and gracefulness of language. . . . The most penetrating look at a Japanese village ever done in English."—Asia Magazine