J'aime le nattō

by Julie Blanchin Fujita

Un jour d'octobre, Julie débarque au Japon avec son sac à dos. Fascinée par ce pays, elle en tombe amoureuse et y reste six ans. Dans ce livre, elle dessine le quotidien de ses années à Tôkyô : métro, tatami, bentô, mon Fuji, tremblements de terre, vélo, canicule et... nattō.
Vous ne savez pas ce que c'est ? Venez le découvrir...

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Japan, Memoir, Travel, Bande Dessinée, Manga

232 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2017

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is a bit misleading, as there is not a high proportion of love or autobiography. Instead of "manga memoir" I would call it a cartoon scrapbook.

A French woman travels to Japan to live and work. She fills the pages of this book with random thoughts about Japan, serving up lots of images of clothes, food, apartment layouts, and toilets. Each page has a cluttered feel as the images are plopped here and there in the midst of full text in both English and Japanese (which, why????). It is sometimes difficult to match captions and open word balloons to the correct image as the two languages fight for space.

There are a few anecdotes scattered here and there, but most of the pages are just "isn't this odd" info dumps that offer little insight into the author's personality beyond her bemusement at Japanese culture and maybe a fetish for Asian men. She touches on the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and in the last 40 pages -- the final fifth of the book -- she abruptly introduces and barely sketches a romantic relationship.

I do like the art, and if she had given me a little more of her inner life and dumped the clutter I probably would have enjoyed this a lot.

[Gilwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carnet de voyage ou plutôt carnet de vie sur les années passées à Tokyo de l'autrice. Un concentré de petites scènes de vie.

[Maria Ella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the watercolor art, but hated the story telling.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a loose collection of stories about one illustrator's journey into adulthood and eventually finding the man who would become her husband in Japan. It's sweet, short, to the point, and more about falling in love with Tokyo and the experience of adjusting from a home Western culture (France) to a Japanese one.

The drawings are sweet and child-like. The vignettes never last more than a few pages. I read it in about 30 minutes end to end. If I were trying to learn Japanese the side-by-side of English and Japanese would have charmed me more. That's not a complaint, it's just that 1/3rd of the written real estate is also in Japanese. I hope this means that this book is also part of the rare market that sells to both English and Japanese speakers.

Two comparisons that I appreciated - I spent some time in Japan as well - were how no matter how hot it is, Japanese women always look so well put together on the train. I felt delighted that a French girl who I would also suggest always looks so well put together also feels like a sweaty mess in front of Japanese women on the train. The other is the ease of the Japanese train system vs. the war zone that is the Parisian metro.

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an autobiographical manga, which is really well written and illustrated, full of irony and interesting information about life in Japan, in Tokyo in particular, so that I can't wait to read the sequel.

Questo é un manga autobiografico, che é veramente ben scritto ed illustrato, pieno di ironia e di interessanti informazioni sulla vita in Giappone, a Tokyo in particolare, tanto che non vedo l'ora di leggere il seguito.

THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE DRC!

[D.T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s always hard to rate someone else’s experience(s) and how they portray them. A bit like a scrapbook overall. A little flighty and sporadic like a conversation from a friend who is in a rush. Some places I would’ve liked the author to go more in-depth about. Not bad overall

[Lewerentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai adoré ! Pourtant, à première vue, les dessins ne m'emballaient pas. Mais c'est drôle, instructif, sympathique et, finalement, à l'exception des personnages, ils me plaisaient bien, ces dessins 😉 Recommandé -et pas seulement aux fans du Japon.

[Vio Rlln · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5- Jai aimé les anecdotes de la vie courante.

[Aude Élodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cadeau de mon frère vivant à Tokyo depuis plus d'une dizaine d'années. Super livre ! J'ai voyagé et retrouvé exactement tout ce dont il me parle : la cuisine, le travail, les transports, les comportements... Tout est dit avec humour avec des comparaisons très justes qui font forcément sourire. Au début, j'ai trouvé le rythme rapide, l'auteure est une vraie aventurière et quand elle se pose à Tokyo nous livrant les grandes lignes on souffle avec elle et on s'imagine très bien là-bas. Ceci ne se ferait pas sans les dessins, il y a du précis, architectural avec une vue aérienne des quartiers et il y a des petits dessins kawaii pour les objets souvent. J'ai adoré et ça serait génial que mon frère fasse pareil, livrer ses aventures, je me souviens des gants de sa femme s'envolant qu'il a voulu ramasser au bord du mont Fuji. Je lui en veux encore d'avoir été aussi stupide. Vivre au Japon et à Tokyo en particulier est dépaysant, c'est une autre planète et je suis ravie d'avoir lu ce témoignage tout coloré. Merci :-)

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the “love story” was going to be more of this book’s story, but it was only in the last few pages. I guess you could reinterpret the title as referring to the author’s love for Tokyo. The illustrations are lovely, but I was hoping for more of a personal memoir and less of a scrapbook of general details about living in Japan.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good memoir with fun tidbits but overall feels a little scattered and could use more depth.

[Maria Almaguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm somehow fascinated by Japanese culture and I know the reasons why: the minimalism, the order and practicalness of its packaging, housing, gardens, and furniture to name a few. Over the years I've read a few books about expats diving into Japanese life and culture (A Year in Japan by Kate Williamson and Turning Japanese by MariNaomi for example) and learned about bento boxes, hiyayakko, carrying your own colorful washcloth to dry your hands in public bathrooms, Basho, katari senko, and matcha--(you'll have to find out on your own if you're interested!). Julie is a Frenchwoman who travels to Japan and ends up staying for six years; she takes you to all the places she's lived describing in vivid detail the colorful sights and sounds of Tokyo. And of course, she finds love (hence the title). A vivid and engaging picture of modern day Tokyo. For all lovers of graphic memoir and Japanese culture.

[Suzanne Bhagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first graphic novel I have read in a long time. The title intrigued me since I also live in Japan. Unfortunately, most of the time, the author just presented some run-of-the-mill experiences every foreigner/gaijin experiences in the country (night trains etc.). That being said, there were tiny bits I didn't know about (like her DIY hardware experience). Nice illustrations but could have beefed up the "love story" part.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of really interesting information about living in Tokyo although they weren’t really expanded on. I would have liked to have heard some stories instead of a summary of everything the author saw and did, especially since a tourist perspective would have been really fascinating to read about. There was also some judgement in this book that just didn’t need to be there. The art was good though and it’s a quick read, making it a good introduction to learning about Japan.
2.5

[David Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite it being in the title, this is not a love story. It's a pretty run of the mill autobio graphic novel about moving to Japan from France. It would probably be a good read for someone learning Japanese, as all of the text is written out in both English and Japanese side to side.

Eh, not really my thing.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très bien illustré, documente très bien les régions du Japon où Julie a vécu. Manque peut être d’humour dans l’écriture mais nous fait tout de même bien voyager !

[Nathalie Vanhauwaert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une façon originale de découvrir le Japon

[Dianoudine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An autobiography about a French woman in Japan. Both very instructive and hilarious, with great illustrations. One of my favorite authors!

[Fanja Evers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enfin lu après 1 séjour d'un peu plus de 2 ans dans ma PAL !
5 étoiles bien sûr ! Et en plus, je n'en doutais pas...

[Melissa Prybys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super bouquin/B.D sur le Japon. J'ai beaucoup aimé et l'ai dévoré en deux jours.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

told in both English and Japanese Kanji!

[Preez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the illustrations!

[Jasna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I wish I had written.

[Pam Tickner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look at Tokyo - made me relive the best parts of my travels there too.

[Katie Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Less meaty than I thought it would be, but the vignettes are fun. I appreciate that she included both the English and Japanese translations.

[Emily Posthumus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute art! Rewally captures the spirit of tokyo.

[Georgia Rucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who's dreamed of living in Tokyo (or at least visiting), this book illustrates vivid and real vignettes of life as a foreigner living in Japan. Loved it. Wish it was longer.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

RTC

[Daphné Augier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superbes dessins

[Petit Bonnet Jaune · Rating 3 out of 5]

Belle découverte du Japon