2 comments about Japanese Landscapes: Where Land and Culture Merge.

1. When i first bought this book for a gardening friend i thought i wouldn't like but it turned out i did. the next day iwent back and got one for myself.it was stimulating and inspiring and i thought it was excelent!



2. Cotton Mather and PP Karan traveled the length and breath of Japan in a small red car, attempting to make the landscape "speak." Somewhere on the Kii Peninsula, south of Ise, what they'd been looking at finally began to make sense: categories and generalizations began. From this point on, their generalizations were tested and retested with the resultant Primary and Secondary Characteristics of what one sees in Japan: Paucity of Idle Land; Scarcity of Level Land; Compactness; Meticulous Organization; Immaculateness; Interdigitation; and Tiered Occupance among others. A nice explanation with plenty of photos by men who have been involved with Japan since the Second World War.

2 comments about A Diplomat in Japan: The Inner History of the Critical Years in the Evolution of Japan When the Ports Were Opened and the Monarchy Restored (Stone Bridge Classics).

1. If you are interested in Japanese history this is a great book. It gives a firsthand account of events between 1862 and 1869 from the perspective of a foreigner, which covers the very important period of Japan opening to foreigners and the overturn of the shogunate. Sir Ernest Satow was witness to many of the important events that formed modern Japan in his function as a translator for the British Consulate. The book reports his various travels through Japan as an official, his interactions with members of the different Japanese clans, negotiations between the foreign representatives and the Japanese government, including the first audience with the Mikado granted to foreigners. The book makes history come alive and fills it with real-life people. It also shows firsthand the difficulties of foreigners in understanding the very different culture of Japan, at a time when there wasn't even proper teaching material to learn the language (not even a dictionary) to make this process easier. A great book for anybody who wants to further his or her understanding of Japan.



2. The mere fact that this book has been through many paperback editions since it first appeared as a hardback published in London by Seeley Service in 1921 is on its own a powerful testament to its enduring fascination. This edition is the latest in a long line, and this reviewer hopes that it will never go out of print.
   
   What is the secret of its popularity? First, it is an eye-witness account by an acutely sensitive and intelligent insider, which many would argue is one of the best kinds of history. Based mainly on his diaries, it depicts not only the political situation of Japan, but also the social conditions of a society on the threshold of an enormous change: the Meiji restoration.
   
   The eyes are those of a sympathetic European - as he would have probably described himself - who was able to master the Japanese language in a time when there were hardly any text books available, and who later became one of the foremost japanologists of the 19th century. (Of course this is to say nothing of his subsequent career as a top British diplomat and theorist of international law.)
   
   A copy of this book is money well spent!
   
   Ian Ruxton, editor of Sir Ernest Satow's Private Letters to W.G. Aston and F.V. Dickins: The Correspondence of a Pioneer Japanologist from 1870 to 1918 (Paperback) and several other Satow-related books which are also available on amazon.

5 comments about Tokyo Pink Guide.

1. Humorous and entertaining guide to the hush-hush "adult" entertainment in Japan. While gaijin aren't normally allowed such treats, this books makes for an interesting and amusing read on the lifestyle of Japan.



2. This book describes a lot of things that foreigners living in Tokyo might not realize even exist in Japan. For that matter, many Japanese are likely unaware of some of the types of places covered in his book. I wouldn't say that Japanese are more relaxed and casual about life - precisely the opposite - but I would agree with another reviewer in saying that this book shows that perhaps Japanese society is far more comfortable with sexuality and far less Victorian than American society is. It is quite an educational read and may dispel a few misconceptions, or may confirm what you already suspected! One omission from the book - couples' kissaten. Couples' kissaten are VERY popular within a particular community in Tokyo, fairly widespread, but there is no mention of them at all in this book.



3. Other than the maps guiding people to the major red light zones of the Kanto area, 90% of the information in this book is pure fiction and/or wishful thinking. All you need to know about night life in Tokyo can be had for the price of a little conversation at virtually any pub or bar in Tokyo. As an aside, the author's unjustly slanderous treatment of the Library bar in Ogikubo caused the owner to shut the doors as hordes of thrill seekers invaded his (up to that time) peaceful little corner bar. If you have purchased this book, don't bother looking for the Library, 'cause it's gone.

   If you want a good book, get Nicholas Bournoff's "Pink Samurai" instead.




4. Humerous and informative, "Tokyo Pink Guide" is a definative study of the current "entertainment" activities commonly available in Metropolitan Tokyo. It not only specifies exact areas and locations, but describes,in detail, protocols and cultural eccentricities. Remember, Japan is predominately Buddhist and Shinto. Unlike Western faiths, the myriad personal relations between humans are not verboten in "proper society". Ergo, life is more casual and relaxed, and without the stigma that we experience in America. I'd love to see a Part 2!



5. This book gives some interesting and little known information on, for example, the sex slave industry and the import of foreign prostitutes, the gay scene, and other aspects of Japan's "nightlife". Unfortunately, like many of the men who frequent Asia, the author could care less about some of the uglier aspects of the industry. He doesn't moralize because he basically has no morals.

   My main job in Japan was English teaching. I used to ask my students what they thought of places like Kabuki-cho, which is one of Tokyo's better known red-light areas. They would look embarassed and say that when walking through there they felt "dirty". I found this odd, considering that the average Japanese is self-described as being anti-religious, and most of them have no cultural training in Christian morals.

   Additionally, when talking to my female friends (including my Fillipina roomate) who had Japanese husbands or boyfriends, the biggest complaint seemed to be the lack of sex or affection in the relationship. One of the women expressed the opinion that most Japanese men were impotent. A lot of news articles in the English press in Tokyo point to the general uptight attitude of the average Japanese toward matters of sex in general.

   A lot of foreign men see Japan as a place where men's "needs" are dealt with in a "non-moralizing" fashion. Well, that's pretty true if you are dealing with any aspect of the prostitution industry, anywhere in the world. I can name a number of places in the US, mainly in Nevada, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, and any red light area of any major city, where a man on the make won't come into contact with a single moral admonishment when in pursuit of a good time.

   One cultural difference that men find attractive about Japan is that women in Japan (and Asia in general) are brought up to cater to men, at least on the surface. Japanese women find North American and European men attractive because these men were raised in a culture where they were taught that ladies should be treated with kid gloves. In addition, Japanese women, unlike their Korean counterparts, don't really care that much about looks. It's no accident that Japanese women and Western men find each other charming.

   The Confucian system puts men over women. Consequently, sex is thought of as something that males shouldn't need to control - it's sort of treated in the same manner as passing gas - it's something that "can't be helped" (shoganai). Sex (for men, at least) is looked upon as a bodily function - it certainly is not attached to romance as it is in the West. So, if unromantic, casual, no strings, mechanical sex is your thing, Japan (and Asia) is the place for you.

   This domination by males explains in part the wealth of graphic sex in the Japanese media. A number of American and other foreign men that I worked with complained that the average Japanese male's ideas about sex were "so 6th grade". Most of the sexually explicit material I have seen in the media there certainly does point to a low level of maturity on the part of the creators and their audience.

   The idea of "needs" is not extended to women. Nowhere on the planet is prostitution a profession that is considered honorable, nor is a woman who "sleeps around". Japanese women still go to plastic surgeons to have their hymen repaired before marriage, so they can become "virgins" once again.

   Clemens and his bretheren see nothing wrong with double standards, as long as it suits their needs, or as Dr. Phil would say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". The tone of this book is a couple of frat boys out on the town, living it up, giving tips on where to find girls that put out. And that's all well and good, because this is a guide to prostitution in Tokyo, nothing more.

   The problem with this book is that it takes a small aspect of the entire Japanese picture and pretends that that's what Japan is all about. Well, imagine being a visitor to the US, and spending 90% of your time in places like Las Vegas and Castro Street, or a local strip club. Is that what America is all about? Hardly.

   Having been a bar hostess (for a short time) in Tokyo, and having shared a house with a SE Asian bar hostess (whose Japanese visa was obtained by her Yakuza friends), I am somewhat familiar with certain aspects of Japanese "nightlife". If you want a truer look at what goes on in a hostess bar, better to get "Butterflies of the Night", by Lisa Louis.

1 comments about Ancient Grace: Inside the Cedar Sanctuary of Yakushima Island.

1. I spent a week hiking the interior and scootering the perimeter of Yakushima & had the pleasure of meeting Hiroaki Yamashita. His photographs capture the spooky, spiritual, perfect beauty of this place that even the rapacious Japanese developers haven't screwed up too badly. It's so mountainous that even though it's only 32 miles or so around, there are parts of the island that have never been explored. If you get a chance, go, it's beautiful & unforgettable. If you can't go, get this book.

No comments about Lonely Planet Japon/ Lonely Planet Japan (Spanish Guides).

1 comments about Fodor's Tokyo's 25 Best, 6th Edition (25 Best).

1. While in Italy, I traveled with the compact and informative "Venice's 25 Best" and "Florence's 25 Best". They had their flaws - some strange restaurant suggestions - but overall, they really helped for planning out each day.
   
   I bought "Tokyo's 25 Best" for fun, thinking that it may get me hyped for a future trip to Tokyo. It was shipped with a number of other books, including "Frommer's Japan", "Eyewitness Travel Japan", and "Lonely Planet Tokyo City Guide". Out of the lot, Fodor's was by far the worst. It doesn't seem up to date at all, even though this edition was just published in August of 2008. As a reviewer for the previous edition mentioned, it talks about GPS and HDTV as a revolutionary piece of technology only available in Japan. Surely that was an excusable oversight to put in one edition, but it almost seems like information from the last edition could have just been copied and pasted directly into the 6th edition's new format.
   
   Also, some suggestions that other books say are definitely not worth the time (i.e Tokyo Tower), Fodor's wholeheartedly recommends.
   
   Despite all of these flaws, the included map is amazingly compact and durable (plastic).
   
   All in all, I highly suggest "Frommer's Tokyo" or "Frommer's Japan" if you really want an informative, interesting,and updated travel guide.

No comments about Japan Made Easy.

No comments about Japanese Cookbook: 100 Japanese Recipes for Western Cooks.

1 comments about All Japan: The Catalogue of Everything Japanese.

1. Liza Dalby's Catalogue of Everything Japanese reflects her extensive knowledge of the country. After living in Japan as a teenager and becoming the only non-Japanese woman to become a geisha, Dalby displays an extensive knowledge of all things Japanese in this amazing book.

No comments about Vienna (Photopocket).