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A review by amicarlton
The Japan Lights: On the Trail of the Scot Who Lit Up Japan's Coast by Iain Maloney
4.0
Get ready for a wild ride through Japan to take a look at visit the lighthouses of Japan.
This reads a little like the random ramblings of a guy who decided to take a vacation and write a book, and that made it way more enjoyable than the average travel book. Alongside the highlights of Maloney’s trek through Japan, he’s tucked in interesting historical facts, amusing anecdotes, and beautiful sketches. This is a great read for those who love travel, whether specifically to Japan or otherwise.
I’ve never been to Japan, but it’s on my bucket list, so I looked forward to the opportunity to read more about it. I’ll admit, most of my exposure has been to anime and other similar Japanese cultural imports. So seeing such an intimate account, even from an expat, was an enjoyable experience.
I really enjoyed Maloney’s writing style. Rather than a dry, informational account, he is quite talented at offering us a humorous adventure, even in the historical parts where most authors would offer a dry account. While these parts are still dryer than others, they are still interesting. He’s great at providing funny little tidbits, like offices being turned into Taco Bells, that force a chuckle. Another of my favorite anecdotes involved a lighthouse that had saved many lives as "something to do."
The cover and the other illustrations and maps in the book were lovely, offering a nice view of the various lighthouses. Imagining the author trekking across Japan to visit the various far-flung locations paints quite a picture. I can’t imagine doing the same in the United States.
I’m grateful to the author and Love Books Tours for including me on this tour, and look forward to reading more by the author. His humorous style is definitely something worth exploring!
This reads a little like the random ramblings of a guy who decided to take a vacation and write a book, and that made it way more enjoyable than the average travel book. Alongside the highlights of Maloney’s trek through Japan, he’s tucked in interesting historical facts, amusing anecdotes, and beautiful sketches. This is a great read for those who love travel, whether specifically to Japan or otherwise.
I’ve never been to Japan, but it’s on my bucket list, so I looked forward to the opportunity to read more about it. I’ll admit, most of my exposure has been to anime and other similar Japanese cultural imports. So seeing such an intimate account, even from an expat, was an enjoyable experience.
I really enjoyed Maloney’s writing style. Rather than a dry, informational account, he is quite talented at offering us a humorous adventure, even in the historical parts where most authors would offer a dry account. While these parts are still dryer than others, they are still interesting. He’s great at providing funny little tidbits, like offices being turned into Taco Bells, that force a chuckle. Another of my favorite anecdotes involved a lighthouse that had saved many lives as "something to do."
The cover and the other illustrations and maps in the book were lovely, offering a nice view of the various lighthouses. Imagining the author trekking across Japan to visit the various far-flung locations paints quite a picture. I can’t imagine doing the same in the United States.
I’m grateful to the author and Love Books Tours for including me on this tour, and look forward to reading more by the author. His humorous style is definitely something worth exploring!