haleyshealy's review
4.0
It felt really good to read this. Good to reflect on my time in Japan and how much of what I felt rang true (or didn’t) in his words. He captures the contradictions beautifully and says all the things I thought in such a more poetic way.
kellyd's review
4.0
A great coffee table book -- vignettes and quirky factoids that are easy to digest but offer humorous and thoughtful dialogue. Makes me interested his book Autumn Light which this book companions.
Worth noting that this book isn't for the traveler that wants to know the practical basics for visiting Japan.
Worth noting that this book isn't for the traveler that wants to know the practical basics for visiting Japan.
pattydsf's review
4.0
I call this a ‘beginner’s guide’ not only because it’s aimed at beginners, but mostly because it’s written by one. Being in Japan has taught me to say, ‘I wonder,’ more often than ‘I think.’ The first rule for any foreigner in Japan is not to talk of this-or-that; the second is never to take anything too seriously.”
“More important than learning to speak Japanese when you come to Japan is learning to speak silence. My neighbors seem most at home with nonverbal cues, with pauses and the exchange of formulae. What is the virtue of speaking Japanese, Lafcadio Hearn noted, if you cannot think in Japanese?”
I have enjoyed Iyer’s writing for years. He is a writer that I wish I had read more frequently. So when I saw this book on the new book shelf at my local public library, I grabbed it. I knew that the combination of Japan (a country I have grown to love) and an excellent writer was going to be a good read.
This book was lovely. Iyer admits that he is a beginner even though he has lived in Japan, with a Japanese wife and children for thirty years. During my short stay in Japan, it was clear to me that all non-Japanese would always be beginners in that country. It was good to meet someone who understood that.
The book is short essays, sometime just a paragraph. They are linked under headings such as “The Enigmas of Arrival,” “The Apple in the Garden,” and “Spirits from the Past.” The book moves from the public to the private which is how I got to see Japan. I started in Tokyo with millions of people and eventually ended up in Ishinomaki which hosts fewer foreigners. It was an experience of a lifetime and Iyer’s book brought back many lovely memories.
I will say that I believe that this book title is a bit deceiving. As I said, all visitors to Japan are beginners. However, if you are looking for a guidebook, don’t start here. Read this book when you return.
Nothing I say will do justice to Iyer’s writing. He uses words carefully with inspiration. Although he says his Japanese is poor, I doubt it. The writing in this is lovely. If you have any interest in Japan, you may enjoy this book.
“More important than learning to speak Japanese when you come to Japan is learning to speak silence. My neighbors seem most at home with nonverbal cues, with pauses and the exchange of formulae. What is the virtue of speaking Japanese, Lafcadio Hearn noted, if you cannot think in Japanese?”
I have enjoyed Iyer’s writing for years. He is a writer that I wish I had read more frequently. So when I saw this book on the new book shelf at my local public library, I grabbed it. I knew that the combination of Japan (a country I have grown to love) and an excellent writer was going to be a good read.
This book was lovely. Iyer admits that he is a beginner even though he has lived in Japan, with a Japanese wife and children for thirty years. During my short stay in Japan, it was clear to me that all non-Japanese would always be beginners in that country. It was good to meet someone who understood that.
The book is short essays, sometime just a paragraph. They are linked under headings such as “The Enigmas of Arrival,” “The Apple in the Garden,” and “Spirits from the Past.” The book moves from the public to the private which is how I got to see Japan. I started in Tokyo with millions of people and eventually ended up in Ishinomaki which hosts fewer foreigners. It was an experience of a lifetime and Iyer’s book brought back many lovely memories.
I will say that I believe that this book title is a bit deceiving. As I said, all visitors to Japan are beginners. However, if you are looking for a guidebook, don’t start here. Read this book when you return.
Nothing I say will do justice to Iyer’s writing. He uses words carefully with inspiration. Although he says his Japanese is poor, I doubt it. The writing in this is lovely. If you have any interest in Japan, you may enjoy this book.
dotaguro's review
5.0
Extremely well written. The best way to approach this book is not to take everything as bald statements of fact or even the authors experience, but by that he is throwing a thousand impressions out, sometimes contradictory but always well written, in an effort to describe the outlines of something you can’t precisely describe but can only approximate though example and reference to shared experiences.
misssusan's review
3.0
i don't think i learned much about japan from this (pico iyer starts off by acknowledging much of he says will seem like generalizations or perhaps better applied to broader parts of east asia or kyoto alone and he's right to make the disclaimer) but i did learn that i like reading pico iyer's musings! it's basically a book version of the kind of conversation you'd have with a friend when you're speculating about what's shaped the people around them, i wouldn't take it as legitimate insights into anything more broad than pico iyer's experiences
3 stars
3 stars
tofugirl's review
2.0
Writing style was highly irritating, like a collection of notes he has scribbled over the 32 years he’s lived in Japan, none of them really connecting to each other. Some of his cultural insights were spot on, but I found myself rushing through this book, wanting to get it over and done with.
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