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Cultural and economic changes in the Edo period
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Modern Life Of Shidano Worldsen Analysis
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Recommended: Cultural and economic changes in the Edo period
In the travel fiction The Modern Life of Shidōken by Hiraga Gennai, the concept of "Foreignness" was shown in the form of the exotic lands and unknown human beings to make a contrast to criticize the Japanese society during the Edo Period. Particularly, in the 3rd chapter "Land of the Giants", the author satirized on the ways Japanese dealt with the foreigners by describing Asanoshin's travel experience in the Giants country.
First of all, the ways in which the "foreigners" greet Asanoshin indicate that the Giants seemed to have some knowledge of where Asanoshin was from. When the giants saw Asanoshin, they did not appear to be fear and suspicious; instead, after Asanoshin declared to the Giants that he came from Japan, they showed great interest
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