This book explores human-machine interaction in Japan, providing a new focus on how and in what form people build affective bonds to new technologies. It brings together perspectives from Japanese studies, cultural and literary studies, anthropology, robotics, philosophy, and game studies. ncludes two original literary contributions by award-winning Japanese authors, Yōko Tawada and Kei’ichirō Hirano, as well as interviews with Japanese roboticists, provid-ing readers with the rare opportunity to learn about the motivations and inspirations behind technological advances in human-machine interaction.