The Floating World (ukiyo) is a Buddhist concept which denotes the dangers and cares of the present world, and its impermanence. From the mid seventeenth century the term came also to refer to the entertainments and pleasures of the Edo period, when moments of enjoyment were regarded as being equally doomed to vanish in the flow of time.

The world of amusements was closely connected to the emergence of the cities. A brief background sketch of the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo) and its growth is provided here, with a description of the specially demarcated pleasure quarters, with Yoshiwara in Edo being the most famous - or infamous. Here we encounter brothels and teahouses, as well as the theatres and bathhouses in the surrounding city, and we gain insight into the contemporary outlook on eroticism. Four separate chapters provide more detailed explorations of the popular literature of the time, the fêted kabuki theatre, the music and its performers, and the costumes and accessories that were in fashion. The book is richly illustrated with wooduts and photographs.

Ulla Wagner is Professor of Social Anthropology and was formaly Director of the Etnographic Museum in Stockholm.