concrete-bagel 0 Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Just started reading this book last night and I'm finding it difficult to put down. Great read. Anyone else read it? Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 yup, read it 2xs and am doin it in jap at school. Informative book eh? Link to post Share on other sites
farquah 0 Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 who`s it by? Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Very popular book and rightly so http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN...2091949-0688217 Link to post Share on other sites
Snowhaus 0 Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 The author came up to Aomori as a guest speaker for a charity fundraiser last year. He was a very interesting guy, with some interesting insights about Japan. It was clear that he really loves the country, but despairs of some of the things that have happened here... Link to post Share on other sites
me jane 0 Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I heard him speak back when I was on JET. I read his "Lost Japan". I think that was his first book. Hadn't heard of this one. Has anyone read both? How do they compare? Link to post Share on other sites
Hokkaidough 4 Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Any Japanese here read the Japanese version? Recommended? (I think this is it http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4062081016/250-2091949-0688217) Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 I enjoyed reading it. However I only read that after I left Japan. I was worried that it would only fuel my sparodic anti-Japan grumpiness when the time (immaturely) suited me. I was surprised at just how much I had observed and thought about in my time on J-island. It was all in the book. You don't really need to read the book, just go there and see and think about what you see. It is quite a good book, very interesting to read. One objective complaint is that he flogs a few horses just a little too often. For example, he throws in 'cementing up the river banks' as evidence on just about every 'charge' he brings against Japan. There were times that I thought hang on buddy, you quote that one way too often, it was dealt with sufficiently in the first half of the book, move on. Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 I agree with DB on the repetitive point. He (Alex Kerr, Farquah) hammers home a few points enough times to make it annoying. I almost put the book down after a couple of chapters b/c of that..but am glad I didn't. The facts and arguments are seriously compelling. Mind blowing in some instances. I enjoy living here..I'm not a Japan basher but as the author mentions there are tons of books that celebrate Japan but few to point out the problems. There are some atrocities going on here that are even on a global scale pretty huge. It was a very interesting read. I would even say it is an important read for japanese citizens (it's printed in nihongo). Quote: "Japan is the world's only advanced country that does not bury telephone cables and electrical lines" This stuck out in my mind. As I drive around in my car I often think how pretty this or that place would look without the eyesore of soooooooo many wires. (not the premise of the book just and example). Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by Kintaro: I agree with DB on the repetitive point. He (Alex Kerr, Farquah) hammers home a few points enough times to make it annoying. I almost put the book down after a couple of chapters b/c of that..but am glad I didn't. The facts and arguments are seriously compelling. Mind blowing in some instances. I enjoy living here..I'm not a Japan basher but as the author mentions there are tons of books that celebrate Japan but few to point out the problems. There are some atrocities going on here that are even on a global scale pretty huge. It was a very interesting read. I would even say it is an important read for japanese citizens (it's printed in nihongo). Quote: "Japan is the world's only advanced country that does not bury telephone cables and electrical lines" This stuck out in my mind. As I drive around in my car I often think how pretty this or that place would look without the eyesore of soooooooo many wires. (not the premise of the book just an example). Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 oops! machigatta! sorry. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 is the japanese version this one: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN...5Fencoding=UTF8 or this one: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4022642408/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/250-9197102-5010628 I wanna get it for my j-GF. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 I passed it along ta two teachers at school before reading it now; their reaction was priceless. All they kept saying was they had no idea... think ignorance is bliss. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Jversion ISBN 4-06-208101-6 Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 cheers. whats the other one out of interest? is that 'lost japan'? Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 bobby, yup. Alex Kerr wrote Lost Japan in Japanese first then somebody else translated it into English. If I remember it was a collection of speeches/lectures he did that he put into a book. Pretty interesting though. Wish I had some of the experiences he did... fascinating. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 does anyone know if james clavell's shogun can be bought in japanese? i think i saw it on amazon last year but it seems to be gone now. if anyone knows the correct translation of the title that'd be useful. Link to post Share on other sites
yoroshiku onegai shimasu 2 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Japanese version this one http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN...5Fencoding=UTF8 Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 One more agree on the repetitive thing, it kinda spoils it. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 One more vote for the repetition here. Another criticism would be that some of his comparisons with other parts of Asia are very selective or dependent on historical circumstance rather than any kind of intention. He criticises planned Japanese developments like Makuhari or say Port Island in Kobe as being soulless, yet praises Singapore, parts of which look very similar to me. Japan has been very slow to react to foreign tourism, but Japan has historically been far too expensive for the backpacker crowd and there has never been a gap in spending potential between domestic Japanese travellers and foreign ones to encourage a big push for foreign visitors. If you travel in the rest of Asia, many locals welcome you with tourist prices because white boy is moneybags compared to them. In my experience, the only people profiting on gaijin's lack of local knowledge in Japan are other gaijin. That said, he says a lot of things that need to be said. The stuff about the construction industry as the welfare system is very good. A possible parallel would be heavily subsidized employment in the defence industry in Britain and the United States. This too creates massive damage and suffering, but all of that occurs overseas. Link to post Share on other sites
7-11 2 Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Not exactly bedtime reading, but a great read all the same. Any opinions on the Japanese version, I wonder how it translates? Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 A Japanese friend who has read it said they were surprised at some of the things - they had hardly heard about any of the cases brought up. They said they would have to rethink what they thought about their own country. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 7-11, Ive only read two and a half chapters, havent had muc time recently, and its just as in your face as the English version. Hope to get into it after final exams wind down. Link to post Share on other sites
merryJim 1 Posted March 8, 2005 Share Posted March 8, 2005 You're reading it in Japanese, very impressive. gamera, you not read it? Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 I bought it for a Japanese friend whos going through it now.... waiting for a verdict! Link to post Share on other sites
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