5 comments about How to Take a Japanese Bath (Zzz).

1. Though this book has few words, it conveys the sense of the Japanese bath and bath ritual with exquisite illustration and word images. There is no other book I have found that deals with this subject matter in such a poetic, thorough, yet unsentimental manner. It was especially useful prior to my first visit to Japan. It helped make sense of a simple but somewhat mystifying cultural tradition.



2. On a whim I bought this book for my fifteen-year-old daughter who is about to leave for Japan on an exchange student program. Our whole family delighted in the beautiful, gentle, and insightful explanation of this paramount of Japanese experiences. So clear, so charming, we could almost feel the sensory effects of this wonderful institution.



3. As a Japanese, I find this small book to be very accurate and informative. The procedure and the idea behind Japanese bath taking is clearly explained, without the oft-found orientalism. This is exactly the bath taking manners that our parents teach their kids (well, at least they are supposed to).

   Another great point about this booklet is the artist, Maruo. He is the Dario Argento of Japanese comics, known for his extremely detailed and beautiful drawings of the grotesque. In this book, you'll find a lot of very pleasant drawings about Japanese bath taking, but to the people who are used to his normal works, you sort of expect some blood, gore, beheadings and freakshows that are Maruo's signature themes at every turn of the page. Whether that expectation was satisfied was... I'll leave it up to you to find out.

   Highly reccomended. Informative to non-Japanese (and the younger generation Japanese --- you kids have no idea how to properly take a bath these days, shame on you), and enjoyable to Japanese.




4. Short and well illustrated, a good primer but definitely overpriced.
   Look for used if possible or else borrow a copy and read.



5. I'll never forget the first time I went into a sento in Japan, mainly because it was an unqualified disaster. I had no idea what I was doing, and had no one to show me what to do. I tried my best to watch the other bathers to see what they were doing, but staring at a bunch of naked guys isn't exactly the best way to go. The worst part was that I didn't know enough to bring along my privacy towel. You have no idea how much that little piece of cloth matters when everyone else has one, and you don't. Oh, how I wish I had had this book beforehand!
   
   "How to Take a Japanese Bath" is a simple guide, only 40 pages or so. Because of the fantastic illustrations, it is more like a manga than a book. Inside the rules of the bath are laid out in twelve simple steps, in an easy-going tone that doesn't talk down to you or lecture. It is pretty simple, if someone explains it to you as well as author Leonard Koren does here. In the back is a short overview of the history of bathing culture in Japan, and some basic Japanese phrases and kanji to help you navigate. It is, in short, everything you need to have a better experience than I did.
   
   The illustrations are what really set this apart from being just a pamphlet. I have to wonder what editor selected Suehiro Maruo, a successful contemporary artist best known for his violent and somewhat disturbing artwork, to illustrate this pleasant little guide to a peaceful and relaxing pastime. Imagine going to Japan and finding a guide to eating a hamburger, illustrated by Clive Barker, and that is what you are getting.

No comments about Manga Touch (Orca Currents).

No comments about A Birdwatcher's Guide to Japan.

1 comments about Legless in Ginza: Orientating Japan.

1. Gerster is one of the few literate writers who came to Japan without specialised knowledge, and was able to write an incredibly pithy observation of the country from the perspective of an Australian.There is no rose coloured view of the country, rather a warts and all examination of what he saw and experienced. Gerster is also adept at describing observers and fellow foreigners(quasi observers, as opposed to Japanophiles or other), which anyone who has lived here in Japan would recognise.

   His comments on travel in Hokkaido, especially commentary on the Ainu, and Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kyoto, are dripping with reason and honesty, not to mention scathing incisiveness.

   The book may upset people who otherwise like this country, but there are too few people who can courageously write of Japan as a country, nothing more, nothing less the way Gerster can.

   My only reservation is that, incisive though his commentary is, his observations suffer from a potentially fatal flaw.Gerster has received all information on Japan through an English filter. He is devoid of any linguistic ability in the Japanese language, and he is also devoid of reading and writing skills in Japanese. This is the only black mark on otherwise razorsharp and brilliant commentary.

2 comments about Memoirs of a Gaijin: Emails from Japan.

1. I am not really a book person so my opinion should not hold credit. It had some funny parts but i thought it was going to be a lot more funny than it was.



2. This book has a few funny moments but really lacks any substance. It becomes tired quite quickly, with back and forth emails, and really fails to hold the reader's interest for too long. There are parts that I just couldn't get into at all. Frankly, some of it is just trite, I'm sorry to say.
   
   Writing a book is commendable but another person's published emails can really be quite uninteresting at times. I found myself skipping huge chunks of it. Not really what you want to do after having paid $30 for something :o( I might ask for a refund.

No comments about Journeys With a Brother Japan to India: Japan to India.

No comments about Japanese dolls (Tourist library. [New ser.] 17).

No comments about History of Japan (Tourist library).

No comments about Under the Osakan Sun: A Funny, Intimate, Wonderful Account of Three Years in Japan.

No comments about Japan journal, 1855-1861.