
The World’s Quiet Classroom
Literacy rose to about 30%, perhaps the world's highest, and numeracy neared 100% in the 19th century, fueling a publishing boom.History of Japan — Edo’s “Closed Country,” Open Minds

Peace, Roads, and the Floating World
Temple schools spread as commerce grew; merchants funded ukiyo culture—ukiyo prints, kabuki, bunraku, and haiku.History of Japan — Edo’s “Closed Country,” Open Minds