the hyper-attentiveness of "impeccable" five-star hotel service sounds excruciating to me, as having every need anticipated implies being watched constantly.
the dialogues are so deeply rooted in Japanese and impossible to make out the original shape in English. The author seems not to have kept journals during the trip, instead writing this book two decades later, further undermines the narrative’s credibility. (tho i do believe it preserves an emotional truth.)
I have an elderly and difficult mother, this book helped me re-exam the time we spent together and provided a different prospective. This book is a joy to read