An interdisciplinary collection of essays by Asian, American and European scholars, which takes up both the newer and traditional debates in cultural theory while relating the study of the popular to the rhetoric that specifically surrounds the issue of a Japanese national identity in the age of globalization. The volume explores a wide range of cultural practices - including popular literature, film, television, fashion, music and advertising - and the methods for analysing them. Contemporary Japan and Popular Culture is of interest to both teachers and students of modern Japan and cultural studies world-wide.