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36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan
In 1980 Cathy N. Davidson traveled to Japan to teach English at a leading all-women’s university. It was the first of many journeys and the beginning of a deep and abiding fascination. In this extraordinary book, Davidson depicts a series of intimate moments and small epiphanies that together make up a panoramic view of Japan. With wit, candor, and a lover’s keen eye, she tells captivating stories—from that of a Buddhist funeral laden with ritual to an exhilarating evening spent touring the “Floating World,” the sensual demimonde in which salaryman meets geisha and the normal rules are suspended. On a remote island inhabited by one of the last matriarchal societies in the world, a disconcertingly down-to-earth priestess leads her to the heart of a sacred grove. And she spends a few unforgettable weeks in a quasi-Victorian residence called the Practice House, where, until recently, Japanese women were taught American customs so that they would make proper wives for husbands who might be stationed abroad. In an afterword new to this edition, Davidson tells of a poignant trip back to Japan in 2005 to visit friends who had remade their lives after the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, which had devastated the city of Kobe, as well as the small town where Davidson had lived and the university where she taught. 36 Views of Mount Fuji not only transforms our image of Japan, it offers a stirring look at the very nature of culture and identity. Often funny, sometimes liltingly sad, it is as intimate and irresistible as a long-awaited letter from a good friend.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1993
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969 people want to read
About the author
Cathy N. Davidson
51 books46 followersCathy N. Davidson served from 1998 until 2006 as the first Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies at Duke University, where she worked with faculty to help create many programs, including the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and the program in Information Science + Information Studies (ISIS). She is the co-founder of Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory, HASTAC (haystack), a network of innovators dedicated to new forms of learning for the digital age. She is also co-director of the $2 million annual HASTAC/John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competition. She has published more than twenty books, including Closing: The Life and Death of an American Factory (with photographer Bill Bamberger) and The Future of Thinking: Learning Institutions in a Digital Age (with HASTAC co-founder David Theo Goldberg). She blogs regularly on new media, learning, and innovation on the www.hastac.org website as Cat in the Stack. She holds two distinguished Chaired Professorships at Duke University, the Ruth F. DeVarney Professor of English and the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies. She has been awarded with Honorary Doctorates from Elmhurst College and Northwestern University."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 14, 2022
SPOULER FREE!!!
ON COMPLETION: Below I state that the author was teaching on all of her trips. This is not trueI She returned for other reasons, which you will find out by reading the book.Furthermore, Cathy, in fact returns a fifth time in 2005, 10 years after the the earthquake in Kobe on January 17, 1995. This final trip is chronicled in the Afterword. The book has a dictionary of useful terms and an Acknowledgments chapter at the very end. The acknowledgements are essential reading. She states which characters are true and have retained their proper names. Many of the other characters and even the name of the school where she taught are composites. She has done this to protect the privacy of the places and people involved.
What is most important to point out is that this book is clearly not just about the Japanese culture. It focuses on many other topics too - national identity, learning capabilities, self-doubt, individualism versus conformity, privacy and death too. This book is personal and the author is not trying to come up with a pat solution that explains all the congruities of Japanese, American, Canadian or French people's behaviors. She looks at the different behavior patterns and sees the differences, overlaps, the pluses and minuses of each. From there she has to resolve where she fits. I found this aspect of the book very interesting since I too have lived in different countries for years. I too never know quite where I fit. However the first half of the book is predominantly about Japanese culture. The second half is her search to sort out where she belongs, albeit still teaching the reader about curious Japanese cultures that few tourist have access to.
At the end of the book the author explains why she has chosen the the given title. In brief it is beause what the book focuses upon is personal and does not attempt to find solutions to behavioral disparities. She accepts and shows us that people do act differently in different circumstances. This was the message in Hokusai's book, to which she is refering. You shouldn't be to quick to judge others and assume that the behavior you see one day is a clear definition of that person's personality. I have always had difficulty putting together the horric history of Japanese in war with the kindness, empathy and goodwill you feel when you meet them. This has always troubled me.
Sometimes I felt the book was longwinded.
*********************************
AFTER 48%:
This is a memoir of the author's experiences teaching English literature in Japan. She makes four trips. The first trip occurs in 1980 and the last in 1990. Her husband follows her and also teaches in Japan. On the first trip, they live in Nigawa, between Kobe and Osaki.
I am learning a lot. You get to experience with the author how she comes to understand the Japanese on an intimate level. She learns their customs and their habits. She is accepted by them as their friends. What I most appreciate is her open and searching quest to understand the psyche of particularly Japanese women. She works at the Kansai Women's University. She experiences great sorrow on this trip and you learn how the Japanese helped her. You learn it through their small actions. I feel I understand the Japanese psyche much better from reading this book. They have cultural rules, but they also have instances when these rules are discarded! They can behave in what seems completely contradictory/ manners in different situations.
In addition, you will learn more traditional facts about Japanese life. You maybe already knew that Chrysanthenums are the flower of Japan, used for commemorations, but did you know that yellow and orange are colors of life?
She travels to Kudakajima, an island of Okinawa. This is the last surving matriarchal culture. She does not travel there as a tourist, but with her Japanese friends. She is invited to see that which is not on display for tourists.
From reading tthis book you will learn more than the ordinary facts about Japan. from reading this book. You are given a personal glimpse into the culture of Japan.
Please see the comments below. There are some criticisms voiced.
ETA: OK I forgot to add an excerpt. Given what has happened there is no reason to laugh. Cathy and her husband Ted spend a New Year's celebration with their friends Maryvonne (French) and her Japanese husband, Ichiro. Out of respect to Japanese customs they had declined participation, but in the end they did come:
Maryvonne has the deep ùelancholy voice of a French cabaret singer. She has not sung a solo tonight. I know, because her Piaf style can coax tears from a stone - and this is not a time for tears. We've Tennessee Waltzed, Mashed Potatoed, and Twisted the night away (after the traditional Japanese celebration). We are in a house in Nigawa, Japan, singing, dancing, and miraculously, Ted and I are laughing.(48%)
You have to read the book to know what has happened.
ON COMPLETION: Below I state that the author was teaching on all of her trips. This is not trueI She returned for other reasons, which you will find out by reading the book.Furthermore, Cathy, in fact returns a fifth time in 2005, 10 years after the the earthquake in Kobe on January 17, 1995. This final trip is chronicled in the Afterword. The book has a dictionary of useful terms and an Acknowledgments chapter at the very end. The acknowledgements are essential reading. She states which characters are true and have retained their proper names. Many of the other characters and even the name of the school where she taught are composites. She has done this to protect the privacy of the places and people involved.
What is most important to point out is that this book is clearly not just about the Japanese culture. It focuses on many other topics too - national identity, learning capabilities, self-doubt, individualism versus conformity, privacy and death too. This book is personal and the author is not trying to come up with a pat solution that explains all the congruities of Japanese, American, Canadian or French people's behaviors. She looks at the different behavior patterns and sees the differences, overlaps, the pluses and minuses of each. From there she has to resolve where she fits. I found this aspect of the book very interesting since I too have lived in different countries for years. I too never know quite where I fit. However the first half of the book is predominantly about Japanese culture. The second half is her search to sort out where she belongs, albeit still teaching the reader about curious Japanese cultures that few tourist have access to.
At the end of the book the author explains why she has chosen the the given title. In brief it is beause what the book focuses upon is personal and does not attempt to find solutions to behavioral disparities. She accepts and shows us that people do act differently in different circumstances. This was the message in Hokusai's book, to which she is refering. You shouldn't be to quick to judge others and assume that the behavior you see one day is a clear definition of that person's personality. I have always had difficulty putting together the horric history of Japanese in war with the kindness, empathy and goodwill you feel when you meet them. This has always troubled me.
Sometimes I felt the book was longwinded.
*********************************
AFTER 48%:
This is a memoir of the author's experiences teaching English literature in Japan. She makes four trips. The first trip occurs in 1980 and the last in 1990. Her husband follows her and also teaches in Japan. On the first trip, they live in Nigawa, between Kobe and Osaki.
I am learning a lot. You get to experience with the author how she comes to understand the Japanese on an intimate level. She learns their customs and their habits. She is accepted by them as their friends. What I most appreciate is her open and searching quest to understand the psyche of particularly Japanese women. She works at the Kansai Women's University. She experiences great sorrow on this trip and you learn how the Japanese helped her. You learn it through their small actions. I feel I understand the Japanese psyche much better from reading this book. They have cultural rules, but they also have instances when these rules are discarded! They can behave in what seems completely contradictory/ manners in different situations.
In addition, you will learn more traditional facts about Japanese life. You maybe already knew that Chrysanthenums are the flower of Japan, used for commemorations, but did you know that yellow and orange are colors of life?
She travels to Kudakajima, an island of Okinawa. This is the last surving matriarchal culture. She does not travel there as a tourist, but with her Japanese friends. She is invited to see that which is not on display for tourists.
From reading tthis book you will learn more than the ordinary facts about Japan. from reading this book. You are given a personal glimpse into the culture of Japan.
Please see the comments below. There are some criticisms voiced.
ETA: OK I forgot to add an excerpt. Given what has happened there is no reason to laugh. Cathy and her husband Ted spend a New Year's celebration with their friends Maryvonne (French) and her Japanese husband, Ichiro. Out of respect to Japanese customs they had declined participation, but in the end they did come:
Maryvonne has the deep ùelancholy voice of a French cabaret singer. She has not sung a solo tonight. I know, because her Piaf style can coax tears from a stone - and this is not a time for tears. We've Tennessee Waltzed, Mashed Potatoed, and Twisted the night away (after the traditional Japanese celebration). We are in a house in Nigawa, Japan, singing, dancing, and miraculously, Ted and I are laughing.(48%)
You have to read the book to know what has happened.
November 20, 2022
I'm fairly certain I read this one when it first came out years ago, but did not recall a single detail, so it was essentially new for me.
Tough one to review, as things have changed enough so that finding it somewhat dated wasn't a huge surprise. I'd like to think that the sexism of an "office lady"ceiling for female college graduates is not what it was back then.
As far as travel narrative goes, I don't mind expat stories of their lives in a country, but here things became less interesting when she strayed from her Japanese observations to inclusion of her personal life. One very strange phenomenon that sounded a bit like showing off to me: on a later trip to France, her brain seemed to be unable to come up with French conversation, instead she would just automatically speak to French people in Japanese. To her credit, I will say that near the end she admits that perhaps the couple has dived into the deep end of "going native" on their return to the States, but a Japanese visitor very graciously gets her out of it. Also, as other reviewers have pointed out, she seems to have stayed largely in expat, or bilingual Japanese, circles .I don't recall many situations where she hung out with Japanese friends speaking largely Japanese with little or no English? Her level of fluency was something I never quite understood, as at times she seemed relatively helpless, but later it's implied she could follow what was going on.
My verdict: at the time of publication, I could see where this was considered somewhat groundbreaking, but the value of the information today has depreciated. I found the audio narration was done quite well, so I'm glad I chose that format. But, most people would likely be better off with a cheap used copy, or library book.
Tough one to review, as things have changed enough so that finding it somewhat dated wasn't a huge surprise. I'd like to think that the sexism of an "office lady"ceiling for female college graduates is not what it was back then.
As far as travel narrative goes, I don't mind expat stories of their lives in a country, but here things became less interesting when she strayed from her Japanese observations to inclusion of her personal life. One very strange phenomenon that sounded a bit like showing off to me: on a later trip to France, her brain seemed to be unable to come up with French conversation, instead she would just automatically speak to French people in Japanese. To her credit, I will say that near the end she admits that perhaps the couple has dived into the deep end of "going native" on their return to the States, but a Japanese visitor very graciously gets her out of it. Also, as other reviewers have pointed out, she seems to have stayed largely in expat, or bilingual Japanese, circles .I don't recall many situations where she hung out with Japanese friends speaking largely Japanese with little or no English? Her level of fluency was something I never quite understood, as at times she seemed relatively helpless, but later it's implied she could follow what was going on.
My verdict: at the time of publication, I could see where this was considered somewhat groundbreaking, but the value of the information today has depreciated. I found the audio narration was done quite well, so I'm glad I chose that format. But, most people would likely be better off with a cheap used copy, or library book.
February 26, 2015
A delightful book by the author describing one of the four times that she lived in Japan with her husband and son as a professor. The title comes from a set of woodblock prints (36 of them originally) by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849).
The woodblock prints which is a series of prints - depicts Mount Fuji in varying seasons/weather conditions from different places/distances.
The series consists in total of 46 prints created between 1826 and 1833. The first 36 were included in the original publication and, due to their popularity, ten more were added after the original publication.
However, Davidson's book really describes the many different views and layers of Japanese culture and her wonderful experiences in Japan - of course paralleling the various glimpses that she had of Japan and its culture through her interactions with its wonderful people.
The experience really transformed her and her family. The author has an esteemed background and has written many other books, etc. as well has won many awards for her teaching. Here is a little about her background: http://www.cathydavidson.com
And this is a really cool video - count the passes - http://www.laweekly.com/arts/cathy-da...
Davidson allowed herself to change with the culture and learned a lot in the process with folks who were very attuned to what occurred in her family which to the Japanese culture is just part of the ebb and flow of life. And for those of you who are wondering - she did finally see Mount Fuji through the clouds.
The reader or listener will learn a great deal about Japanese culture which is not evident to the casual long distance visitor. Worthwhile.
One of the woodblock prints: (see view of Fuji in the background)
Great Wave of Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai
Source for Woodblock Print Information: Wikipedia
The woodblock prints which is a series of prints - depicts Mount Fuji in varying seasons/weather conditions from different places/distances.
The series consists in total of 46 prints created between 1826 and 1833. The first 36 were included in the original publication and, due to their popularity, ten more were added after the original publication.
However, Davidson's book really describes the many different views and layers of Japanese culture and her wonderful experiences in Japan - of course paralleling the various glimpses that she had of Japan and its culture through her interactions with its wonderful people.
The experience really transformed her and her family. The author has an esteemed background and has written many other books, etc. as well has won many awards for her teaching. Here is a little about her background: http://www.cathydavidson.com
And this is a really cool video - count the passes - http://www.laweekly.com/arts/cathy-da...
Davidson allowed herself to change with the culture and learned a lot in the process with folks who were very attuned to what occurred in her family which to the Japanese culture is just part of the ebb and flow of life. And for those of you who are wondering - she did finally see Mount Fuji through the clouds.
The reader or listener will learn a great deal about Japanese culture which is not evident to the casual long distance visitor. Worthwhile.
One of the woodblock prints: (see view of Fuji in the background)
Great Wave of Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai
Source for Woodblock Print Information: Wikipedia
October 12, 2021
The first seven chapters were incredible and poignantly captured what it feels like to be a foreigner in another country. Each chapter focuses on a specific part of Japanese culture such as Japanese women, students, "salary men", foreigners, the taboo night life of Osaka, and sacred temples. I appreciated the philosophical musings on what it feels like to be a foreigner, to stick out, to enjoy not understanding the language fluently, to bumble around trying to figure out how society works. I learned a lot about Japan.
After that, about halfway, the book tapers off into less organized chapters. The author takes four separate trips to Japan over the course of many years but only the first one feels cohesive in the book. There are a number of deaths that occur in the author's family and she uses her subsequent trips to Japan and back to America or Canada to mourn and reflect. There was a week-long trip to Paris where she and her husband met a lot of Japanese tourists; it was a stretch to include this in the book, and while I relate to many of her actions and thoughts of traveling, the second half of the book just didn't flow well. I was ready to be finished with it.
After that, about halfway, the book tapers off into less organized chapters. The author takes four separate trips to Japan over the course of many years but only the first one feels cohesive in the book. There are a number of deaths that occur in the author's family and she uses her subsequent trips to Japan and back to America or Canada to mourn and reflect. There was a week-long trip to Paris where she and her husband met a lot of Japanese tourists; it was a stretch to include this in the book, and while I relate to many of her actions and thoughts of traveling, the second half of the book just didn't flow well. I was ready to be finished with it.
October 25, 2020
I so enjoyed this book. Davidson has an engaging style that is easy to read. I felt like I was right there with her on all of her adventures and encounters in Japan. She vividly describes the experience of being a stranger in a strange land - the similarities and differences (one funny scene involves having to give a urine specimen while on antibiotics that turn her tinkle blue, confirming for all present that Americans really ARE different - they even have blue pee pee!); being held at arms length by some and embraced as a friend by others - and sometimes experiencing both at the same time from the same person; being in that unique place where people around you don’t expect you to obey the rules everyone else must follow; and feeling completely alienated in a foreign culture, then coming to understand and love that culture. The only down side of this book is that the experiences Davidson recounts happened in the early to mid eighties and I think that the Japan she writes of is gone - or significantly changed, at any rate. But that being said, this book is still a worthwhile read.
June 5, 2009
Like so many American sojourners to Japan, Davidson taught English, and here she describes her relationships and experiences in Japan over a period of 10 years, during which she moved back and forth between there and North Carolina. Some of her experiences were outmoded by the time I arrived there (staying at a "practice house," where young women are groomed to become good wives for American men; counseling a young female student fattening herself up so she won't have to enter an arranged marriage) but in other places she describes so acutely many of the things I observed while there (the Japanese attitude of restraint, the beauty of gardens and temples, xenophobic undertones). I agree that she tends to romanticize Japan while criticizing America, which is fine, so I'd say read this with a grain of salt and don't accept Davidson's as the authoritative view.
June 25, 2007
I quietly finished this memoir at my office, I have no work to do but as it is Japan they won't let me leave so I sit and read...I loved this book, especially now as my time in Japan draws to an end. Davidson aptly captures the spirit of living as a foreigner in Japan, the wonder, the aggrivation, the struggle to learn Japanese, the education system, it's all there, told in a warm, comfortable way. I am glad I found the book and can't wait to pass it on!
November 20, 2008
I read this book when we first moved to Japan, about 9 years ago. I decided to re-read it and see if it still seemed insightful to me. It's aged very well, and some parts (especially about the frustration of teaching female college students) moved me to tears this time around. Other parts seem a little facile, but it's still a wonderful and insightful exploration of--not so much Japan itself, but how living in a foreign country shapes your image of yourself and your place in the world.
January 1, 2012
This is a typical Gaijin-goes-to-Japan-for-a-year-and-writes-a-book-about-it book. It has reasonably good descriptions of some of the strange (to a westerner) customs of Japanese culture. The author for instance spends some time in the "floating world" of hostess bars. Some of what she relates is different from what our experience was. I was able to get about 2/3 of the way through this before I lost interest.
June 2, 2022
This was a great book.
A story of Japan, diaspora and life.
I quite enjoyed it.
Content-wise, it was very similar to Fifty Sounds or Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan - but not as good though.
Unlike the 2 books above, this book really focused on subjects such as life, introspective personality, identities, belonging, and death. Whereas the others were lighter and more about Japanese culture.
This book was more of an internal monologue of "is Japan for me".
Still, I am really enjoying my recent Japanese diaspora series reads.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book except for about the last 1/3 or 1/4 of it. There was a
Otherwise, I would recommend!
3.9/5
A story of Japan, diaspora and life.
I quite enjoyed it.
Content-wise, it was very similar to Fifty Sounds or Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan - but not as good though.
Unlike the 2 books above, this book really focused on subjects such as life, introspective personality, identities, belonging, and death. Whereas the others were lighter and more about Japanese culture.
This book was more of an internal monologue of "is Japan for me".
Still, I am really enjoying my recent Japanese diaspora series reads.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book except for about the last 1/3 or 1/4 of it. There was a
Otherwise, I would recommend!
3.9/5
August 1, 2017
This is a lovely book--one of the best I've read of its kind (i.e. gaijin wrestles with Japan). Davidson writes beautifully and is a most perceptive observer. Each chapter is as finely crafted as the Hokusai prints to which the book's title alludes. A bit dated, perhaps, but enlightening nonetheless. I'd love to read a sequel, assuming Davidson has continued her Japanese visits. Her ruminations on the culture and people of Japan are too valuable (and enjoyable) to be allowed to subside.
January 18, 2025
introspective and honest view of an american’s version of japan in the 80s/90s in a style of prose i adore. great read to start off the year!
December 19, 2014
This is a fascinating and absorbing account of how Cathy Davidson, an American academic, visits and falls in love with Japan during a number of trips to teach in a women's university. The country clearly gets under her skin, and she in turn delves much deeper than the sterotypes associated with Japan. Reading it, I was embarassed to realise just how little I really knew of the country, and how my idea of it was based on those stereotypes. Davidson writes sensitively of the culture and the Japanese psyche as well as the experience of living in a foreign country. She finds herself longing for Japan each time she returns to America, and although she and her husband consider moving permanently to Japan, eventually they realise that they would never be truly at home there, and decide to build a Japanese-style house in North Carolina.
The book is filled with examples of Davidson's experiences in Japan as she negotiates her way through unfamiliar social situations, and she uses her reflections to explore the differences in Japanese and western character. As the book goes on, however, it becomes less about Japan and more about Davidson herself, and her quest to find personal fulfilment. There's a good deal of sadness in her life - illness, accident and bereavement - and she seems particularly attuned to the sadness of others. As she explains in the final chapter, the title refers to a series of drawings by Japanese artist Hokusai, each of which shows Mount Fuji from a different angle, and with different events happening in the foreground. Together, they build up a picture of the whole, just as Davidson's experiences gradually build up a picture of herself and her adopted country.
Highly recommended to anyone who wants to know more about Japan.
The book is filled with examples of Davidson's experiences in Japan as she negotiates her way through unfamiliar social situations, and she uses her reflections to explore the differences in Japanese and western character. As the book goes on, however, it becomes less about Japan and more about Davidson herself, and her quest to find personal fulfilment. There's a good deal of sadness in her life - illness, accident and bereavement - and she seems particularly attuned to the sadness of others. As she explains in the final chapter, the title refers to a series of drawings by Japanese artist Hokusai, each of which shows Mount Fuji from a different angle, and with different events happening in the foreground. Together, they build up a picture of the whole, just as Davidson's experiences gradually build up a picture of herself and her adopted country.
Highly recommended to anyone who wants to know more about Japan.
August 31, 2017
Overall this was an interesting and insightful book, just one that I had a few issues with.
Firstly there is the fact it is rather dated, but that is to be expected. In much of the book this was not a problem because as a memoir much of what she is talking about are universals such as identity, friendships and a sense of place. But whole sections - such as the one where she travels with her husband to Paris and all the other tourists seem to be Japanese - are no longer the case.
Secondly - a lot of the personal, non-Japanese parts are not nearly as interesting. Often these would slip in to lists of names of family member. "Bob and Jane, and my brother-in-law Tom, and his wife were there, along with our friend Harry and his wife, and ..." (Not a direct quote BTW). I think the author fell in to the trap many memoirists do of thinking the big events in their life will feel just as important to their readers when it is not the case. Or that they needed to list everyone who turned up to set the scene.
Finally - I did find the fact that in many cases she wrote disparagingly about the 'gaijin' who took the whole 'Japanese culture' thing too seriously - wouldn't mix with other foreigners, tried to be Japanese or at least took traditional culture a little too seriously - a bit hypocritical. This is a woman who built a faux-traditional Japanese house that even her friends say is more Japanese than Japan.
All that said - there are still some great insights in this book, both about Japan and about living a cross-cultural life, both the good and bad. Many 'I lived in Japan for awhile and got a book deal out of it' books have come along since this one, and not that many of them are as well thought out or go as deep as this one does.
Firstly there is the fact it is rather dated, but that is to be expected. In much of the book this was not a problem because as a memoir much of what she is talking about are universals such as identity, friendships and a sense of place. But whole sections - such as the one where she travels with her husband to Paris and all the other tourists seem to be Japanese - are no longer the case.
Secondly - a lot of the personal, non-Japanese parts are not nearly as interesting. Often these would slip in to lists of names of family member. "Bob and Jane, and my brother-in-law Tom, and his wife were there, along with our friend Harry and his wife, and ..." (Not a direct quote BTW). I think the author fell in to the trap many memoirists do of thinking the big events in their life will feel just as important to their readers when it is not the case. Or that they needed to list everyone who turned up to set the scene.
Finally - I did find the fact that in many cases she wrote disparagingly about the 'gaijin' who took the whole 'Japanese culture' thing too seriously - wouldn't mix with other foreigners, tried to be Japanese or at least took traditional culture a little too seriously - a bit hypocritical. This is a woman who built a faux-traditional Japanese house that even her friends say is more Japanese than Japan.
All that said - there are still some great insights in this book, both about Japan and about living a cross-cultural life, both the good and bad. Many 'I lived in Japan for awhile and got a book deal out of it' books have come along since this one, and not that many of them are as well thought out or go as deep as this one does.
March 18, 2015
I really liked this book when her stories provided insight into Japanese culture, particularly the role of women. I liked it less so when the author told stories about her personal, more autobiographical, experiences. But it was all very readable and her stories were always interesting to some extent.
May 22, 2025
This was probably one of the best books about Japan that I've ever read. It's written well and is much deeper than I expected it to be. It brought back all sorts of memories for me about my time in that beautiful country!
Cathy Davidson has traveled to Japan four times, primarily for business as an English professor, but those trips each left her changed. Writing from the perspective of an American foreigner in Japan, she explores various aspects of Japanese culture, from schooling to social rules to women's roles to death, and to the secret "Floating World". However, she does more than just explain these unique aspects of Japanese life but goes on to show how each one caused her to shift her worldview or grapple with aspects of American society until Japan became not just a place she visited but a part of her.
This book is incredible. It captures so much of what it feels like to be an outsider looking in to Japanese culture and then to return "home" and suddenly realize that Japan has come with you. She grapples with so much: culture-shock, Eastern vs Western mentality, gender bias, racism, etc. I wish I had this book when I was doing my own research before my trips to Japan! The writing pulls you in and the balanced perspective of both the light and dark aspects of Japanese and American culture is refreshing. I learned so much, and what I didn't already know I could affirm from my own experiences.
It's a little dated. Published in the early 90s, her experience of Japan is mostly centered around the late 80s. I'd love to know how much of her experiences and perceptions still match today or if the social media boom and other events over the past 25 years have changed things. There is definitely adult themes (you can't talk about Japan's night life without them) and a trigger warning for sudden death/car accident in case that's going to give someone flashbacks. But I found it all very tasteful and true to what Japan (and grief) are like.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone seeking to learn more about Japan or intending to travel there. This should be required reading for anyone seeking to live there long-term. It's so good at capturing that "third culture" mentality that I think is needed for any foreigner looking to dive into this culture for any amount of time. It absolutely made me miss Japan. Hopefully I can go back one day, now with even more knowledge!
Cathy Davidson has traveled to Japan four times, primarily for business as an English professor, but those trips each left her changed. Writing from the perspective of an American foreigner in Japan, she explores various aspects of Japanese culture, from schooling to social rules to women's roles to death, and to the secret "Floating World". However, she does more than just explain these unique aspects of Japanese life but goes on to show how each one caused her to shift her worldview or grapple with aspects of American society until Japan became not just a place she visited but a part of her.
This book is incredible. It captures so much of what it feels like to be an outsider looking in to Japanese culture and then to return "home" and suddenly realize that Japan has come with you. She grapples with so much: culture-shock, Eastern vs Western mentality, gender bias, racism, etc. I wish I had this book when I was doing my own research before my trips to Japan! The writing pulls you in and the balanced perspective of both the light and dark aspects of Japanese and American culture is refreshing. I learned so much, and what I didn't already know I could affirm from my own experiences.
It's a little dated. Published in the early 90s, her experience of Japan is mostly centered around the late 80s. I'd love to know how much of her experiences and perceptions still match today or if the social media boom and other events over the past 25 years have changed things. There is definitely adult themes (you can't talk about Japan's night life without them) and a trigger warning for sudden death/car accident in case that's going to give someone flashbacks. But I found it all very tasteful and true to what Japan (and grief) are like.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone seeking to learn more about Japan or intending to travel there. This should be required reading for anyone seeking to live there long-term. It's so good at capturing that "third culture" mentality that I think is needed for any foreigner looking to dive into this culture for any amount of time. It absolutely made me miss Japan. Hopefully I can go back one day, now with even more knowledge!
August 7, 2018
There are many books that purport to help us Westerners understand Japanese culture and how that culture creates cultural norms and expectations for Japanese individuals that are difficult for outsiders to understand. So let me just say this upfront: this is the best book about Japan I have ever read.
Davidson, who is now an academic superstar at Duke University and is also Founding Director of the Futures Initiative at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, was a professor at Michigan State when the opportunity came for her and her husband to serve as visiting professors in Japan. During several of these stints and additional extended visits to Japan, she diligently and patiently tried to understand the rules of behavior and comportment that made her Japanese colleagues and friends so different from her own Western experiences. Her quest for understanding was made all the more difficult due to the numerous barriers that Japanese culture erects in order to preserve certain domains of privacy and traditional norms that govern countless personal interactions every day.
But Davidson was clearly up for this challenge. Her determination was balanced by her sensitivity to the mysterious unspoken rules that seemed to be in play as she taught classes, met with students and faculty, began friendships, grieved, and even toured Osaka's sex-oriented "entertainment district" with a male Japanese colleague. But her persistence and sensitivity pay off as she begins to comprehend and explain to the reader the what and why of the hidden rules that often govern the Japanese mindset. At one point, afraid of doing the wrong thing when invited to a Japanese home following a death, she confesses to a Japanese friend that she is puzzled; the invitation seems to break the rules about who should attend private family mourning events. The friend reassures her, telling her, in effect, that "yes, there are rules, but there are also rules for breaking the rules."
Even though Davidson's book is almost 25 years old, this is a relevant and very entertaining read today.
Davidson, who is now an academic superstar at Duke University and is also Founding Director of the Futures Initiative at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, was a professor at Michigan State when the opportunity came for her and her husband to serve as visiting professors in Japan. During several of these stints and additional extended visits to Japan, she diligently and patiently tried to understand the rules of behavior and comportment that made her Japanese colleagues and friends so different from her own Western experiences. Her quest for understanding was made all the more difficult due to the numerous barriers that Japanese culture erects in order to preserve certain domains of privacy and traditional norms that govern countless personal interactions every day.
But Davidson was clearly up for this challenge. Her determination was balanced by her sensitivity to the mysterious unspoken rules that seemed to be in play as she taught classes, met with students and faculty, began friendships, grieved, and even toured Osaka's sex-oriented "entertainment district" with a male Japanese colleague. But her persistence and sensitivity pay off as she begins to comprehend and explain to the reader the what and why of the hidden rules that often govern the Japanese mindset. At one point, afraid of doing the wrong thing when invited to a Japanese home following a death, she confesses to a Japanese friend that she is puzzled; the invitation seems to break the rules about who should attend private family mourning events. The friend reassures her, telling her, in effect, that "yes, there are rules, but there are also rules for breaking the rules."
Even though Davidson's book is almost 25 years old, this is a relevant and very entertaining read today.
October 4, 2022
This book really did not age very well for me. I picked it up when I first arrived in Japan in 1991 and recall being very impressed by it. When I saw it had been re-issued with a new afterward, I decided to re-read it, as I am re-reading several of the books I read when I first landed in Japan. Many of the books I loved when I was a new immigrant, I still love and am impressed by today. Others that I didn't love so much back then, like books by Pico Iyer, I find myself appreciating a lot more now. Davidson's book deals too much "explaining" Japan in terms of those aspects of the culture Westerners find exotic, like hostess bars and bowing or giving gifts, etc. She makes no effort to learn the language or get involved with anything outside her expat community but still finds much to give opinions about.
What I mean is not only does she not learn the language but she doesn't spend time learning anything. She is happy to be an expat but even there, she makes judgements about all the good and bad types of foreigners. (I do agree with her that foreign residents who gripe and complain a lot are tiresome).
Just a small quip-- but she spends time telling readers how the Japanese approach to language learning is abysmal, and that is fine, but she herself gave up learning the language on day one of her own lessons because she didn't want to spend so much time learning to write. Okay...As a translator, that bugged me. There were a lot of generalizations about the Japanese such that when Japanese people do "x" it has a culture rationale that needs to be explained in terms of exotic other, whereas if Americans do the same things they are considered in terms of social issues.
There was nothing I loved this time around. She could have done so much with her wonderful title though.
What I mean is not only does she not learn the language but she doesn't spend time learning anything. She is happy to be an expat but even there, she makes judgements about all the good and bad types of foreigners. (I do agree with her that foreign residents who gripe and complain a lot are tiresome).
Just a small quip-- but she spends time telling readers how the Japanese approach to language learning is abysmal, and that is fine, but she herself gave up learning the language on day one of her own lessons because she didn't want to spend so much time learning to write. Okay...As a translator, that bugged me. There were a lot of generalizations about the Japanese such that when Japanese people do "x" it has a culture rationale that needs to be explained in terms of exotic other, whereas if Americans do the same things they are considered in terms of social issues.
There was nothing I loved this time around. She could have done so much with her wonderful title though.
December 11, 2018
Intrigued by Japanese culture, Ms Davidson and her husband, both college professors, travel to Japan to teach English and to travel. In this 1993 memoir, she explores Japanese culture from the perspective of her own experiences. Honest, perceptive, and adventurous, she is an entertaining and insightful guide as she interprets her experiences ranging from the classroom to after hours outings with colleagues to visits to shrines and to a remote island near Okinawa.
“For me, the class is a revelation. I had never really looked at Japanese characters before and I find that I love them. I love the way each character has a discrete meaning—often many discrete meanings—and I love their beauty and economy. As I page through my orange kanji book, I start to see relationships between the simpler and the more advanced characters and feel as if I am tapping into some wonderful, secret world. That afternoon I rush out to the local stationery store and buy fude (writing brushes) and ink. I practice the first fifteen kanji we are to have memorized by next week along with hiragana, one of the two phonetic alphabets. Hiragana interests me less—it’s principles are more familiar—but the kanji feel like magic.”
“For me, the class is a revelation. I had never really looked at Japanese characters before and I find that I love them. I love the way each character has a discrete meaning—often many discrete meanings—and I love their beauty and economy. As I page through my orange kanji book, I start to see relationships between the simpler and the more advanced characters and feel as if I am tapping into some wonderful, secret world. That afternoon I rush out to the local stationery store and buy fude (writing brushes) and ink. I practice the first fifteen kanji we are to have memorized by next week along with hiragana, one of the two phonetic alphabets. Hiragana interests me less—it’s principles are more familiar—but the kanji feel like magic.”
May 31, 2017
I'm still in the process of reading it. I just can't get myself to finish it. Not because it's bad, but because its like nibbling on fudge or breaks in between those intermittent obsessions with Incubus where you want to fully dive into them and they're the best thing ever and then they kinda just fade from memory to grab you and remind you how great they are.
Well, I mean, the book isn't THAT good but its refreshing and interesting to hear the comparisons between American and Japanese lifestyles. America's love affair with the Japs could easily have been about how radically different we are and how bizarre their world is compared to our but this book seems to focus more on the day-to-day humanity. The mundane side that we could gloss over without a second thought. It's not a dreamy romantic book about Japan but more like, maybe a vicarious guide into the customs. I definitely want to take my time finishing this book. Savour it.
Well, I mean, the book isn't THAT good but its refreshing and interesting to hear the comparisons between American and Japanese lifestyles. America's love affair with the Japs could easily have been about how radically different we are and how bizarre their world is compared to our but this book seems to focus more on the day-to-day humanity. The mundane side that we could gloss over without a second thought. It's not a dreamy romantic book about Japan but more like, maybe a vicarious guide into the customs. I definitely want to take my time finishing this book. Savour it.
September 2, 2020
One of the magical aspects of travel is not just experiencing a new country and culture but to see your own home (and sometimes even yourself) through fresh eyes. That magic is insightfully and wittily captured in this memoir by Cathy Davidson, an American English professor who visits (and falls in love with) Japan. From her first trip in 1980 through subsequent sojourns into the '90s, Davidson's keen observations, driven by openness, curiosity and candor, paint a complex and endearing picture of the country and its people. Although a few sections are a bit dated, notably the changing role of women, I learned a lot about how Japan has been shaped by the interplay of history, religion, culture and art (represented by the famous Hokusai woodblocks that anchor each chapter). And yet, it reads like a series of letters from a friend.
My bags are packed (well, at least aspirationally) ...
My bags are packed (well, at least aspirationally) ...
July 26, 2019
This is a perceptive and self-aware reflection on an American academic's long interest in, and appreciation for, all things Japanese. It's a personal and very particular story that finds its meaning when individuals meet across boundaries of culture, education, gender, and class, not to mention nationality. But Davidson, a feminist scholar of English who first travels to Japan to teach Victorian literature at a women's college, makes no claims of universality or even that her story is emblematic of American/Japanese relations during the time that she covers (roughly 1980 through 2005). Instead, it's an account of how Japan became both essential and forever strange to her, of how powerfully it looms in her imagination, and of how her understanding of its difference has opened her to rich new ways of looking at the world.
September 14, 2019
Davidson relates her travels in Japan made between 1980 and 1993, with an update from 2005. This memoir of her experiences in Japan is empathetic and insightful. She learns to understand much about Japanese culture and with that mirror learns something about herself. She is balanced and fair, finding favor and fault with both Japanese and North American culture.
She travels from place to place experiencing something of the wide variety of cultures within japan, contradicting the Japanese people's own willing cliche of 'sameness'. These frank observances are intertwined with the story of her own work in Japan, friendships, and personal life as it influenced her life choices and changing perceptions.
A very well written and rewarding travel/life memoir.
She travels from place to place experiencing something of the wide variety of cultures within japan, contradicting the Japanese people's own willing cliche of 'sameness'. These frank observances are intertwined with the story of her own work in Japan, friendships, and personal life as it influenced her life choices and changing perceptions.
A very well written and rewarding travel/life memoir.
April 18, 2021
Cathy Davidson and her husband's multiple moves to Japan gave her insight into the complex culture and how hard it is for non-Japanese people to try and fit in. Davidson looks at the kindness of the Japanese people, the difficulties they face within their own culture as well as the things they accept. The unique thing about this book, and what makes it even more interesting is that, while in Japan, Davidson and her husband made every attempt to immerse themselves in Japanese culture and really get to know the nuances of the language and ways. This memoir is written not as a comparison to America so much as a detailed account of Japan in its own right.
October 13, 2020
The title comes from Hokusai's series of woodblock prints. The author uses it as an allegory to her times in Japan in this series of written pictures outlining those times. An interesting set of "snapshots" of life in Japan as experienced by a non-native. The author does state that this is an amalgam of her times in Japan, however in various places this leads to some contradictions where she states one thing and on the next page states the opposite.
November 7, 2021
This was a great read if your interested in travel books or other cultures. i really enjoyed it because I was able to relate to the author since I taught english abroad. From struggling with a language, to meeting and making great friends, to returning home, to making so many special memories, to the struggle to move to that country permanently, the conflicting feelings of leaving your aging grandmother, loss while you're abroad, and comparing cultures. I really enjoyed it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2020
A friend gifted me the book in preparation for a trip to Japan. The memoir is a well written peek into the intimate lives of the Japanese culture and people from an American's perspective. I read most if when I returned from a 3-week trip to Japan and found the story even more interesting because I could relate to the stories and feelings of being a "gaijin" in Japan.
December 1, 2024
An enjoyable memoir sharing various aspects of Japanese culture. I read this book while visiting Japan. Although the book was written decades ago -- and I'm not sure how many stories are still culturally accurate, I was intrigued by daydreaming about the typically life of a Japanese woman/wife and "salarymen" as I saw them walking up and down the streets.
December 12, 2025
I recently returned from Japan a few months ago. As a Japanese American who is NOT fluent in Japanese but has some knowledge of Japanese traditions, I felt oddly both comfortable and uncomfortable in the country. I had some feelings similar to the author although I was not a gaijin, and a felt like a fake Japanese.
September 12, 2019
A delightfully charming memoir of Japan, which succeeds in being neither excessively idealistic or negativistic. Insightful and funny.
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