Neighborhood Tokyo is now one of my favorite books. I've only taken one cultural anthropology class and the study of modern anthropology has always fascinated me, yet my knowledge of it is limited and I'm turned off by books written for fellow anthropologists. An author like Bestor is then exactly what I've been looking for. That's not to say he writes below his level of intelligence or simplifies his study. Bestor uses terminology not meant for the layman, and a basic knowledge of Japan itself is almost required to really understand the book.
But it's the way that Bestor writes that really makes Neighborhood Tokyo for everyone. I can guarantee you that not one page you will find dull or irrelevant to the topic. The best way to describe it is as a non-fiction book that follows the unspoken guidelines of successful fiction. He manages to develop Miyamoto-chan's residence like main characters in a novel, and even throws in foreshadowing and plot-twists where he can.
Bestor's main purpose is to give outsiders, layman and anthropologists both, a better idea of the life of urban Tokyo's populace, and to dispose of stereotypes associated with them. Having lived in the neighborhood of his study for three years, he is able to give us a far more personal look at an extremely complex society that no other study could have. It's impossible to even touch upon a single subject that he covers, for it would inevitably give a small impression of something that is connected with every other subject in the book.
If you can't guess, I'm having trouble even describing the book properly in a general sense.
All I can really say to get my point across is that you must read this book. There isn't anyone that I would not recommend this book to, and plenty to whom I would highly recommend it. If you are interested in history, World War II, anthropology, Japan, modern society, food, small business, traffic problems, the environment, the 80's, religion, politics, anime, or have a few days of free time and nothing else to do, this book is a requirement for you.
In fact, I'm expecting a book report about it on my desk by next Tuesday.
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