2 comments about Atomic Sushi.

1. A British professor with no special knowledge of Japan goes there for a year and tells you what happened, and how it is.
   Japan Unbound by John Nathan offers much more. I also liked The Japanese by Peter Tasker



2. Simon May sheds light on various aspects of the Japanese character with elegant simplicity.
   
   Having read dozens of books on the subject, I can attest that Atomic Sushie is one of the best I've read. May's intelligent prose is succinct, often hilarious and always entertaining.
   
   Brilliant stuff.

No comments about Travel Tokyo, Japan - illustrated guide, phrasebook, and maps. FREE general info, basic phrasebook, and a map in the trial version..

1 comments about Utopia Guide to Japan, South Korea & Taiwan: the Gay and Lesbian Scene in 45 Cities Including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Seoul, Pusan and Taipei.

1. Only the naive would believe that modernization brought homosexuality to Japan. The Utopia Guide to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan introduces the present state of homosexuality in East Asia, via its historical and literary vintage, and brings it to a manageable head in this must-have handbook. Drink deep!
   
   Utopia is well known as the world's most comprehensive and authoritative English-language resource on gay Asia. As a matter of course, the book, too, covers everything you want to know about the scene in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
   
   The Utopia Guide to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan is organized alphabetically and covers pretty much every town that has at least one gay bar. The mammoth size of the task means that the editor makes use to a large extent on the up-to-date feedback of gay men and women via the Utopia website for details such as directions and type of clientele, and in some entries the reader is directed to a Utopia URL.
   
   This guide is anything but bare and goes far beyond being a mere `how to get there' manual. It is comprehensive in the types of establishments it covers: bars, saunas, discos, bookshops, restaurants, cafes, shops and salons. Furthermore, it is written with a sensitive finger on the social, cultural and political pulse of the three countries it covers. It turns the most casual riffler into a reader with its knowing commentary on various gay issues and evocative descriptions of various gay scenes and areas. A particularly memorable example of commentary is its textbox on p.114 about the state of homosexuality in Korea. And for pure descriptive stimulation, this excerpt from the memorable introductory sketch of Shinjuku Ni-Chome sticks in the mind:
   
   "While just a gaudy speck on the hemline of Tokyo's neon kimono, Ni-Chome is the main hub of Tokyo's gay scene. A carnival of shadows from dusk to dawn, here you will find 24-hour love motels, fetish mix boxes (no frills sex spaces), noodle dens and gay pride boutiques - all catering to the parade of intoxicated salarymen, transgender hostesses, gangster pimps, Sumo wrestlers, public masturbators and sexual samurai of every clan."
   
   Who could resist?!
   
   One small fault in the Tokyo pages is that it fails to distinguish between bars and what are predominantly dance clubs (specifically Ace and Arty Farty). However, to anyone who has employed the guide to get as far as Ni-Chome itself, what better way to approach that guy than with `Where can we dance?' Otherwise, directions to often difficult-to-find establishments are set out in meticulous and easy-to-follow detail, and there are ample tips, depending on the establishment, to make your experience there as enjoyable as possible. The frequent `Comments from Utopians' are especially helpful, being up to the minute information from the ground via the Utopia website. Note that these comments supplement the main coverage, and are not merely used in its stead.
   
   The look of the book is clean. Its cover features the dazzling kaleidoscope of color that is a Korean temple roof, and inside layout is spacious with generously sized font and interspersed with photos every four or five pages. Establishments that offer a discount to Utopia members are clearly marked.
   
   As the beginning of the Guide's introduction says `This guide is a slice of pink life, frozen in time on Apr 15, 2006 ... By the time you read this book, no doubt some venues will have closed, moved, or morphed, while many others with have emerged into the light of day or into the neon splash of night.'
   
   In other words, get it while it's hot!

No comments about Ten Of the Most Important Words In Japan.

No comments about Unbeaten Tracks in Japan (EasyRead Large Edition).

No comments about Japan (Countries of the World).

No comments about Manga Touch (Orca Currents).

5 comments about Frommer's(r) Shanghai, 2nd Edition.

1. Usually I am very pleased with the quality of Frommer's guide books, but not this time. Some of the information is out-of-date and some is not useful at all. For example, the places to eat and stay it recommends - after visiting Shanghai and exploring the scene first-hand, I was smiling at their suggestions. It seems like they hired a blind gilrscout to spend a couple of hours in the city and then write the whole book about it. Maybe I am not being completely fair, but there is a grain of truth in my words. Luckily I had two guide books with me - the second one being Insight Guide Shanghai, and the latter comes highly recommended. It has plenty of colorful pictures and the information is a bit more useful. So, in conclusion: Frommer did a decent job on this one, but noticeably below their standars, so if you are heading to Shanghai - there are other guides to choose from.



2. I haven't even left for Shanghai yet and I know this book is a disappointment in comparing it with my friend's Lonely Planet and doing some quick online research. It said there weren't any youth hostels (there are several) and the book is lacking a metro map and even a decent street map! The "exploring Shanghai" section is embarrassing small, I don't know if I would be able to keep myself occupied during my visit if this were to be my only guide.



3. This book gives you an easy overview over attractions and the maps are quite fullfilling. Really a good guide book.
   It could just be me, but I think there is to much info on hotels and restaurants. I'm normally the person to think "there is a lot of people in that restaurant we just passed - Lets go eat there". Regarding hotels I tend to book from home at the internet and just need the star rating, the website and "tips on how to get the best rate".
   But if you flip through the hotel and restaurant pages, everything looks to be squeezed in and if you need it - then you REALLY need it - I guess that I would be really angry, if I ended up stranded in Shanghai without a good hotel listing ;-)
   So the only negative I have is the quality of the paper. I think you will wear the book down if you go a lot to Shanghai.
   Ole, Denmark



4. Some of the previous reviews are about the 2nd edition which was weak. The 3rd edition appears to be a significant rewrite, and is much better. All the salient info is there, from an author who obviously has not only "been there" but understands the nuances of Chinese culture. Can't wait for the 4th edition!



5. The maps make it very hard to figure out where you are, and all the pages look alike. You'd be much better served with the Time Out or Lonely Planet guides.

3 comments about A Lateral View: Essays on Culture and Style in Contemporary Japan.

1. Anyone interested in Japan, the arts, cultural criticism or the art of the essay should read this book. Donald Richie is the preeminent Japan scholar of our time, beloved in Japan and honored in the rest of the world. Time Magazine has called him "the dean of arts critics in Japan."

   But forget the cliche of Japanese temples and cherry blossoms... Richie isn't one of those old-fashioned Western Japanophiles nostalgic for some ancient version of "the Far East." He's interested in Japan here & now. Better yet, he's a fabulous writer--lucid, precise, irreverent, and never jaded.

   These essays are a great way to "get to know" Donald Richie--you get his essays on everything from Tokyo Disneyland to traditional Noh theatre, from contemporary Japanese film to tattoos. My personal favorite is the disturbing but amazing essay on Japanese "eroduction."

   And if you're a film buff, Richie is also the man who introduced modern Japanese film--Kurosawa, Ozu--to the West. Look for his perceptive essays about these artists. (Did you know he was the film curator at the NYC MOMA?)

   This is a must-read and a great way to introduce yourself to Donald Richie's work and to Japan!




2. This is a good collection of short essays under the umbrella term `Japan`, but divided into handy categories such as Cinema, Tokyo and Popular culture. As the title suggests, these are often from a `lateral` viewpoint. The author doesn`t just tell you that the average family home is small and (relatively) uncomfortable to live in, he theorizes on the reason why this is, in this case (apart from the obvious space constraints in urban Japan) Richie argues that traditionally, the man of the house has many different `homes`, the office, the bar, the apartment etc and therefore doesn`t place so much importance on the Western concept of 'home'. The book does shed light on a lot of questions that those who live in Japan, or even those who just visit, may be wondering about. Such as, why do most Japanese TV news shows have an anchorman who is invariably supported by a `yes-woman`, and why do `yes-people` appear in small boxes at the top corner of the screen nodding to indicate agreement when agreement is needed and vice-versa. The only drawback to this collection is that some of the essays are old, with the latest being written in about 1989, so you`re not going to get any post-bubble commentary and the essays on `popular-culture` may be a little redundant now. There is also an essay written in the 1970`s on the problems of putting Japanese script onto paper with a typewriter and wondering what the future holds with the possibilities of the personal computer. However, the rest is a wonderful introduction to thinking about Japan differently, and while sometimes a little critical, shows a true love for the place.



3. Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (2/07)
   
   This is an excellent collection of short essays that share Japan's culture and bits of Donald Richie with the reader. I've always enjoyed Japanese Gardens and immediately delved into the essays on that topic. "You must truly observe. Go to the garden and look at the rock, the tree. Ah, nature, you say and turn - then stop. You have just observed that rock and tree have been placed there, by the hand of man, the Japanese hand. A new thought occurs: Nature does not happen; it is wrought. A new rule offers itself: Nothing is natural until it has been so created." "The garden is not natural until everything in it has been shifted. And flowers are not natural either until so arranged to be. God, man, earth--these are the traditional strata in the flower arrangement, but it is man that is operative, acting as the medium through which earth and heaven meet."
   
   Richie thoroughly discusses hand gestures. The meaning of a hand gesture in one country may not be the meaning of it in another country. We all use gestures when we speak but we don't necessarily interpret the gestures of another culture correctly. A smile in Japan may not necessarily mean happiness.
   
   In Japan if you see a person wearing a shirt that says Cocoa Cola it means he loves that drink. The person with a university shirt on wants to attend that university. The person wearing Army Surplus is not making a statement. In the US wearing these same items would be "expressing an ironic scorn for the qualities they presumably inculcated. Wearing surplus U.S. army gear meant you were anti-Vietnam-War and hence anti Army."
   
   If you are interested in the cultural and arts in Japan you will find this book fascinating. Some of the essays seem to have a little age on them. Richie admits, "What was true up to 1962 is not necessarily true up to 1989. Japan is fast changing, and some of the things one thought most Japanese are no longer apparent." I believe this book speaks much of who Richie is. Richie is the "acknowledged Western expert on Japan." I highly recommend "A Lateral View" to those interested in Japan and other cultures.

2 comments about Japan and Her People.

1. Japan and Her People, Anna Hartshorne's 1902 book on her experiences in Japan (along with its history), is an entertaining and informative volume that will be an excellent addition to any historian's library (with the added benefit of being a lively read).
   Hartshorne, the daughter of a Quaker missionary, was a longtime resident of Japan, spending many years as a teacher in schools such as the Joshi Eigaku Juku. As such, she came over time to develop an appreciation and understanding of Japanese culture that gives her book an insight lacking in similar books written by short-term visitors. It would be unfair to label the book a travel journal, guide, or history-it's all of these and more.
   The book begins with chapters on traveling to Japan ("...not a formidable matter...ranging from twelve days to three weeks") and a description of the Yokohama area, which at the time was the area most frequented by foreigners. The next two chapters feature an excellent introduction to Japanese history. Hartshorne relates the history of Japan from its earliest legends in the Kojiki and Nihongi through the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration. Touched upon along the way are the Minamoto, Taira, Go-Daigo, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and many more figures of note. At times the history proves to be false (as in the story of Tokugawa Ieyasu dying of wounds suffered at the Summer Battle of Osaka, or the many legends surrounding the 47 Ronin that were for years accepted as fact and since disproved). This in itself is helpful, however, for showing what the accepted views were at this particular point in time. Cities such as Tokyo and Kamakura are examined as well as overviews of several regions (including Oshu, Hokkaido, and the west coast). There are chapters on Japanese households, the tombs of the Tokugawa, Buddhist temples, hot springs, Japanese inns, and more. In each of these chapters Hartshorne generally gives a description of the subject as it was in her day and then examines its history. For example, the story of Will Adams (the so-called `English Samurai') is brought up in the Yokohama chapter and Hosokawa Gracia is examined in conjunction with Confucianism during the Japanese Household chapter. Hartshorne tends to stray off topic, but as she brings up one interesting story after another, the effect is generally quite engaging. Legends and folklore merge with observations and fact, giving the reader a feeling of how it must have been to live in and experience Japan in the early twentieth century. Many of the book's best passages come when Hartshorne expresses her dismay with certain elements of Japanese history and culture. The interior of the Kamakura Buddha is said to be "disenchanting" with "a sort of unnecessary ugliness that one resents", while she finds Gompachi (of the famous legend of lovers Gompachi and Komurasaki) to be "as cowardly a young cut-throat as ever got his deserts".
   Despite her affiliations with Christian missionaries, Hartshorne is quite respectful regarding Buddhism and Shinto. She also brings to life the setbacks of Buddhism during the Meiji Restoration (as Shinto became the favored `religion' of the new regime).
   Even the natural and man-made disasters that routinely swept Japan are reflected. In a post scripted note, Hartshorne relates how a fire burned down many of Ikegami temple's structures after she had visited and wrote at length about it.
   Interspaced throughout the text are black and white period photos, enhancing the book's descriptions and helping to capture the unique feel of Japan at a time when it was still moving away from traditional values and lifestyles towards the modernity of the West.
   An added bonus in this edition of the book is a Forward by Lian Hearn, author of the best selling Tales of The Otori series. Hearn is well-steeped in the history of Japan and provides valuable background and historical perspective to Hartshorne. In particular, I found Hartshorne's possible influence on Nitobe Inazo, author of the 1900 Bushido:The Soul of Japan (a book instrumental in shaping early Western misconceptions of Japanese culture and history), quite interesting. Hearn's Forward reads more like an historical analysis than the traditional congratulatory forward. The editors have also cleaned up spelling errors from the original 1902 edition. The only possible drawback to the book is the lack of an index; it's understandable since it's not a straight out history.
   As Hearn laments, "It's sad that Anna wrote no other books". Thankfully, we once again have this one to enjoy.



2. Massey and West deserves five stars for their loving presentation of this early twentieth century travelogue, which should be of great interest to historians and serious Japanese culture buffs.