McCreery, an anthropologist living in Japan since 1980, considers the research of Japan's first think tank devoted to studying the changes in Japanese consumer behavior between the 1980s and 1990s. This is the author's attempt to allow readers to see Japan through the eyes of Japanese researchers attempting to discover patterns of behavior both Japanese and international in character. Researchers belong to HILL, the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, which publishes "guerilla ethnography" in a trendy journal called Lifestyle Times and in an academic journal, Lifestyle Annual . Underlying McCreery's translations of the research are anxiety-provoking questions like what is the meaning of a salaryman's life, how should men and women behave, what is happening to the family, how are people being manipulated, and where can people find relief? McCreery runs his own business and teaches "The Making and Meaning of Advertising" and "Marketing in Japan" at Sophia University in Tokyo. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less