some 3,000 to 5,000 kanji are in general use, after World War II the number of characters necessary for a basic vocabulary was reduced to about 2,000, and the writing of these characters was simplified. Tens of thousands of Western loanwords, principally from English, also have been adopted. It is common for Western observers of contemporary Japan to emphasize its great economic achievement without equal regard to cultural attributes. Yet Japanese cultural distinctiveness and the manner in which it developed are instructive in understanding how it is that Japan came to be the first non-Western country to attain great-power status. The Japanese long have been intensely aware of and have responded with great curiosity to powerful outside influences, first from the Asian mainland (notably China) and more
THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Chureito Pagoda, Fujiyoshida-shi; Hiroshima; Wandering through the small back alleys of Sangenjaya, Tokyo, around midnight.
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EC Magazines | Summer Edition 2022
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