3. Donald Keene, The Japanese Discovery of Europe, 1720-1830 rev. ed. (Stanford: Stanford Up, 1969)

Donald Keene gives a comprehensive understanding of Japanese culture during the late eighteenth century when the west and east began to meet and influence each other. Even though Japan has only been in the forefront of the western mind for the past century, Japan has bee "discovering" the west for some time. By focusing on prominent Japanese minds of the time Keene explores the perception of the west way before Commander Perry arrived ( the one who is believed to have initiated the discovering process). Honda Toshiaki (1744-1821) is the central figure of this book. The appendix contains excerpts of his writing. Keene explores the political, social, and artistic influence that the Rangaku provided.

"The Japanese Discovery of Europe" is a very good resource for anyone interested in this topic. It is a historical document focusing on issues sensitive to the Japanese. I believe it is rather substantial and gives a pretty fair account of the time. By focusing on Toshiaki things might be a little jaded but Keene attempts to balance that out.

Jan Greenfield