Book reviews and reading

-The Wishes of the Japanese as Seen Through Unusual Festivals-Key Points: People's wishes are always the same: Abundant harvests, family safety, and prosperity of descendants.

-A must-read for creators- Key points: Study products from three generations ago; Study art history, technology history, and intellectual history; Practice design for 10 minutes every day.

Key points: The importance of keeping things secret; Do what needs to be done without becoming complacent.

Key points: The afterlife is also difficult; a scripture that influenced Freud and Jung; a sacred text for hippies who had near-death experiences.

-Would you go into a restaurant just to watch other people eat? -Points: Criticize, but offer suggestions; Take ownership of your own life.

Key points: Humans see what they want to see; Humans simplify their understanding; Public opinion is not always true.

Key points: • First, it's important to question things. • Think through your doubts thoroughly. • Write down the truth once you've discovered it.

Key points: Live your life to the fullest; accept yourself as you are.

Cultural studies is a field of study that focuses on the study of culture in general. It involves analyzing cultural situations from a wide range of disciplines, including political economy, sociology, literary theory, media studies, film studies, cultural anthropology, philosophy, and art history. It is also known as cultural research or cultural studies.

-Changes in the status of women and artisans in the Middle Ages-Key points: Differences between people can lead to respect, but also discrimination; The position of free women in the Middle Ages; How encounters with the West changed Japanese values