This approachable and absorbing book offers a unique window into Japanese culture and language. Highlighting the overlooked world of the "silent majority," the housewives and mothers who are the mainstay of Japanese society, this work tells the stories of ordinary women in their own voices. An annotated translation of a Japanese bestseller, the volume explores the daily communication of Japanese women and what their words tell us about their relationships and lives in a globalized, post-industrial, yet still often male-dominated Japan. Readers will find that many issues explored here are universal to women everywhere, while others are specific to Japan. With added cultural context and commentary, the book offers a fresh understanding of Japanese society, even for those who have had little exposure to Japan. Students in diverse fields, ranging from anthropology to women's studies and from communications to Asian studies, will find this an insightful and provocative work.

"This book is a welcome addition to the growing collection of studies of Japanese women. By relying on detailed presentations of real women in their everyday context introduced in real-life situations, Itoh challenges readers never to generalize about any typical individual fulfilling a social role. . . . Recommended." - CHOICE