1 comments about National Geographic Traveler: India (National Geographic Traveler).

1. National Geographic Traveler: India is a beautiful book, useful for exploring sites and historical background but terribly outdated in practical information about prices for hotel rooms and such because of the incredible recent growth and inflation in India and the shortage of accommodations there.

1 comments about To Venture Further.

1. Those who seek adventure that exists outside fiction will revel in the exploits in this book! Out of print for a number of years, the book resurfaces from obscurity in all its glory! Tristan Jones was not just an amazing adventurer, he was also a born philosopher. The book bulges with example after example of Jones' dedication to the concept that launched this remarkable real-life voyage. Sadly, Tristan Jones has left us, but this book (and all his others) survive him as a testament to the amazing life of this larger-that-life man. Jones did not sugar-coat the trials and tribulations of his and his companions' unbelievable achievement. He was not afraid to reveal the ebb and flow of his emotions during this journey; he openly reveals the doldrums of despair during dark moments when he feared his mission would fail, as well as the heights of his pure joy as the obstacles were overcome. In a world where many of our adventures are built in the realm of fiction, this one stands out as a shining example of the adventures that can happen in the world around us, if we are dedicated to the goals we seek! Whether you are a fan of nautical adventure or not, this book is one you may find will reawaken your belief in the potential of the human race! Buy a copy to wear out, and then buy a dozen to give away!

No comments about Prita Goes to India (Children Return to their Roots).

No comments about Visions of Myanmar.

5 comments about Breaking Open Japan: Commodore Perry, Lord Abe, and American Imperialism in 1853.

1. This challenging and deeply researched book on Perry's "opening up" of Japan
   has the most painful relevance possible to our current government's colossal
   misadventure in allegedly trying to bring "Freedom and Democracy" to a land
   of darker-skinned people about whose history we are -- not willfully mis-
   informed, which would be bad enough, but wildly, tragically ignorant. And
   what kind of reverberations can we expect, decades and even a century down
   the road of history? What Pearl Harbors, what Okinawas, what Hiroshimas are
   there to come?



2. This marvelous book is a model study of the unintended consequences of American self-righteousness and imperial arrogance -- with eerie echoes today in the Bush/Cheney invasion of Iraq. It is a work of superb scholarship, and in spots it requires keen concentration, but the total effect is most rewarding, and the concluding sections -- with their lessons for the present and,one hopes,for the future -- are brilliant.
   
   Amidst the present disasters of our militarized foreign policy, Mr Feifer's observation (in Chapter 17) that American "fervor and ignorance, especially of other cultures, sometimes caused grave damage" rings with bitter irony today in Iraq. "The Japan that [Commodore Perry] left was boiling in despairing confusion ... bloody plots and counterplots ... full of episodes that seem not to belong to waking life, but have ... the unearthly logic of events in a dream."
   
   And yet, even in his harsh conclusions, Mr Feifer is scholarly, moderate, nuanced, and scrupulous, never overstating his case as the ironies for today abound. This is an incisive and most admirable book.



3. On one level this remarkable book will provide invaluable background for anyone interested in understanding why Japan's love-hate relationship with the United States continues to this day. It should also serve to underline the dangers of imposing one nation's views on another.
   But the book will also appeal to readers simply interested in a rich historical tour of Japan at the dawn of its modern era. The skillful weaving of the descriptions of the personalities, prejudices and political backgrounds of Commodore Perry and his Japanese counterpart Lord Abe brings to life and keeps in focus a story that might otherwise have drifted into an academic dissertation.
   Breaking Open Japan will now be added to my list of must-reads for friends and acquaintances interested in peeling away the layers of a society that remains the most complex and conflicted of the modern era.



4. If you think you knew and understood American history this brilliant book will make you think again.The author sets out to show that America arrogantly decided to force Japan to open its doors to foreigners and trade, a decision that turned out to be the first step along the path that was to lead to Pearl Harbor. He succeeds admirably. This is readable, controversial history with a lesson for what is going on in Iraq today. A must book for serious thinkers.



5. 
   This is a fascinating story and the author presents substantive research. There is some good prose in parts, such as the character development of Commodore Perry and descriptions of Okinawa, but on the whole it is not a smooth read. The 4 stars I'm giving it are for its importance as a contribution to our understanding of this period, the author's discussion on the impact of the attitude with which Perry's mission was accomplished, and the research that has been brought together.
   
   Had there not been such good material and insight, the text was so choppy that I would have not finished the book. The dangling ideas, that is, concepts introduced but not previously explained or later followed up on, were frustrating. Then there are a lot of tortured sentences and then some grammar that had to be ignored to get the meaning.
   
   One example of a dangling idea was the paragraph that ended by saying that Abe Mashihiro had won an important victory in the appointment of his recommended defense advisor followed by a paragraph saying that the appointee was "his (Abe's) the most vocal critic." What did I miss? By this time in the book, I no longer flipped back. The concept of a victory for Abe getting a critic an influential position isn't ever clear. It could be that the author meant it in the wider context that through this appointment there was no war, but that isn't clear either.
   
   An example of the tortured prose, on p. 190 regarding Perry's son in law and grandson:
   
   "New York's high society made him "King of Fifth Avenue". (New York Belmont Race Track and the Belmont Stakes are named after him, while in Newport, Rhode Island one of the sumptuous "cottages" was built by Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, the son of "King" and Perry's daughter, together with Alva Vanderbilt previously married to William K. Vanderbilt)".
   
   A grammar example (while you know it's Abe, there are two antecedents for him, not one) is on p. 243 "More than ever, Abe and the roju made the important decisions; with the senior counselors increasinly deferring to him about those concerning Perry..."
   
   While the text was a real drawback (for me), there is a lot of food for thought in the analysis of what it Perry's actions meant for US-Japanese relations for the next 100 years, the unequal treaties, the symbolism of the USS Missouri receiving the Japanese surrender in Uraga Bay and the comparison of China's attitude and policies toward western trade and intervention.
   
   For general readers interested in the seclusion period I recommend Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan and Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald Macdonald and the Opening of Japan.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Tokyo (Condensed Edition).

1. Lonely Planet Tokyo (Condensed Edition), 2002. This condensed guide is a very convenient guide book: it fits into a back pocket nicely, and the covers (including fold-out maps) are very durable as they have a waterproof coating. I have carried this map around during two Tokyo visits, and it has held up nicely (including during rain). The subway and train map is very current, but it does not cover much outside the JR Yamanote line circle, and the writing is pretty small print (but you can supplement it by picking up a free subway map at a subway station). The reviews are very good, but at least one restaurant seems to be out of business less than 6 months after the printing. The addresses are accurate, and usually a subway exit is specified; however, it can still be a challenge to find places in Tokyo, but this book gives you a very good start. I also like the color photos throughout the book. Overall this is a very good, condensed guide to Tokyo, great for carrying around town while a more detailed guide can be left in the hotel room if desired.



2. I bought the condensed guide because it was small, fit easily in my bag, and seemed to have enough information to keep me going for a short trip to Tokyo. Once I got there, I discovered good and bad about this book.

   Good:
   - Excellent overview of the city, the major sites, and good itineraries for short stays.
   - Helpful maps of the city and subway systems.
   - Great cross-referencing between the maps and the guide.

   Bad:
   - Restaurant listings in the book were all in English with no Japanese spelling for the names. At least in the neighborhoods we were visiting, there were no romanized signs for the restaurants, so we were completely incapable of finding any of the restaurants listed in the book. Although we cannot read Japanese, we are capable of doing symbol comparison, that would have been very handy. We ended up buying a second guide to help us find restaurants.
   - No maps of the JR lines in Tokyo. We ended up picking one up at the train station.




3. I've read different guides on Japan and Tokyo, do to several trips I made over the years. Even trough there are some Lonely Planets I found really great - especially the earlier ones on China and Southeast Asia - this one seems to have copied a lot from other guide books. I tried hard but didn't find much new and unique information. And there are no walking tours, so you have to do homework before you start exploring. In my view, there are some much better guides



4. We went to Japan for vacation in October 2003 and LP Tokyo was all we took with us. For the past 7 years I purchased at least 7 Lonely Planet books and they all served me well when visiting interesting parts of the world. Even though I studied 2 years of Japanese in college (ie, I can convert the book's English letters into Japanese characters when looking for places) and this was my third visit (ie, already know what to expect), I still find it confusing in Tokyo since it lacked useful information, and the only thing I used is probably the subway map. Two things that bothered me the most:

   1) lack of truly useful phrases in the back section. Ok I know there's actually a Japanese phrase book sold separately, but how could this book has Japanese translation for I'm "Epileptic", but does not have a useful phrase like "please (do/don't) wrap this for me", which is a whole lot useful as Japanese merchants tend to wrap your purchases with beautiful paper, many times they asked me whether I'd like to have it wrapped, thankfully I remembered my textbook days.
   2) it is obvious to me that the writers didn't go to all the good restaurants. Maybe this happens to all restaurants (ie, as soon as a travel book mention a restaurant as a good one, everyone would try it out and therefore the restaurant achieves complacency. I tried restaurants listed in the book that actually turned out to be mediocre. And we stopped by some restaurants in alleys that's cheap and tasty. I know it's impossible to hit all restaurants, but how could the writer say that Nikko is a "gourmet blackhole"? Has he/she even walked down the main street to try out the few restaurants that were there? We shyed away from touristy restaurants near the train/bus station in Nikko and walked further up the mainstreet, and we were rewarded with the most memorable dining of our trip, and great food at a meager price. The restaurant owner's family offered us fresh persimmons that were in season to take home, corrected my Japanese grammar(sounds critical but it was actually funny the way they did it), showed us the correct way of eating the food we ordered, and chatted with us about our trip. All I could say is that we were lucky to bump into that place, and anyone could easily do that since it's right on the main street.

   Enough about the negative side. I would still buy another Lonely Planet just because I had been a loyal reader and the series had given me countless great memories exotic places even the locals rarely visit. But I just can't give LP credit for its Tokyo book this time(I bought a LP Japan book in 2001 and it was also mediocre). It still has useful information for first time visitors such as the culture, food, getting around by train, and the fact it warns you to avoid Tokyo tower, etc. But when it comes to dining, forget about scrutnizing a street map to find the restaurant addrss listed in the book, you're no further than 100 meters from the nearest restaurant if you're in Tokyo. Usually those restaurants in alleys away from mainstreet (and tourist areas).




5. It appears as though the author must not have liked Tokyo very much, or else he/she had simply gone through the place in less than three days. I had just returned from Tokyo, and throughout my journey I had found the book immensely informative... NOT. In fact, it was downright frustrating to use, given the amazing number of unhelpful maps, half-useful directions and descriptions of places that seemed half-hearted and downright incomplete.
   For instance, it mentioned takashimaya square as a place to visit. Happily, I noted the place in my itinerary but did not bother to check for directions first. Imagine my horror when I got to shinjuku station and could derive no clear directions as to how to approach it, from the book. Takashimaya was not even shown on the shinjuku map in the book!
   Another grouse I have is the lack of information and places of interest regarding anime. Japan being the land of orgination of anime, I would have expected a bit more write-up on it, not the measly single paragraph that does not do justice to its significance. People who are interested might take note of the Studio Ghibli Museum located in Mitaka - tickets can be purchased from any Lawson convenience store; to reach there, take JR or the subway to Mitaka station, there'll be a bus that caters to the museum visitors there.
   All in all, this book is less than useful and I found its lack in most instances to be completely unforgivable. People who are used to blindly purchase from the series based on the strength of its brand name, as I did, please beware!

No comments about In the Kitchens of Castile (Pallas Guides).

No comments about Look into Tokyo (Japan in Your Pocket Series, Vol 7).

1 comments about The Man Who Died Twice: The Life and Adventures of Morrison of Peking.

1. Who is this guy? Why is he important? George Ernest Morrison is best known as the Peking correspondent for the Times of London during the fast changing early years of the 20th Century.
   
   From an historical perspective, perhaps the most useful part of this book is the section that describes the relationship between Morrison and Yuan Shikai after Morrison became a consultant to the Chinese government, which basically made him a special assistant to Yuan.
   
   But the writers of this book are not historians. History is not their strong point. They are journalists, so their strength, really, is in telling stories. Sometimes, though, the stories exist in isolation, because the authors do not have a good grasp of the historical context. For example, they talk about how the missionaries preached a message that was antithetical to Chinese culture (God sending his only Son to be killed), and quote Morrison on the futility of the missionaries' efforts:
   
   "Poor thing, it made me sad to talk to her. In England she lived in a bright and happy home with brothers and sisters in a charming climate. She was always well and full of life and vigor, surrounded by all that can make life worth living. In China she is never well; she is anemic and apprehensive; she has nervous headaches and neuralgia; her only relaxation is taking her temperature; her only diversion a prayer meeting...Her lover, a refined English gentleman who is also in the mission, lives a week's journey away in Chungking. In England he was full of strength and vigor, fond of boating and a good lawn tennis player. In China he is always ill, anemic, wasted and dyspeptic. But more agonizing than his bad health is the horrible reality of the unavailing sacrifice he is making--no converts but 'outcasts subsidized to forsake their family altars.' No man with a healthy brain can discern 'blessing' in the work of these two missionaries."
   
   For Morrison, a man who was not particularly religious, to conclude that the work of the missionaries was futile, is at least understandable. But the authors should have the benefit of history (or would if they knew it). David Aikman, former Beijing bureau chief for Time Magazine, estimates the number of Christians to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 million. Official government estimates are lower, because they only tabulate members of government approved churches, but most Christians in China meet informally in "family churches." Christianity is literally exploding in China, growing significantly faster than in the West. Clearly, the short term sacrifice endured by 19 Century missionaries produced a long term gain beyond what even they could have imagined. Morrison perhaps lived too close to the time to see it, but the authors of the book have no such excuse. This is not to take away from their skill as reporters. They are good story tellers, but the sloppiness of their history is distracting. These guys have obviously read a lot of books about Morrison, but they don't know that much about China.
   
   Nevertheless, as mentioned previously, the end of the book does provide some insight into the relationship between Morrison and Yuan Shikai, which means that we learn something of the personal life and foibles of Yuan, who was the pivotal figure in the transition from monarchy to republic--a transition of which he was the all too reluctant and conflicted facilitator.
   
   Yuan Shikai had been a general officer under the Empress dowager, but went along with the 1911 revolution presumably because he believed in the reform it promised, but possibly because he saw it as means for realizing his own power ambitions. Although Sun Yat-sen is often referred to as the first president of China, his service was never more than provisional (which is probably a good thing). His provisional term of office (three months) was prescribed an agreed to before he ever took office.
   
   But the strongest indication that Yuan Shikai was not a true reformer was that he himself actually tried to restore the empire with himself as emperor. It lasted for 83 days, and so disgusted the people, that it proved to be the last desperate self-destructive act of a man destined for oblivion. His ill-fated attempt is exemplified by the arrangement of himself and his concubines on the thrones of empire. Morrison describes the pathetic scene:
   
   "Yuan sitting with his crown; three crowns at his side for the first, second and third wives on descending levels. First wife came in arrayed; kowtowed; took her proper seat. Long delay and second wife (the Korean wife) failed to come. Send for peremptorily. She came in but refused to take her seat saying Yuan has promised her a throne on the same level as the Number One. Hearing this, Number One jumped down from the throne and went for Number Two with her fingers. The Master of Ceremonies, Wang Kan-nien was supervising the Enthronement but he could not lay impious hands on the struggling Empresses, whereupon Yuan waddled down from the throne and tried to separate the two combatants. Order was finally restored but the rehearsal was postponed."
   
   As this book is limited in scope, it could be somewhat confusing if you have never read anything about the Minguo period. But if you are somewhat familiar with the time and events, the book does add insight into the character of Yuan, and to a lesser extent, Sun Yat-sen, and the way they were viewed by their contemporaries.

5 comments about Lhasa: Streets with Memories (Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture).

1. I am struck by the originality of Robert Barnett's approach, as well as the clarity and utter honesty of his voice. LHASA: STREETS WITH MEMORIES is a much needed tool in grappling with the way in which China has absorbed and digested old Tibet and, sadly, the way in which Beijing has re-interpreted Lhasan culture with often appalling results. It's an old tale but told from an utterly fresh viewpoint--a must-read for those who are troubled by China's ongoing stranglehold of Tibetan society.



2. A very confused attempt to be meaningful by a British professor who should have written a magazine article(s) with this material and not a book. Both the writing style and substantive thoughts presented are choppy and obscure.
   
   Not recommended except for those already deeply engrossed with all things touching upon this ancient city of Tibet and who are willing to put up with an opaque and disjointed presentation. (A universe of readers that, I wager, is lightly populated.)
   
   I often disagree with the national editorial reviews that are posted by Amazon, but here the March review by Publishers Weekly has this book dead right.



3. I had no more than a passing interest in Tibet when I was given this book, and I found it absolutely riveting. It gave me a clearer, more immediate sense of the cultural crisis in Tibet than any straightforward, linear history could have done. Robert Barnett begins with the premise that one has to learn how to read any foreign city, and points out that Lhasa, where so much of the text is hidden below the surface, has suffered more than most from foreign misreadings. The book sets out to make Lhasa more legible to foreigners, but what it achieves is deeper and far more important.
   
   Barnett approaches his subject from two perspectives, one intellectual, the other experiential. The main narrative traces the history, mythos and cultural development of the city, and is written from Barnett's current vantage point as a Tibet scholar. This on its own would be an interesting and informative read. But it is the secondary narrative that makes the book so compelling: In hushed italics, Barnett gives us glimpses of his own experiences in Lhasa, first as a hapless tourist who wanders into the middle of the 1987 uprising, and later as a part-time resident teaching at the university. He is careful not to impose his own interpretation on the events, but simply, and generously, shares his observations. The most harrowing of the episodes he recounts come early on, and have to do with his own inability to read Lhasa during a period when a foreigner's misreading could hold serious consequences for the Tibetans involved.
   
   Barnett has an artist's eye for detail, and his writing is lush and vivid. The dual narratives struck me at first as an interesting literary device: the scholar describes the city's development from the ground up, while the foreigner sees the superficial and gradually learns to read what's below the surface. But toward the end of the book, when the two narratives catch up with each other, something extraordinary happens: the scholar succeeds in making Lhasa more legible just as the foreigner observes that the city he has learned to read has in effect already been erased by the Chinese. This realization had a visceral impact on me; the tragic urgency of the situation in Tibet hit me like a blow. "Lhasa: Streets With Memories" is an important book and deserves a wide audience.



4. Tibet and its capital, Lhasa, are among the many places I hardly know. This book is a brief introduction to their history, and the competing narratives non-Tibetans have adopted for interpreting Tibet. It is also a work for those enthralled by the question of what was- staring at a modern city block, you wonder: what was here before? The office building that used to be a park where families would picnic on weekends, the suburb that used to be a swamp.
   
   The book is incomplete- it doesn't try to present modern Tibetans and their narratives. Perhaps because that identity has become confused by assimilation or maybe the author just didn't understand them and knew it.
   
   That said, it's still worth reading as an ode to an ancient city.



5. An unusual book that offers a layered and multi-faceted vision of Lhasa, with great historical depth and an uncommon awareness of the many factors at work. This is not a feel-good narrative, it does not take sides, nor does it presume to tell you what to think. Instead, it combines deep scholarship and detailed knowledge of the political, cultural, social and economic forces behind the tremendous changes in Lhasa since the Chinese arrived - the author is a world-renowned expert on Tibet - with an artist or a poet's sensitivity to what lies beneath appearances. In addition, the writer's perspective is infused with a rare and touching humility, a welcome relief from the rather authoritative or even didactive tone of much travel writing. There is a great deal to be learned from this subtle book and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of personal experience and learned content.