4 out of 5 stars
Japan has long fascinated me as a country, the culture compared to the UK where I live seems utterly alien. I haven’t visited, but those that I know who have, say it was well worth the trip. Taking a holiday there is probably my limit, I am not sure I could do what Iain Maloney did and move to the country with his Japanese wife Minori.
They chose this option because of the onerous regulations and costs that our present government places on the spouses of UK residents. They chose to live in a rural village too, something that most immigrants to the country don’t do, most stay in the larger cities. This very funny book is the story of his trying to comprehend Japanese culture, fit into village life, understand the language and be accepted despite being the only gaijin in the village.
Even though he is an obvious incomer to the place, the residents of the village also see his wife as an incomer too, She is not from that part of the country, so she has had to build trust with the people there, though she does have a head start on the culture and language. He has some strong opinions about his chosen country, and this book is as much a celebration of the things that he loves as well as the things that drive him to drink. He is Scottish after all…
Coming from a country that is relatively inert geologically, he is spooked by the natural events that happen fairly frequently there, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. However, the one that scared him the most was the alerts for the missile that the ever-friendly North Koreans had fired. A reminder of the tension in the geopolitics of the region.
I really liked this and thought that it had the edge over Abroad In Japan by Chris Broad, mostly because of the bone-dry humour that Maloney has. But to be honest they are both worth reading because of the different experiences that they have of living the country.
I really enjoyed Abroad in Japan. I got the audiobook and it kept me amused and fascinated over several long car journeys. I’ll keep an eye out for this one!
Get yourself a copy. Can also recommend The Bells of Old Tokyo by Anna Sherman which was my book of the year a few years ago
Is this the new ‘Year in Provence’ type of memoirs? Is Japan the new Mediterranean? Of course, given my own background of studying Japanese (although I never spent more than a summer there at a time), it’s very tempting to read this. Thank you for drawing my attention to it.
This has been out a little while now, where Abroad in Japan was earlier this year I believe. I thought it was worth reading. Can also recommend The Bells of Old Tokyo by Anna Sherman.
Can also recommend Hokkaido Highway Blues by Will Ferguson thought that’s more of a road trip book. I do like a book about culture shock and a book about Japan so I will keep a look out for this.
I have read that and really enjoyed it. I have The Roads to Sata: A 2000-Mile Walk Through Japan by Alan Booth languishing on a bookshelf that I want to read at some point