Although Kanji is widely recognized as the most difficult hurdle to overcome in learning Japanese, little research has been undertaken on the selection and order in which Kanji are taught to Japanese students from non-Kanji backgrounds. In this study, the criteria for different orders of kanji are analyzed in respect with their pedagogical merits in teaching Kanji to students of Japanese from non-Kanji backgrounds. The principal objective of this study is to redress the lack of research in this area and the lack of uniformity in Kanji education. Overall, the orders Kanji are taught seems to be mostly arbitrary and is not considered to be of any great importance in aiding students attain Kanji proficiency. This paper examines the difficulty of Kanji for non-Kanji background learners and finds that Kanji order is indeed a vital consideration in developing more efficient Kanji teaching and learning strategies for students from non-Kanji backgrounds.

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It has been suggested that the modern Japanese garden contains a wide variety of garden types. While some scholars have acknowledged the diversity of modern Japanese gardens, recent developments in Japanese stone gardens, known as karesansui, have gone largely unnoticed. Preconceived notions of karesansui do not encapsulate the true diversity which exists today. Moreover, the general public has tended to exoticize karesansui. Scholarly work on karesansui has, however, dispelled many of the myths and misrepresentations related to these gardens. In this chapter, the author will extend previous research and shed light on recent developments in karesansui and the myths that surround them. This chapter will examine karesansui from several perspectives: diversity, sustainability, and finally, from the perspective of consumerism.