One Month in Tohoku Book Review

A large M7.3 earthquake struck northeastern Japan last Saturday night (February 13th) bringing back memories of the Great Tohoku Earthquake (March 11) almost 10 years ago now. Experts believe that this recent tremor was an aftershock from the massive earthquake that hit the region in 2011.

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (Great Tohoku Earthquake) was one of the biggest earthquakes in history and triggered a deadly tsunami that destroyed much of the Tohoku coastline.

Back in the summer of 2017, I went on a journey to Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan, where I visited Onagawa, a sleepy fishing port that suffered extensive damage during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. This was an eye opening experience for me and something that I will never forget.

Long-time Japan resident, Caroline Pover, author of One Month in Tohoku was deeply moved by the disaster and felt compelled to help in whatever way she could. Caroline was in the UK when the disaster struck, but in the weeks soon after March 11, was on the Oshika Peninsula in Mayagi Prefecture, an area that was badly affected by the tsunami. This was close to where I visited in 2017. She has spent the following years going back and forth between Japan and England, where she has been involved in fundraising and managing recovery projects for remote fishing communities on the Oshika Peninsula.

The Book’s Content

One Month in Tohoku is a memoir on life after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Caroline spent time living and working in the small communities of Oshika, where she helped with reconstruction projects, mobilizing support for them from overseas and making a contribution to the locals economic and psychological recovery.

The remote Oshika Peninsula was the first part of Japan to be hit by the tsunami and has been one of the last places to recover. At this time, they have yet to fully recover with reconstruction still ongoing.

This book is her story about this work and the strength and resilience of the survivors to overcome the disaster and to recover and rebuild their lives during this vulnerable time. 

My View

I really admire Caroline for the huge effort that she put in to help these local communities. It is people like Caroline that helped speed up the recovery process and contributed to the rebuilding of places and communities such as Onagawa that I was fortunate to visit in 2017.

Caroline never planned to write a book about Oshika but felt strongly about sharing their story to encourage people to look beyond the images that we see in the media after a disaster occurs. Once these images disappear, people soon forget about the seemingly never-ending process of recovery and rebuilding that the people affected by a disaster have to go through.

This engaging and very personal story touched my heart and greatly reminded me of my own journey to Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture. I would like to encourage everyone to give this heartwarming tale of love, kindness, compassion, and resilience of a very special community of people a read, and like myself, encourage you to visit the area, so that you can experience the beauty of the region and the people for yourself.

About the Writer

The author, Caroline Pover was born in Devon in the UK, grew up in Plymouth, and graduated from Exeter University before moving to Tokyo, Japan in 1996, in search of adventure.

She lived in Japan for almost fifteen years, running a number of businesses, giving speeches, and winning numerous awards for her entrepreneurial and philanthropic endeavours before moving back to the UK. This is her fifth book, and first memoir. 

Caroline Pover

One Month in Tohoku is an engaging and very personal story of one woman’s journey and contribution to help rebuild a shattered community.  

One Month in Tohoku is available on Amazon

 

No Pianos, Pets or Foreigners! Book Review

I first arrived in Japan in 1998 to start my working career after graduating from university in Australia with a business degree. Japan was a vastly different place then to what it is now, and I was lucky to catch the very tail-end of the golden boom period. I was one of the few foreigners living in my small city in central Japan, and I can tell you that I had a lot of unique and interesting experiences as one of the only westerners in my area, but that is a story for another day.

Joe Palermo the writer of No Pianos, Pets or Foreigners arrived even earlier than I did, but we share many of the same Japan experiences and Japan stories.

The Book’s Content 

No Pianos, Pets or Foreigners is a short, easy to read 87-page book full of interesting Japan experiences from the perspective of a foreigner living in Japan in the 1980s.

Many of the stereotypes of a foreigner in Japan from the 1980s still, unfortunately, remain today, such as “Wow! You can speak Japanese. How are you able to do that? ” and “Your chopstick skills are amazing for a non-Japanese!”

Here is a little from the book and the author.

“A young Japanese woman was running through Tokyo station screaming “Save me! Save me!” There was a Japanese man chasing her and closing in. He grabbed her wrist and caught her about 10 feet in front of me. The woman was still yelling “Save me! Save Me!” but the Japanese people in the crowded station ignored her, not wanting to get involved. This is the beginning of just one of the stories from my experience living in Japan in the 1980’s, where I had moved right after graduating university. It was still rare to see an American who could speak Japanese fluently. This book guides the reader though my many adventures navigating through Japanese culture while living in the outskirts of Tokyo, as well as Tokyo proper.”

My View 

This book is really easy to pick-up and read and is jam-packed with short entertaining stories about Joe’s eight-year journey of living in Japan in the boom of the 1980s. The writing style is easy to digest and I found myself sitting down wanting to read more and more each time I picked it up. The main interest for me was reading about Joe’s adventures in Japan and how he adapted to Japanese culture while living in his small town on the outskirts of Tokyo. I could definitely relate to this experience.

I really enjoyed the book as someone who has lived in Japan for a very long time. I could relate to many of the stories in the book and even went through quite a lot of them myself, so it definitely brought back a lot of memories about my start here in Japan.

About the Writer 

The author, Joe Palermo grew up in Addison, Illinois in the United States. Upon graduation from the University of Illinois in Chicago, he moved to Japan to accept a position with the Japanese government as a Mombusho English Fellow (MEF). He spent 3 years working for Shimaden, a Japanese manufacturer of industrial temperature controllers, and then joined the Nielsen company (formerly A.C. Nielsen) locally in Japan. He is now semi-retired and lives with his Japanese wife in the suburbs of Chicago.  

No Pianos, Pets or Foreigners! is an enjoyable read, outlining what it was like to live in Japan in the 1980s with many of the experiences still ringing true today.

No Pianos, Pets or Foreigners! is available on Amazon

Super Cheap Hokkaido Book Review

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island and is home to an abundance of unspoiled nature, hot springs and ski resorts, along with arguably some of the country’s best-kept culinary secrets. This northern wilderness attracts many fans of the outdoors with fantastic skiing and snowboarding in the colder months and hiking and camping in the summer months.

This often overlooked part of Japan might seem a little scary due to its sheer size but with the right travel guide, you’ll have no trouble in planning your long overdue trip to Hokkaido.

The Book’s Content 

Super Cheap Hokkaido is the ultimate budget travel guide for exploring Japan’s nature paradise on a shoestring budget. The travel guide covers Sapporo and Hokkaido Prefecture and the must see destinations such as Sapporo, Hakodate, Niseko, Furano, Otaru and Noboribetsu.

The book covers a wide range of money saving tips such as how to spend next to nothing drinking local beer in Sapporo, relax in free hot springs, spend a cheap day’s hiking in the mountains or where to find the best, inexpensive super fresh sushi and sashimi. It’s all here in this amazing travel guide.

Inside the book you will find:

Budget Food – comprehensive listings of low-cost restaurants, take-outs, cheap roadside stations and supermarkets.

Budget Shopping – all the best attraction discounts, free sample hot spots, 100 yen shops and tax-free shopping.

Colour Maps – ideal for budget travelers, making it easy and stress-free to get around.

Highlights and Itineraries – for those with rental cars or using discount train passes.

Cheap Accommodation – the best and cheapest hostels, family-friendly hotels, campsites, mountain lodges, capsule hotels and net cafes.

Travel Guides – all the major destinations are covered with Sapporo, Niseko, Furano, Otaru, Biei, Hakodate, Matsumae Castle, Daisetsuzan National Park, Lake Mashu, Shiretoko National Park, Abashiri and much more.

My View 

Why I really like the book? Like the other books in the Super Cheap series, Super Cheap Japan and Super Cheap Tokyo, it is compact and easy to use with all the information at your fingertips. I like how the book provides a quick guide on how to use it and how to save on your holiday before moving into the travel guide and covering the must see places.

The travel guides provide information on how to get around, discount passes and tickets, transportation maps, things to do, budget food, best places for shopping, recommended cheap accommodation and how to get there.

It is easy to use with colour maps making it easy and stress-free to get around. The maps use landmarks and walking routes to help get you around and include convenience stores, cheap supermarkets, 100-yen stores, budget accommodation and tourist information.

This book is perfect for backpackers, budget travelers, families on a tight budget, students and those of us who just want an amazing time, without blowing all their cash in a day.

About the Writer 

The author, Matthew Baxter is a British travel writer living in Tokyo. Having traveled across the country for more than a decade, without much money, he has built up an extensive knowledge of budget travel in the Land of the Rising Sun. He now writes professionally for several websites and publications, such as the Japan National Tourist Association, Japan Visitor and All About Japan. He is the author of Super Cheap Japan and Super Cheap Tokyo.

Super Cheap Hokkaido is all you’ll need for a fantastic budget friendly trip to Sapporo and Hokkaido. This book gives you some great money-saving tips all in an easy-to-use travel guide. Take the plunge and explore Japan’s northern frontier on your next trip.

Super Cheap Hokkaido is available now from Amazon.

Small Buildings of Kyoto: Volume II Book Review

The second volume of John Einarsen’s delightful little picture book, Small Buildings of Kyoto: Volume II has recently been published by Kyoto Journal. The book came about from a hit photo series on Instagram which focused on the charm and visual richness of seemingly ordinary structures in Kyoto. This photo series led to the first edition, Small Buildings of Kyoto being published in 2017.

Kyoto Journal is an award-winning quarterly English magazine founded in Kyoto in 1987 with the goal of presenting cultural insights from Japanese and Asian culture.

The Book’s Content 

Small Buildings of Kyoto: Volume II is a great insight into the real buildings and architecture of Kyoto that usually don’t make it into the books and travel guides about this historic city.

Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital is famous for its masterpieces of Japanese architecture and UNESCO World Heritage Sites with many of its buildings listed as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.

While the buildings in this book might not have the stunning beauty of these national treasures, they do have their own charm and beauty through their quaint and quirky characteristics. Each building has its own story to tell, offering you a fascinating insight into the way Kyotoites live today.

My View 

Why I really like this book? It is compact and full of beautiful colour photos that highlight the enduring charm of Kyoto’s everyday architecture.

The colour photos in the book are not of the iconic postcard-worthy attractions of Kyoto such as Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion) and Kiyomizu-dera Temple, but the everyday buildings that make up the urban fabric of the city.

I love the range of buildings covered in this book that showcase a mix of influences with some dating from the pre-war Taisho era (1912-1926) and others an interesting hybrid of textures, materials and shapes.

One thing that I really admire about Japanese architecture is how they get the most out of working with limited space to create elegant and graceful structures.

The best way to really get out and explore Kyoto is on foot by walking through the backstreets and tucked-away neighbourhoods that offer you the magic of the everyday charm of modern Kyoto.

This book is perfect for anyone looking to get some real insight on the everyday life of modern Kyoto. The quirky, humble and endearing buildings in the book reveal another side of Japan’s ancient capital city.

About the Writer 

The author, John Einarsen is a photographer and long-term resident of Kyoto. Originally from Colorado, he fell in love with Kyoto on his first trip there and settled down there in the early 1980s. He is the founder editor of Kyoto Journal and has served as an advisor to the Japan Times.

Small Buildings of Kyoto: Volume II is available now from the Kyoto Journal Website.

Japan Visions Photobook

Japan is a country of contrasts from the futuristic glowing neon of Tokyo to the historic temples and shrines of ancient Kyoto. You don’t even have to leave town to see the ultra-modern mixed in with the traditional.

One of the many things that I love about Japan is seeing this constant on a daily basis. I could be walking down the street in Gifu and see a high-tech vending machine on a corner which leads to an old street lined with lattice-walled houses from the Edo period (1603-1868).  

Japan Visions is the debut photographic book from Amélie Ravalec which highlights through images the colouful contrast that is the land of the rising sun.

The Book’s Content

Here’s what Amélie Ravalec says: “Japan Visions is an evocative and colourful journey through the streets of Japan, from Tokyo’s neon lights and underground culture to the ancient beauty of Kyoto’s temples and gardens. Amélie Ravalec debut photographic publication captures the country’s odd beauty: android robots, erotic wooden plaques, guillotined dolls and cyberpunk warehouses.”

Showa Period Robots

My View

Why I really like this book? It is the perfect size for picking up and flicking through to enjoy the many wonderful large and vibrant colour photos. I also really like how it has absolutely no text, but just lets the colour photos do the talking. As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words”.

A picture is worth a thousand words

As a photographer, I really like the way that Amélie Ravalec captures the essence of daily life in Japan from ordinary street views to people just going about their regular life. The photos also show the underground side of Japan from weird and wonderful Showa period (1926-1989) robots and dolls to erotic ema plaques and neon-lit alleyways.

Daily Life on the Streets of Japan

Neon Light Life in Japan

About the Writer

The author, Amélie Ravalec is a London-based documentary filmmaker and photographer. She is the director of Industrial Soundtrack for the Urban Decay (2015), Paris/Berlin: 20 Years of Underground Techno (2012) and the forthcoming documentary Art & Mind (2019).  

Japan Visions offers you a glimpse into the colourful contrast that makes Japan the special place that it is for many of us expats living in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Japan Visions is available now via Amélie’s website.

Super Cheap Tokyo Book Review

Tokyo is one of the most exciting cities on the planet with its mix of the traditional, from historic temples and colourful shrines to the ultramodern, with neon-lit skyscrapers and pop culture. Tokyo has it all. With so much to see and do in Tokyo, it can be overwhelming trying to plan a travel itinerary without the right travel guide.

The Book’s Content 

 

Super Cheap Tokyo is the ultimate budget travel guide to exploring Japan’s capital on a shoestring budget. The travel guide covers the greater Tokyo metropolis and the surrounding Kanto region on the cheap. Unlike other Tokyo guides, this book shows you exactly how, where and when you can save money.

The book covers a wide range of money saving tips such as how to grab a traditional Japanese meal for only $3, buy clothes in the fashion mecca, Harajuku for under $10, and how to spend next to nothing on a day’s hiking or relaxing in a Japanese garden.

Inside the book you will find:

• Budget food – a comprehensive list of low-cost restaurants, take-outs and supermarkets.
• Budget shopping – the best tax-free shopping, shopping hot-spots and 100-yen stores.
• Highlights and itineraries – based on discount subway and train passes, so you can explore while keeping the costs down.
• Tokyo’s hidden treasures – walking routes to all the hot spots and must see places to visit.
• Cheap accommodation – the best and cheapest hostels, budget hotels, family-friendly hotels, internet cafes, overnight spas and more.

My View 

Why I really like this book? It is compact and easy to use with all the information and tips at your fingertips. I like how the book provides a quick guide on how to use it and some useful information about Tokyo before moving into the travel guide and covering the must-see places. Each area of Tokyo is broken down into a brief intro, a little bit of history about the area, things to do, and getting around, before moving into budget food and shopping.

Tokyo offers countless tourist attractions to visitors, and this book gives you plenty of great travel options to explore without breaking the bank.

It is easy to use with colour maps making it easy and stress-free to get around. The maps use landmarks and walking routes to help get you around and include convenience stores, cheap supermarkets, 100-yen stores, budget accommodation and tourist information. The book covers all the best of the region including the highlights of Tokyo such as the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Skytree, Harajuku, Asakusa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno, Akihabara, and Odaiba, as well as the Kanto region with Mount Fuji, Kamakura, Yokohama, Nikko, Hakone along with many other off-the beaten-track spots.

Shibuya Map

The colour photos in the book add to content giving you a glimpse of the amazing places that you will visit.

This book is perfect for backpackers, budget travelers, families on a tight budget, students and those who just want an amazing time, without blowing all their cash in a day.

About the Writer 

The author, Matthew Baxter is a travel writer living in Tokyo. Having traveled across the country for several years, without much money, he has built up an extensive knowledge of budget travel in the Land of the Rising Sun. He now writes professionally for several websites and publications, such as the Japan National Tourist Association, Japan Visitor and All About Japan. He is the author of Super Cheap Japan.

Super Cheap Tokyo is all you’ll need for a fantastic budget holiday in Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto region. This book gives you some great money-saving tips all in an easy-to-use travel guide. There is no better time to come to Tokyo and Japan than now.

Super Cheap Tokyo is available now from Amazon.

Japan: A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette

Japan is a country filled with ancient traditions and customs that can baffle anyone who is new to the country. The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, with the modern culture absorbing influences from Asia, Europe and North America. Traditional Japanese culture has its roots in ancient China, a regional powerhouse that strongly influenced Japanese traditions and customs first through Korea, and later via direct cultural exchanges with China. For a long period of time during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868), Japan adopted a period of isolation from the outside world, which allowed its own culture to flourish and develop with out influence from outside forces.

The Book’s Content 

Japan: A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette is one of the first books to explain in great detail why the Japanese think and behave the way they do. Veteran Japanologist, Boye Lafayette De Mente unlocks the mysteries of kata – the cultural forms that shape and define Japanese etiquette, character and world view. Kata is responsible for creating the unique traits and talents which distinguish the Japanese people. It remains the key to understanding Japanese customs, business etiquette and daily communication and interactions.

The book covers a wide range of topics from “The Art of Bowing” and “Importance of the Apology” to “The Compulsion for Quality” and “Exchanging Name Cards”. The author delves deep into the complexities of Japanese culture by exploring the origin, nature, use and influence of kata in Japanese life.

My View 

Why I really like this book? In seventy short, clear essays and 224 pages the book explores Japanese history, daily life and the collective Japanese psyche to help explain the ancient culture of Japan and its own unique way of thinking. Long-term foreign residents of Japan will find this book illuminating and thought-provoking as it provides detailed insights into many of the country’s interesting traditions, customs and etiquette. It is the perfect read for anyone interested in working for a Japanese company to better understand the work culture, business etiquette and why things are the way they are.

The black and white photos in the book add to the mystery of the content and help to break up the text-heavy pages.

This book is great for anyone looking to get deep under the surface of Japanese culture and better understand this fascinating country.

About the Writer 

The author, Boye Lafayette De Mente first went to Japan in 1949 as a member of a U.S. military intelligence agency, and was involved with the country for more than six decades as a student, journalist, editor, lecturer, and writer. He is the author of more than thirty books on Japan, including Japanese Etiquette and Ethics in Business and How to Do Business with the Japanese.

The book has been completely revised and expanded by Geoff Botting, who has lived in Japan for over a quarter century, witnessing Japan’s economic bubble, its bursting, and the changes that came in its wake. He is a freelance translator and a print and broadcast journalist specializing in business.

Japan: A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette offers an informative and eye-opening look at a unique culture and helps you better understand the rationale behind Japanese behavior. This book gives you a good understanding of Japan’s traditions, customs and etiquette which are useful to know whether you are just visiting the country as a tourist, or planning to live in Japan as a resident.

Japan: A Guide to Traditions, Customs and Etiquette is available now from Tuttle Publishing.