1 comments about Simon Winchester's Calcutta (Writer & Place).

1. This book is, in my opinion, a close second to Blaise and Mukherjee's "Days and Nights in Calcutta" as the best introduction to Calcutta for westerners. Winchester's own views and experiences are valuable, but it is in his choice of other voices that this book comes into its own.

5 comments about Wrong About Japan.

1. Many of the book's reviewers seem almost hyperbolically disappointed in what Carey accomplishes in "Wrong About Japan." They accuse him of superficiality in his approach to manga and anime. Pow! They accuse him of being unable to see past his own cultural assumptions. Bam! However, the book isn't primarily about any of that. It's about perception and mis-perception, about the divide between a father who loves books (and high culture) and a son who loves manga (and pop culture). It's about the mysteries of taste and how it's formed. It's about the difficulties almost everyone in the book, Japanese and non-Japanese, has in understanding what someone else is trying to express, whether the barrier is language or ideas or culture. In Carey's book, manga represents this distance between two people about what is worth knowing about and what is not. The subject could as easily be music or some other art where there's little communication between high and pop culture. By its conclusion, Carey understands his son's interests better (although he doesn't come to really share them) and his son reluctantly absorbs something of what his father is trying to tell him. This fragile little island of shared appreciation is what the book's all about.



2. An easy read to be completed by 2-3 hours. Entertaining yes, but it's always irritating when the writer completes a book without doing a proper research. too many facts in the books are wrong (maybe that's why the author picked the title?). Anyway, it's an easy and entertaing story about a relationship between a father and his teenage son. Their impression (and misinterpratations) of Japan are interesting, but don't buy this book if you live in Japan.



3. I'm not quite sure what Carey hoped to achieve with this book. After nearly two decades in Japan I love to share the impressions of first-time visitors; it helps bring my own hazy memories sharply into focus. Carey arrives with pre-conceived ideas and is baffled by the fact that they don't match up to the reality. But maybe, the cover suggests, the heart of this tale is in the father-son relationship and not the cross-cultural journey. Carey's son is a teenager who sulks and has only fragmentary communication, to the exasperation of old Dad, who loves him dearly anyway. No great revelation there, then. And if insight into the father-son bond is the goal, why the fictionalised element of a cliched Japanese punk rocker? That leaves self-parody: Carey is not the arrogant and shallow one, it is the narrator who happens to share his name. Nah, probably not. Perhaps Carey's novel successes have gone to his head and he thinks he can bump out any old tripe and people will love it. Would this have been published if a first-time author had written it? Probably, hopefully, not. A real disappointment.



4. I have read some of Mr. Carey's works and have enjoyed his novels. He should stick with writing fiction. Wrong About Japan: A Father's Journey with His Son, is marketed and sold under non-fiction but I have discovered (along with other reviewers here) that he created one of the characters in this book in order to have more...conflict? Takashi was a kid that Carey's son, Charlie, met online and would serve as a guide of sorts in/around Tokyo. But to find out Takashi is completely fabricated makes me sad -- Mr. Carey had to make up someone in order to make his book more..saleable? Readable? What?
   
   This book was a disappointment in that one doesn't learn much about Japan, anime or even about Mr. Carey and his son (they both come off as rather annoying travelers). But I must congratulate Mr. Carey for earning a fat paycheck and getting a free trip to Japan to write this book. But I sure got duped.



5. Japanese culture is an obtuse, inscrutable creature, and for anyone hoping to capture a feeling of the "real" Japan without actually going there it presents an impossible task. Samurai, the tea ceremony, and proper chopstick use are all well and good, but they present about as accurate a picture of the country and its people as any given action manga or anime.
   
   Even while in Japan, any quest to find out what the real spirit of the country is through any means already determined prior to arrival is a hopeless cause. Combined with Carey's examination of his relationship with his son, this quest to find the real Japan, from either of their perspectives, is utterly futile- as it is for anyone with a preconceived notions of the country, or any country.
   
   Wrong About Japan isn't necessarily about manga, anime, or anything of the sort- and anyone going in with that impression or a closed mind is apt to be disappointed (though there are plenty of interesting anecdotes to that end). What Carey's book follows is the hopeless feeling one gets while trying to convince oneself he or she has a handle on a foreign culture without ever having been there, as so many have done with Japan, and will continue to do. The point of this effort, however, is that no cultural search, however hopeless it may seem, is without its own rewards once the initial romantic views of a country have been replaced with real experience.
   
   With earnest effort and a sense of humor, the results will prove much more substantial than the secondhand daydreams that so often send one abroad in the first place.
   
   It's also a pretty brisk read, so even if you do end up absolutely hating it, you'll only have wasted a couple measly hours of your life in the grand scheme of things.

4 comments about Laminated Beijing Map by Borch.

1. During my ten day trip to Beijing The Berndtson laminated map of Beijing was indispensable. It is easily readable and has many of the best places to visit highlighted which made planning each day easy. The map not only survived the hundreds of openings and refolding, but is still in excellent shape for many future uses. The only shortcoming is that the map does not cover the outlying areas of Beijing. It covers only the central area out to the "third ring road"



2. During my 2 weeks in the Beijing area this map was indispensible! It's laminated, so it holds up great. The streets are labeled in pinyin (roman characters). This is perfect, since these days almost every street sign in Beijing is also labeled in pinyin (as well as Chinese characters). Almost every landmark you want to find is on the map in English as well as Chinese.
   
   Subway lines and their stops are indicated (except the brand new line #5). The map makes it very easy to get around Beijing and even includes overlays with major places such as the forbidden city and summer palace.



3. In looking at maps of Beijing, my criterion was simple: "Does the map show the street where our hotel is located?" This was a challenge: the hotel we chose was a converted mansion on a narrow "hutong," or side street. The Borch map was the only one I could find that did - much, much more detail than any similar map - certainly vastly better than any of the free maps that hotels give out. Note that the current version is updated for the Olympics and does show the new Beijing Metro lines that are about to open.



4. I have been to Beijing 4 times and took this map for my last 12 day visit. It was GREAT! Got me to all my meetings, Olympic events, and even my native friends were loving my Map! If only they could do more maps on every district in BJ, but then you would need a book. Worth every penny I paid! Thank YOU.

3 comments about Philippines Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs).

1. Great book, several key places missing but information very useful. Spent 2 weeks in Philippines and referenced it often. The map was great.



2. Overall the book lacks depth and historical perspective, particularly in the areas off the beaten path such as Mindanao and the Sulu chain.



3. There needs to be more books like these out there. I have gotten other travel books before, and none had half the detail this one has in it. over all great book.

2 comments about Inside North Korea.

1. I recently reviewed Philippe Chancel's excellent photographic book North Korea and Mark Harris in his book has filled in more of the jigsaw. The Chancel book essentially covered the capitol Pyongyang and Harris contributes twenty general shots, too. Additional capitol coverage includes the amazing Arirang Mass Games, the Children's Palace, the Korean film studio and five shots of the USS Pueblo.
   
   The strength of this book is the coverage outside of the capitol. No doubt under strict supervision Harris visited Kaesong, Geumgangsen, Sinuiju, Paektusan and the Tumen River along the northeast border region. The photos show the countryside and rather bleak looking cities and towns. Everywhere bikes seem the principal means of transport and everywhere there are the slogans of good cheer to inspire the masses. On page 135 there is photo of a hillside above the town of Sanbong with huge letters spelling out: 'Bravo Mr Kim who is the Greatest Sunshine of the 21st Century!' No doubt it keeps hillside typographers busy.
   
   The last section covers the countryside along the Demilitarised Zone with its two and a half mile wide strip of land 151 miles long. The photos here are a mixture of military presence and agricultural folk existing (on either side) in this volatile flashpoint. One photo shows the world's tallest flagpole, 525 feet high, towering above the village of Kichong-dong (wouldn't such a structure make a super espionage something or other?).
   
   I liked the book with its mixture of travel and politics (SS Pueblo, DMZ and Panmunjeom) presented in slightly raw, gutsy photos whereas Chancel's style is photographically softer and his book is the more elegant of the two. Both books are certainly worth a look if you want see a little bit of a forbidden country and you'll most likely see more of it than many of the people who live there.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. North Korea's always in the news and so a book like INSIDE NORTH KOREA is essential not just to college-level holdings with books on North Korea, but to general-interest collections as well. The public library will especially appreciate this book's format: an oversized photo exhibit which pairs well-researched essays and commentary by North Korea experts with images of North Korean peoples and places. Perfect for any collection seeking a solid introduction.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

No comments about Ibn Fadlan's Journey To Russia.

1 comments about Getting Wet: Adventures in the Japanese Bath.

1. If you plan on going to Japan or have ever been their, this is the book for you. It explains the culture of the japan bath , which is very important to the japanese and will give you a better understanding of their lifestyle ..It also list many bathhouse including the one in tokyo , that is like disey world. a fun place to go...

2 comments about Bangladesh (Country Guide).

1. "Lonely Planet's" guide to Bangladesh is pretty thin --less than 200 pages -- for a country with a population of 150 million. Well, there's a reason for that. Bangladesh is hardly a tourist paradise.
   
   Dhaka is probably the most crowded city in the world and, in fact, the biggest attraction of the city is the traffic -- which is horrendous. The numbers of rickshas is astonishing; they line up eight-across on some streets all jockeying for position with three-wheelers, cars, trucks, buses, hand-pulled carts, and the occasional herd of goats. Dhaka is worth visiting just for a ricksha ride and traffic jams that are simply unbelievable.
   
   The country is pretty outside Dhaka: emerald green rice paddies, palm trees, and innumerable little villages. The city of Cox's Bazaar is the honeymooner's capital of Bangladesh. The beach here is advertised as the longest and widest in the world. What interested me was the fact that of thousands of people on the beach only a few boys were actually in bathing attire and in the water. Women may dip their toes in the surf but they don't dress for the occasion. The all-covering Shawar Camise with head-scarf is de riguer as female beachware -- as it is for everyplace else.
   
   Despite a lack of major attractions, Bangladesh is not a bad place to visit and you won't encounter crowds of foreign tourists. Maybe you won't encounter any. "Lonely Planet" covers the country in good detail including history, culture, current politics, sidebars about interesting trivia, places to stay and eat, and books you might want to read. It's a good guide to a place that needs a guide.
   
   Smallchief



2. This travel guide is possibly the worst one that Lonely Planet has ever produced. Apparently, the previous edition was a lot better, and since hotel and other such listings change more frequently than any publisher could keep up with anyway, it may be advisable to search out the earlier edition for its purported superior coverage of actual sites within the country.
   
   The main problem is not that huge portions of the guide are out of date (inevitable due to publishing deadlines and due to the quick pace of change in South Asia), but that they were never correct to begin with. Maps are wrong in every possible sense: topologically; geometrically (positionally and locationally as well as in terms of actual distances); inconsistent scale; incorrect orientation, etc.
   
   Also, major streets are unlabeled in many cases, but this is a somewhat moot point as there are hardly any street signs in Bangladesh, and as most streets do not form a grid pattern that is easily followed. For this reason, it would have been helpful to supply dual labeling in Bangla (several competitors do this for most of their maps). That would make it easier to question the locals, who rarely speak or read English.
   
   I also personally find LP maps in general to be too difficult to use except when under strong lighting with a magnifying glass, or in a hotel room. Usually we are using the map while walking, in a moving vehicle, under poor lighting. The cross-referencing scheme and miniscule typeface are of no help there! Rough Guide and Moon have the right approach to legible maps that can be used under adverse conditions (Footprints are OK and sometimes very good, but are rarely to scale).
   
   Everyone that I encountered in my one month in the country complained about this guide; not the least the locals, many of who were interviewed by the LP writer but ignored when the final edition was published. The only thing this guide has going for it is that it has accurate train connections (bus connections are a joke in the country and would be impossible to write up accurately; find a local and ask them where to go). Bus timings are also accurate; though some are now faster due to a few improved roads and some new bridges where ferries were once required.
   
   Descriptions and directions for most of the major archeaological sites (which are on a par with the best that I have seen in Latin America and Southeast Asia, in spite of being relatively unknown), are not adequate and are in some cases quite wrong. But it is very cheap to hire a local guide for a day or more in each region (I mixed this approach with 100% independent travel, and it worked out quite well). Just don't depend on this guide as an aid for independent travel; think of it as an armchair companion to a semi-organised tour.
   
   As one example of a deliberate omission (as evidenced by an interview with local tours and hotels), the one and only hotel that is close to the Dhaka airport was not included, even though it has many flexible pricing options even for transit passengers (the airport itself has few if any facilities) and even provides a free airport shuttle. This omission unfortunately pushes one towards the expensive Gulshan district upon arrival, which is a bit far and also not near any major sites in the capital (my detailed reports will be submitted to Lonely Planet's forum later on, and don't really belong in a book review).
   
   That said, this was the best vacation of my life; mostly because the people of Bangladesh are the friendliest and most open I have ever encountered (and that is saying a lot). I felt like I was already home, everywhere I went. This is in fact a slogan of the country. It is a beautiful and lush country besides, even though mostly flat (except for the unbelievably gorgeous tea and pineapple plantations in the northeastern region of the country), but I think the guide could have done a better job of describing the culture and making a case for why one should visit the country.
   
   It is unfortunate that there are currently no other travel guides to Bangladesh. Competition seems to improve most guides, and this pertains to ALL of the publishers. Bradt used to publish a guide but never bothered to update theirs since the 1992 edition. I doubt there's much of a market though, as I only encountered a small handful of tourists during my entire month in the country. Even more reason to visit now, before it is "discovered".

1 comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Kyoto (Wallpaper City Guides) (Wallpaper City Guides (Phaidon Press)).

1. I purchased this at the last minute due to the Loney Planet Kyoto guide was changing editions & I couldn't get a copy.
   
   This book did provide some interesting places to go if you are into mostly modern architecture, and it did have some great pictures. Otherwise it was a waste if you wanted more general information. It's written in a "You can only hope to be as cool as us in finding these spots" tone and the recommendations on hotels & dining were all on the uber-tendy side.
   
   The map included in the book was very poor, and none of the sites mentioned in the book were called out on the map (due to the lack of detail) And if you have ever had to deal with addresses in Japan, they are very complex- that's why GPS units are such a big seller there, so it made it very difficult to use.
   
   Plus there appeared to be no flow or grouping to the locations, so if you tried to track things down on the fly, you were going back & forth across the town. After a while I gave up on the book & used a great free map the hotel gave me that was published by the Kyoto City Tourist Association. You can also get a copy of it on the second floor of the JR station at their info center.
   
   Use this book only as a supplement to a better book to find interesting architectural sites.

No comments about India: In Word and Image.