No comments about Tokyo (Popout Map) (Popout Map) (Popout Map).

No comments about Paper windows: poems from Japan.

No comments about Japan National Map (Red Cover).

1 comments about Japan (Asian Guides Series).

1. Although not a travel journal of his walks through Japan (i.e. the terrific "The Roads to Sata" and "Looking for the Lost"), Booth turned the rather ordinary premise of a travel guide into a sociological exploration of the Japanese people as well as an indepth relation of the islands and prefectures of the country and their history. This is not a typical travel guide- there aren't any recommendations of restaurants or hotels. Instead, this is a description of Japan by a non-Asian who was able to master the Japanese language and who walked the entire length of the country, besides living there for half of his life. This man truly knew Japan and his knowledge is conveyed in his very lively discussions, complete with his typical dry humor and fascination with the people of the country. If you enjoyed "The Roads to Sata" and "Looking for the Lost", this book is different- it is aimed at travelers. However, you will love this book if the other books enticed you to learn more about Japan because Booth really took the time to share his wealth of knowledge and detail of the country for his readers in this terrific book. Also, the photos by Ken Straitton are a welcome addition for those who have always wanted to see exactly what Booth wrote about on his travels.

No comments about Reflex: Contemporary Japanese Self-Portraiture.

No comments about Rediscovering Lafcadio Hearn: Japanese Legends Life & Culture (Global Oriental).

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.

No comments about The Vanishing Map: A Journey from L.A. to Tokyo to the Heart of Europe.

No comments about Samurai and Cherry Blossom (A Rider book).