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The book "How Goethe Became Japanese" by Stefan Keppler-Tasaki examines the cultural appropriation of Goethe in Japan. The study shows that Goethe plays a significant role in Japan's cultural self-understanding. The book covers various topics such as the reception of Goethe in Japanese German studies, his influences on the discourse of suicide and popular culture, as well as his connection to Buddhism. Other German-speaking authors such as Gottfried Benn and Thomas Mann are also discussed. The book provides insight into German-Japanese relations and the reception of Goethe in Japan. [Extracted from the article]

This paper shows that some Japanese non-fiction writers are using various structural characteristics of spoken discourse in their writing. Their written discourse includes non-canonical word order and long sentences that are produced by combining a series of clauses. Their sentences may lack case or topic marking particles, but they may contain clause-final particles. Their discourse looks like it may have gone through a dynamic, on-going formation process because it includes reformulation and changes in the structure in midstream. It is proposed that writers who adopt such an. approach are deliberately blurring the boundary between speech and writing for multiple reasons. They may be exhibiting their creativity and innovation as well as their anti-establishment ideology. Vernacular style writing may also be an attempt to engage, involve, and connect with their readers. Further, they may be reflecting as well as expressing contemporary society in which orality is viewed favorably and as a result, writing in general has become increasingly more casual than before. The phenomenon discussed in this paper may be viewed as a reflection of erosions and shifting of traditional genres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews Nelly Naumann's writings in the field of Japanese religion and myth studies. The article gives an outline about Naumann's personal background and relates how her background laid a strong foundation for her works. The article also discusses about the various works of Nelly Naumann in the field of Japanese religious studies.