Sorry for the misunderstanding. I knew you were joking in your comments... As fo the book, I meant that I recommend it to everybody, Europeans included, not just you Nangi-san.

Nonetheless, I'd be happy if Japanese (and Americans) had a kind of world history, geography and culture class at school. You seem to know quite a lot about history, religion, etc., but most Japanese know very little outside Japan, even those having lived abroad, to my disappointment. How comes that among dozens of Japanese I know have lived in Europe (usually in the UK or France) for 1 year or more still don't know basic historico-cultural things, such as distiguishing ethinco-linguistic groups (Latin, Germanic, Celtic, Slavic...), knowing the difference between Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox, and knowing that most people nowadays are either agnostic, deist or atheist, having a bit of knowledge about Ancient Greece and Rome, knowing a few fundemental dates (in Britain : 1066, William the conqueror's Normand invasion, 1815 : Waterloo, etc.). These are as basic as knowing the name and dates of Japanese eras, knowing the difference between Shinto and Buddhism or that Ainu once inhabited the North of Japan. Most Westerners in Japan know about these things because they want to know about the country they live or travel in (and it's written in every guidebook too), even if it's just for 1 month. How comes that Japanese who study so hard, go to juku till late at night, to yobiko, all learn English several years, and travel so much, have such false stereotypes about the rest of the world ?

I included the learning of English in the list, because I find it to be normal to learn the history and culture that go with the language one learn. That is how I've been taught languages at school and in countries where I've lived (also in my Japanese school in Tokyo). I've since quite a few English textbooks used in Japanese schools, and there is almost nothing cultural about them. So children grow up thinking that America, Europe and Australia are more or less the same country, with white people that all speak English and behave the same way.