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jordynnguyen's review against another edition
2.0
As someone who is getting ready to move to Japan to teach English this book immediately interested me. I thought it was a fun read with hints of humor and some culture points. I do think it is outdated and a lot of things have now changed. Its a very easy book to read though, so no harm done.
bdw's review against another edition
4.0
Good, interesting read. The author doesn't try to analyze his experiences in Japan as much as he presents them in a direct, informed manner. What struck me is how much you can understand about a culture by looking at how they educate their children. Written from the point of view of an American middle-school teacher, the contrast between the independent American way of life and the very structured and social Japanese ideal is fascinating.
scorpstar77's review against another edition
4.0
Bruce Feiler spent a year in Japan teaching English in a Japanese middle school in the 1980s. As a tall, blond American man in a somewhat rural area of Japan, he definitely stands out. But he speaks Japanese well enough to get along, he can use chopsticks and he likes most Japanese food (all facts that astound the locals), and he digs into his trip with the intent to help the kids learn, to help his co-workers learn, to learn a lot himself. Told mostly from inside the Japanese school system, with side trips to night clubs and picnics and festivals, it's an interesting perspective on being an American in Japan.
I think Feiler's observations about what he saw as the strengths and weaknesses of Japanese culture as observed through the lens of the school were a nice summary, but I do wonder how much has changed in the 30 years since his year there.
I think Feiler's observations about what he saw as the strengths and weaknesses of Japanese culture as observed through the lens of the school were a nice summary, but I do wonder how much has changed in the 30 years since his year there.
alliberry243's review against another edition
This is pretty good, but it was depressing me about leaving Japan so I stopped reading it. I'll pick it up again eventually.
kargoforth's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a joy to read, funny, insightful, and historical. This helps the reader to understand and appreciate the Japanese culture.
minsies's review against another edition
4.0
This was an excellent book to read while watching Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City (which is a great show! You should watch it!). It's not directly applicable to what's happening in the show (I don't know that much would be), but it's a good companion piece.
I really enjoyed reading this, although I wasn't sure how out of date the book was (the version I read was published in 1991). I assume there are a fair number of things that have changed in Japan, and of course this is only the perspective of one person in a particular place at a particular time. It is more of a book about Feiler's personal experiences rather than a broad picture of foreign English teachers in Japan, but I didn't find that to be a problem.
I don't know how much changed from the original edition to the one published in 2004, but it's probably worth tracking down the more recent one.
I really enjoyed reading this, although I wasn't sure how out of date the book was (the version I read was published in 1991). I assume there are a fair number of things that have changed in Japan, and of course this is only the perspective of one person in a particular place at a particular time. It is more of a book about Feiler's personal experiences rather than a broad picture of foreign English teachers in Japan, but I didn't find that to be a problem.
I don't know how much changed from the original edition to the one published in 2004, but it's probably worth tracking down the more recent one.
queenqueso's review against another edition
2.0
The writing style is good, and I think the author himself is a decent writer in terms of grammar and flow. But the reason I only gave it two stars is that I got 2/3 of the way through the book and finally had to set it down because the entire novel can be summed up with "Japan is weird and complicated and ugh I had to live in it".
I sat down and thought about how I had read dozens of pages of this book only to realize that he didn't seem to have a single positive thing to say about his experience. He describes his co-workers almost like animals at times in their actions or appearances, -- even those who try to take care of him when he hurts his foot and seem genuinely interested in helping him have a good experience in the country -- and also these long winded commentary on Japan's history and culture, usually criticizing aspects of their religion (Shintoism was described as a "cult", for instance), their government, or their school system. He comes off as very arrogant and holier than thou. The good style of writing kept me going, but after a while I couldn't stomach the negativity of it when there is no positivity to balance it out.
Overall, for someone who seemed interested enough in Japan to learn the language and go to teach there, the author seems to have absolutely no joy in his experiences or the people he meets, and seems to have published this book only to gripe about the people who served as his hosts.
I sat down and thought about how I had read dozens of pages of this book only to realize that he didn't seem to have a single positive thing to say about his experience. He describes his co-workers almost like animals at times in their actions or appearances, -- even those who try to take care of him when he hurts his foot and seem genuinely interested in helping him have a good experience in the country -- and also these long winded commentary on Japan's history and culture, usually criticizing aspects of their religion (Shintoism was described as a "cult", for instance), their government, or their school system. He comes off as very arrogant and holier than thou. The good style of writing kept me going, but after a while I couldn't stomach the negativity of it when there is no positivity to balance it out.
Overall, for someone who seemed interested enough in Japan to learn the language and go to teach there, the author seems to have absolutely no joy in his experiences or the people he meets, and seems to have published this book only to gripe about the people who served as his hosts.
bookwormmichelle's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this--found it fascinating. But oh, I would have made a miserable Japanese! Sounds like it'd be a fascinating place to visit, but the schools there sound like my idea of hell--everyone in perfect conformity, or else. Yikes. I wonder how much might have changed since Feiler was in Japan.