The Land of Happiness
How the Japanese Department Store Visualized Modern Life
$125.61
- Hardcover
256 pages
- Release Date
8 September 2026
Summary
A fascinating look at how Japanese department stores of the twentieth century influenced modern life, identity, and the concept of a dreamworld—and why they continue to loom so large in our imagination.
The Land of Happiness explores the far-reaching influence of the Japanese department store on modern life and our imaginations. In this gorgeously illustrated volume, Nozomi Naoi explains how Japanese department stores modeled “the new modern Japanese life and identity” throug…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780262054423 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0262054426 |
| Author: | Nozomi Naoi |
| Publisher: | MIT Press Ltd |
| Imprint: | MIT Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 256 |
| Release Date: | 8 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 567g |
| Dimensions: | 191mm x 254mm |
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Critics Review
ENDORSEMENTS
“Naoi delivers a new understanding of Japanese modernity through a vital reading of one of the country’s most fascinating time periods: the dawn of graphic design and commercial art that has remained influential to this day.”
— Frank Feltens, Curator and author of Ogata Kōrin: Art in Early Modern Japan
“Grounded in a close reading of commercial design, Naoi deftly articulates how the aspirational fantasy of the department store shaped the reality of domestic and artistic life for generations.”
—Kit Brooks, Curator of Asian Art, Princeton University Art Museum; author of Ay-Ō’s Happy Rainbow Hell
“Naoi carefully details how the visual media and immersive experiences that designers and entrepreneurs created for Japanese department stores produced ‘dreamworlds,’ offering both real and imagined luxury, leisure, and identity.”
—Sarah Teasley, Professor, RMIT University; author of Designing Modern Japan
Nozomi Naoi
Nozomi Naoi is Associate Professor of Art History in the Department of Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore. Her first book Yumeji Modern received Honorable Mention for the John Whitney Hall Prize. She also co-curated the exhibition “Made in Japan: Twentieth-Century Poster Art” at the Poster House Museum in New York in 2023.
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