1. The numerical paradox -- 2. Numbers in the written and spoken language -- 3. Alternative number systems -- 4. The culture of numbers -- 5. What's in a Japanese name? -- 6. Fortune-telling -- 7. Time -- 8. The spatial world of numbers -- 9. The Japanese abacus -- 10. Games : ancient and modern -- 11. The ecology of numbers : past and present
Summary
An almost obsessional use of numbers characterizes Japanese popular culture. A wide variety of numerical formulae and strategies provide the means for explaining events and solving problems occurring in everyday life. These include such matters as the choice of the name for a child, ranking in almost any game or sport, the diagnosis and cure of illness or the decision to accept a new job. This text provides a general study of the field of Japanese popular numeracy. It introduces the reader to a world of numbers in which fortune-telling, the abacus and games involving numbers, as well as cur
Analysis
Numbers Sociology
Japan
Numbers Sociology
Japan
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 196-201) and index