Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World

The untold story of how Japan became a cultural superpower through the fantastic inventions that captured—and transformed—the world’s imagination.

“A masterful book driven by deep research, new insights, and powerful storytelling.”—W. David Marx, author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style

Japan is the forge of the world’s fantasies: karaoke and the Walkman, manga and anime, Pac-Man and Pokémon, online imageboards and emojis. But as Japan media veteran Matt Alt proves in this brilliant...