During the Meiji era (1868–1912), Japan made such a rapid breakthrough in all areas of life, which, perhaps, no other civilization knows. From a country completely closed to foreigners, living according to the strictly observed laws of medieval society, it has turned into a democratic, highly developed state, greedily absorbing all the achievements of the modern world. How this unprecedented revolution was carried out, how Japan lived and lives, and what features of the daily life of the Japanese developed during this historically important period is described in the book of the famous French orientalist historian. Among other things, some features of life in Japan during the Meiji era vividly resemble our present day, and this makes the book especially interesting for the Russian reader.