First published in 1969, this textbook has served generations of students, and now, in its fifth edition, continues to hold pride of place as the best introduction to the field. Any teacher is justifiably suspicious of new editions, which often amount to small and superficial changes in content at a much higher price. However, this new edition offers a pleasant surprise. It contains substantial and timely updates making it the practical choice for classroom use. While its overall framework of “unity and diversity” remains the same, the book's individual sections have been carefully expanded and revised in light of the significant advances in the scholarship. For example, Chapter 20, “Religious Life in Contemporary Japan,” now includes an interesting discussion on how religion has been affected by Japan's increasingly social and cultural commercialization. The author has added material from the recent work by B. Ambros on the pet funeral and cemetery business to make his point (292–93)—something that will both attract students' attention and hopefully inspire them to find out more about the commodification of Buddhism and its changing role in the Japanese funeral industry. Reflecting recent debates, the author also wants readers to become aware of the theoretical issues over the appropriateness of using the category of religion and the dangers of essentialist models of Japaneseness that are often a source of misleading generalizations. As suggested by his new title, “Religion in Japan” (replacing the old title of “Japanese Religion”), the author seeks to avoid imputing any “monolithic tradition” at work behind Japan's religious diversity. Also important to note is that this book is a handy reference work in its own right; it includes a 37‐page annotated bibliography of current Western scholarship. As an erstwhile undergraduate who got his first exciting introduction to Zen, Shinto, and Japanese new religions through the first edition, I am now a teacher excited about using this newly revised classic in my own classes.
