Orienting: An Indian in Japan

by Pallavi Aiyar

How is Tokyo, a city of thirty million people, so safe that six-year-old children commute to school on their own? Why are there no trashcans in Japanese cities? Why are Ganesha idols in Japanese temples hidden from public view? Globe-trotting journalist Pallavi Aiyar moves to Japan and takes an in-depth look at the island country including its culinary, sanitary and floral idiosyncrasies. Steering through the many (mis)adventures that come from learning a new language, imbibing new cultural etiquette, and asking difficult questions about race, Aiyar explores why Japan and India find it hard to work together despite sharing a long civilizational history. Part travelogue, part reportage, Orienting answers questions that have long confounded the rest of the world with Aiyar's trademark humour. Tackling both the significant and the trivial, the quirky and the quotidian, here is an Indian's account of Japan that is as thought-provoking as it is charming.

Genres: Japan, Travel, Nonfiction, India, Memoir, Audiobook, Asia

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 3, 2021

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter-in-law gave this to me while I am in Japan. Perfect book for the newcomer to Japan by an Indian woman who lived in Japan for several years.

Of course, my favorite parts were the scattered haikus.

Nothing in the cry
of the cicadas suggests they
are about to die.

Perhaps it is telling that my favorite quote in the book is from the Indian Tagore on Japan. “…I watched the sunset in your southern sea, and saw it majesty among your pine clad hills…the music of eternity welled up through the evening silence, and I felt that the sky and earth and the lyrics of the dawn and day fall are with the poets and the idealists”

[Sandeep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orienting - An Indian in Japan - Pallavi Aiyar
Rating 3/5

Overall, an okay read, can be overlooked as - I am pretty sure - there are plenty of better books on Japan from a neutral perspective and not from a comparative and judgmental perspective.

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a divisive figure to whom many a book has been devoted. This is not one of them.

However he does figure a dramatis personae in the contemporary India-Japan relationship as one half of the Modi-Abe bromance. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Mr Modi were photographed staring soulfully into each other's right wing conservative eyes somewhere in the world".

These are actual lines from the book.

What else can you expect from the niece of Senior Congress Leader Mani Shankar Aiyar who claims to have a Middle class upbringing. Would you believe her claims? Never mind.

This is one of the contemporary books which I chose to read owing to lot of positive reviews on amazon and goodreads. This in addition to my interest in knowing more about Japan and its culture, traditions etc.

As always - the reviews turned out to be greatly misleading to me - (some of which appear to have been in return for a free reviewer's copy).

Pallavi Aiyar aka Parabi san writes about many a things Japanese. Her enthusiasm to be washlet-wooed on landing at Narita airport is nothing short of funny. A whole chapter dedicated to toilets, washrooms, buttons and its functionalities awaits the reader (stark contrast to what I was waiting for - six sigma, Toyota - its engine and design).

Other areas which are written about include, cleanliness taught since young age, the ease at which lost things are found, low crime rates, impressive bullet trains and its operational cost.

Parabi san also writes about the art of mending broken ceramics, infusing them with gold, then the tough aspect of recycling, where people carry back their waste to sort and then dispose, failing which - it gets accumulated at one's home.

There is a mention of the writers of Japan and some of their works. Parabi san also takes Japanese lessons, but discontinues owing to her work commitments.

Another area written with much detail is immigration - how individuals of other nationalities are treated, how they fare against Japanese culture. Yogendra Puranik an Indian born Japanese politician has been interviewed rather mentioned about. There is mention of Japanese food and the restaurants - eating etiquettes.

Rajnikanth's fame in Japan is written about - where his 1998 movie 'Muthu' started a cult following - which other of his movies failed to captivate on.

Parabi san - writes about the work culture involving spending long hours at work and also being unable to reject after party drinking invites with superiors. The long hours at office can be attributed to cramped homes - owing to the high real estate prices - thus people refusing to leave office as they find it as their place to unwind after work.

There are parts of the book which I enjoyed, because I got to know about and learn few of the things about Japan. But what really took away the charm was the constant comparisons to Beijing, Jakarta, Delhi and Belgium where Parabi san - previously stayed.

The writing looked more like a reporters point of view rather than a writer's point of view with constant statistical data accompanying every trait written about. I was at my own liberty to hop pages to finish the book quickly as I didn't want it to linger with it (any much) longer.

Cheers,

[Ahtims · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this armchair peek into Japan through the eyes of Pallavi Aiyar. I have been to Kyoto for a conference in 2009, but it was a short visit of 7 days wherein I could barely do anything much, so am not qualified to say I have visited Japan in the true sense.
I have always been fascinated by Japan ( and many other countries too ) and didn't give up the opportunity to snap this book in a whatsapp "me first" sales by Daddication book stores , run by Mr. Vivek Pandey, who must be familiar by now to many Indian bookworms.

[Dhwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orienting : An Indian In Japan by Pallavi Aiyer, a journalist is a book about her views on Japan based upon her experiences and research.

Orienting takes us to the land of cherry blossoms, which is how most of us may know Japan as. She talks about the conditions under which she had to move, her impressions about the country, the Japanese cherry blossom fixation, Japanese, racism and a lot more. Being someone who's not yet been to Japan, I found the book fascinating. What I like is that she has written about Japan in a very balanced manner. She's not bowing down to the country considering its sensible choices rather she's been bold enough to talk about what's improper with it as well. However, the explanations owing to facilities, incidents and behaviours which have led her to compare China and India with Japan give off an impolite undertone which I found a bit off-putting. Along with the narration being set at a moderate pace, the writing and the funny tid bits will make your reading experience enjoyable. Divided into 10 chapters, Orienting was a fresh read for me considering I've not read much of such books. Also, can we take a moment to appreciate this stunning cover which has been done by Devangana Dash! It certainly adds a lot of charm and beauty to the writing.

I'll recommend this title to the ones who love reading about places and specifically want to, about Japan. 🇯🇵

[Tahoora Hashmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japan is a country I've always wanted to visit.

Even though I come face to face with the ‘not so aesthetic’ realities of Japan via some amazing books like Orienting by Pallavi Aiyar, the urge to visit it still thrive under the other specifications like of those world famous Sakura in the Spring Season among many others.

The book is written in a profound yet witty manner about the authors personal experiences in Japan while she lived there, which made me enjoy it even though I already knew quite a decent amount of things mentioned in the book.

[Nambirajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apart from the nuanced understanding of Japanese culture narrated in the book, what I liked about the book is the way Pallavi compares India, China and Japan. Having born in India, lived for a bit in China and now chronicling Japan she has an understanding of these cultures which makes aspects of these cultures stand out in contrast to each other. The anecdotes are every relatable and you get a sense of the pain and pleasures of living in Japan. There is no attempt to hide the warts - Yes Japanese are very racist to a point that they have a unique characters for all ‘foreign’ words and won’t sit near a foreigner in a metro. The characters mentioned in the book are quite varied from Indian movie star Rajinikanth and Rash Behari Bose to Shinzo Abe and Coronavirus.

Overall I brought this book quite impulsively and it proved to be an engaging read. A must read book if you are remotely interested in Japan and it’s several idiosyncrasies - exotic toilets being one of them. And at a times like now travelogue books like this one give respite to our travel hungry souls. The Haikus peppered throughout the book are a bonus.

[Hari Krishnan Prasath (The Obvious Mystery) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Japan has always been a country that I felt drawn to.

Through countless rereads of mangas and all-night anime marathons, I witnessed this creative and beautiful country come to life in my inner mind.

My later perusal of Japanese literature furthered my fascination for the country, especially the crime/mystery genre.

I dream that one day I'd be able to visit.

To watch the pink blanket of the sakura flowers effervescence into existence across Tokyo.

To visit the real Ichiraku in Fukuoka and slurp their ramen that otakus everywhere know about.

To soak in the steaming onsen in Hokkaido without a care in the world.

To visit the various anime theme parks across the country, witness the fictional places that I grew to love.

To watch the magnificent Geisha perform in the districts of Kyoto.

Japan is a dream and to realize that dream a little bit, I ended up picking Pallavi Aiyar's travel memoir.

'Orienting: An Indian in Japan' is exactly what its title describes it to be.

A book about an Indian's experiences in the land of the rising run.

It is a cultural tsunami that joltingly establishes several points of parity between India and Japan all the while escalating on their differences.

Aiyar breaks down several facets of the culture and examines it through relatable humor, cheerful anecdotes and conversations with an appreciative depth that educates and entertains.

If Aiyar had decided to write Orienting without injecting herself or her personal interactions, I do not think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did.

The standing highlight of the book was the appreciation for things that need to be appreciated and unwavering criticism for things that were ugly and seldom spoken about.

The book covers a number of bases from festivals to racism and I had a great time discussing all this with @aacritic!

I only wish that the book had a chapter on the Manga and Anime industry! It would have made Otakus like me smile!

Fun, Informative, and engaging, Orienting is a book I recommend.

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[Madhu | · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8*

[Ponyo]

I got drunk
then wept in my sleep
dreaming of wild cherry blossoms.
―Masaoka Shiki

[maanasamaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had always been curious about Japan and its culture. It seemed to resonate with many of my social preferences in cleanliness, public behaviour, job ethics etc. So when my a suggestion popped up on my Kindle, I took it up, read the sample and finding it interesting, bought it on an impulse. The first few chapters were interesting accounts of life in Japan. I was so into the topic that I began searching the mentioned places on YouTube. I came across some delightful channels about Travelling in Japan, Japanese traditions and food. It added to my experience in reading the book.

I do not know enough about Japan to tell whether this book succeeded in capturing its essence. It was an enjoyable read in most parts. I was pleasantly surprised at learning how much the Japanese love Rajanikanth. I also didn’t know about Rabindranath Tagore being in Japan for a short while. It was fascinating to read about manhole cover art. Such tidbits were interesting. Although I found the author’s confession of not having seen a Rajanikanth movie and her general opinion about it slightly disappointing. The language was a bit pompous for me as well. I think I would’ve much preferred to read about a common person’s account of Japan. I felt that the author had a slightly different definition of middle class in India than I did. I almost skimmed through the last couple of chapters in Japanese politics which I found to be too boring.

All in all it was an interesting read, at least in the beginning.

[Riya Joseph Kaithavanathara · Rating 4 out of 5]

" 'Curry was in fact as much a Japaneese dish as chicken Manchurian was an Indian one.Or, to put it another way, Japaneese curry was to Indian food what chicken Manchurian was to chineese food - a vague relative."

BOOK: ORIENTING - An Indian in Japan
AUTHOR: @pallaviaiyar
GENRE: #travelliterature
RATING: 🍜🍜🍜🍜
PUBLISHER: @harpercollins

A journalists opinion of a place can be one of the most credible one, facts will be accurate and clear. They will not drag or loosely place things, its brick by brick for them. So pallavi Aiyar have layed brick by brick views of her life in Japan. From childrens safety and independence to political nepotism, she is clear about Japan and Japaneese people from many aspects of life, from habits to professionalism.

The things that have attracted me to Japan from this book are :

🚸 Teaching children independence by their initiative.

🌸 The season of Sakura

🚽 Clean and user friendly toilets

🥣 Kintsugi

📥Efficient Lost and found system

🍕 Pizza Strada

🎥 Asian Movie love

Etc, among other things.

Its a very informative book and #suggested to all those who have read @ikigai and are planning a trip to #japan. Firsthand account from a persons travel and stay experience is always helpful.

#sakura
#pallaviaiyar
#japan
#japaneese
#tokyo
#kyoto
#cherryblossoms
#historical
#travel
#journalist
#goodreads
#livinginjapan
#lifeinjapan
#autobiography
#reader
#reading
#books
#morebooks
#bookstagrampost
#booklover
#bookish

[Himanshu Dhiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I happened to come across this book online posted on one of the many bibliophile accounts I follow. The subtitle, “An Indian in Japan” was enough for me to get interested in this, because after reading so many Murakami stories it felt right to read about the experience of living in Japan written by someone who understands Indian culture - essentially making it closer to reality since the lens would be similar.

To understand a place, you have to understand the people first. While Pallavi pens down what it feels like a spiritual journey of learning how to find beauty in imperfection (commonly called Wabi Sabi), she doesn’t shy away from noting that life in Japan is also not all gory. On both the fronts, she talks from her experiences.

She writes about her interview with a craftsman on Kintsugi, ‘the Japanese art of repairing ceramics with powder gold lacquer to highlight imperfections, not hide them’. Here she notes how she’s gotten used to appreciate the silence in conversations with the Japanese. Japan, from her observations, is a society of people who don’t talk just for the sake of it and are also very mindful of not disturbing anyone around them with loud conversations. Watching Doraemon in Hindi definitely didn’t leave that impression on me.

She learns about the history of Zen, but notes that the land where it rose also happens to be the place with alarmingly high suicide rates. ‘When it came to mental health, Japan was far more Asian than Western.’ The tendency of people to ‘turn into extreme recluses, choose to end all social contact and refuse to leave their homes for years’ is so high that this social condition has a name for it - hikkikomori.

She compares the cultures in Japan, China and India - all three countries that comprised the only known world to ancient Japanese. One of the most interesting insights was how the social norms in Japan have established a long-standing trust in people for each other that they can send their children out for errands and to school without accompanying them from a very young age. If you lose your wallet in Japan, you’re going to find it with all its assets intact.

And yet there’s ijime - bullying and interpersonal violence directed against people who are different, the disappointing part being that it’s usually socially acceptable and isn’t criticised. As Asians we value conventions a lot and so this wasn’t shocking for me, even Indian mythology is filled with stories where a break from convention translated into a break from society.

Sakura is probably the biggest international fixation for Japan after Manga. Even the Japanese visa has flowers on it. Pallavi obviously talks about Cherry Blossoms as well and how ‘Tokyo’s usually staid public parks are transformed into venues for celebrations’, called hanami during the bloom season. Sakura is just the tip of the iceberg, however. Her idea of heaven is a Japanese garden in fall that she imagines to have been ‘splashed with colors by God going around with a giant palette of paint.’

Can you talk about Japan without referring to cats? I guess not. People in Japan usually address each other by adding ‘san’ to their names, an honorific equivalent to ‘ji’ in North India. And then there’s ‘chan’, an affectionate diminutive for children. As it turns out, that’s how the Japanese also address cats and dogs. ‘Kiyoshi-chan’ has a ring to it, right?

There’s so much more about culture, lifestyle, opinions, history, and landscapes that Pallavi has written and while I can keep going on, I’ll take a pause here. I hope I was able to intrigue you enough to read this book. I just happened to read it before my trip to Japan, and now I’m looking forward to it even more.

I’ve also ordered ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ that’s another book in the series of her experiences staying abroad. This one is about China and although she has multiple others, it felt right to pick this as the next one for the sake of completing the theme of san goku or the great Asiatic triangle. Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with following excerpt:

“Kintsugi inscribes an object’s story into its body: the moment of the breakage, the fact that it was loved enough to be repaired, that it is likely to be handled with care in the future.”

[Simone Beg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Japan travelogue. The multi-angled perspective the author provides - being Indian herself, but having lived for several years in China and Indonesia - is quite unique among Japan themed books.

Most books about Japan are very much just focused on Japan and Japan alone, which is fine regarding its undeniable cultural depth, yet, it was just very nice to read about it for once in a more multi-angled multi-culturally Asian context. At the same time the author is very frank about her limitations - her language skills and duration of her stay - and doesn't claim to provide a be all end all take on Japan.

Or as the author writes:

"To write a nation, to explain it, was always foolhardy. A more honest claim was one that admitted to bewilderment and delight, intuition and hunches, to vignettes and snatches of coherence, but resisted assertions of authority. This book was ultimately probably as much about me as observer, my circumstances and predilections, as it was about Japan."

It's a travelogue in the purest sense, providing honest impressions from a personal point of view, with the added journalistic access to various interesting people. Admiring but also critical at times, yet not forgetting to be genuinely self-critical as well. And there is a lot of humor. I genuinely chuckled quite a bit picturing her attempts of feigning polite enthusiasm for certain items of Japanese cuisine, that are just quite incompatible with an Indian idea of tasty food. Because that's another thing I miss in many Japan books, honesty. There is no perfect place on this planet, and it's impossible to like every single thing about anybody or anything. Guess what, you can deeply admire something, while still finding that certain details about that thing are just not for you.

A lovely refreshing read.

[Preethi Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I am not a great fan of travelogues or non fictions I picked this one up because hooray its Japan( and that gorgeous cover, can anyone disagree?) As much as I always find pronouncing the names of people and places difficult what the country offers with its diverse culture never fails to fascinate me. In this book the authors shares her experience of living in Japan for four years which is very informative and delightful.

She talks in detail about a lot of things I would not have known otherwise( may be I would have from Google , but I would not have known what to google though lol??) We get to read about her early days of settling , the culture shock , her inability to speak the language even after 4 yrs of living in Japan, safety factors, sewage systems , racism Indo-Japan relations and so much more ! Its like reading a personal diary with first hand information

I found the pace of the book a bit slow but appreciate the fact that she sprinkled a tad bit of humour. I found the narration smooth and writing very articulative.The words jump out at you making you visualise the country ! Its like an evening walk in the beautiful cherry blossom gardens of Koyto !

3.5⭐️

[Aneesh AR · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was researching books to read for my short trip to Japan. After reading a couple of page previews, I preferred this book for being the latest in terms of content. I loved that this book went into detail about the deep-rooted racism, toilets, politics, and seasons. Initially, I was a little apprehensive to continue reading it since I was thinking that this book would help me with my itinerary preparation. But thankfully, once I realized this book was not for that, it was a smooth breeze of a book. I loved the shokunin-jugaad analysis the most. A few years back, I wanted to go to Japan for work after being inspired by the various vlog videos that I had watched during the pandemic. But upon further research, I realized the work culture was so hectic that I realized it was not for me. This book added to my fears about this. As much as you love Japan, there are reasons to not like it as well. Overall, Pallavi or should I say Parabi-san has come up with a light-hearted book about her understanding of Japan. I felt more than being 'An Indian in Japan', it was more of 'A privileged Indian in Japan', and I believe she did call out this awareness of herself somewhere in the book as well.

[Ashwini · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an upcoming trip to japan, apart from doom scrolling reels I quickly went through this book of an Indian author spending about 4 years in Tokyo. Her experience might not have been as big of a shock given her lack of dietary restrictions which was my impression one of the biggest struggles for Indians who prefer to not eat meat. I did some political parts to be a bit of drag. Nevertheless, the book is an interesting journey encompassing spirituality, Kintsugi, tea ceremonies, sakura, and hard to miss chapters around toto toilets.

[Ramya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. The writing is charming, insightful, funny and informative - a rare combination! I enjoyed reading about the author's personal experiences and opinions alongside facts and news, all packaged into a context. I'm sure I'll reread this at some point.

[Kavya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining, illuminating and utterly engaging. Recommended for any Indian planning to travel to Japan, even if you consider yourself familiar with the culture and history.

[Sudeep Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good modern overview of Japan, tbh. And I'm glad I found a non-Japanese but also non-Western point of view. The author does a good job in balancing Japan's wonders and flaws.

[Pratik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to know so much about Japan and Japanese culture from this book! Could have been 50 pages longer.

[Swati Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you think of books on Japan, books like Ikigai may pop up in your mind, given the set perception of the country and how it promises lessons on how to have a happy long life.
Orienting is not the book that is placed on the front shelves and I happened to come across the book randomly on a social media platform. It is a book written by a journalist who has placed her experiences of staying the country for four years in a candid manner. So while I picked this book, excited to learn much of the country, I also sensed the book was dense with tons of information and concepts that required adequate time and attention. So well, its not your easy breezy read. It’s a book I read in spurts, over perhaps a couple of weeks.
Having stayed in multiple countries esp China, Indonesia prior to staying in Japan, Pallavi, constantly compares how each Asian country approaches every subject, and by the end of it, it was amply clear China and Japan were poles apart.
As a country which ruled and were known to be dictators or colonisers, World War 2 brought an end to it and then Japan saw the whole transformation, which made them a more passive country. Pallavi, has brought to surface some of its history and given context to Japan’s method of democracy and colour on how the political parties function. A chapter has been dedicated to Abe, his work and the ‘LDP’ party. While it has been highlighted that elections are not a ‘masala’ event like in India and thus very bland, she has written of the jugaad mechanisms, which happens in a seemingly non politically obsessed country.
The book is interspersed with Haikus on practically everything, which are enlightening short poetries in Japan. Besides these, there were also interesting concepts I got to learn of which is exclusive to Japan such as the ‘Tsundoku’ i.e. piling up of unread books by the bedside, or ‘shrinrinyoku’ i.e. forest bathing or ‘Kinsugi’ i.e. fixing of pots with golden dust or ‘Onsens’ i.e. special hot spring baths. These are important concepts in the country.
Pallavi also makes it a point to highlight the creative side of Japan where even manhole covers are painted beautifully and that is something that the government there takes very seriously. She also highlights some of the negatives as the backward banking system or the lack of dynamism in executing projects or their aversion to foreigners which is evident in the migration numbers.
All in all, I am having trouble recalling all that information, I may have to re-read it to cement some of it. But I made a serious attempt of soaking all that in, while at it. As a person who is a non resident, it is impossible for me to comment on accuracy, but thoughts coming from an Indian, I get some perspective. I look forward to reading her previous book Smoke & Mirrors on China, which is already on my shelf.

[Santosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed in Tokyo for close to 8 years. And a benefitted lot (including financially) from this stay. Hence I advocate taking up careers in Japan for youngsters. And I do deliver a lecture for young professionals about how it is much better compared to EU and US focus!

That made me interested in books about Japan. Particularly written by Indians.

Out of such books that I read on Japan, this one is probably the best one!

Maybe because written by a seasoned reporter and correspondent for some reputed outlets. Plus it is touched by personal experiences and grounded in good research.

It does have usual stories about Japan that zapped Indians, like extreme punctuality, cleanliness, discipline, and miracle-like stories about lost-n-found items. But what impressed me is the authors' attempt to go much deeper about experiences and observations. She cites other popular stories in the news across the world. Book also cites good academic and journalistic research in easy-to-understand language.

In fact, this is the first book, I was consistently going through references and the main narrative!
I have gone through all the references once again I was through with the book. It gave me a good list of articles and books to refer to for later use!

I could also make a list of sizable places/Gardens, dishes, and restaurants to visit on my upcoming Tokyo trip. Something rare from such reading!

The book is highly enjoyable to read and well punctuated with personal stories/observations and humor. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know more about Japan, its culture, unique things, and even the underbelly of Japanese politics & some nasty behaviors too.

One thing that slowed my reading speed is a sprinkle of uncommon words. I was frequently visiting the dictionary to look at the meaning. For instance, even came across ontology and epistemology - something I dreaded all across my doctoral studies! However, this is a minor obstacle - particularly if you are looking to read for fun!

It is highly recommended for Japanese lovers and students!

[Prachi Pati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will you be astonished if I told you I never knew or heard of Pallavi Aiyar, until just January this year? Well yes, looks like I still have a lot of amazing writers to explore and although I'm embarrassed I didnt know her, I'm also happy that I have found another non fiction Indian author whose work I really enjoyed reading!

I heard Pallavi Aiyar as a panel moderator in Jaipur Lit Fest this year, and was very impressed with the way she held her own - for me, she outshone the entire panel comprising of foreigners and I knew I had to read her books. I bought and read Orienting first because I am a little obsessed with Japan too and want to visit them next year hopefully. So it made a lot of sense to learn about an India's first hand experience living in the country of the rising sun :)

And I was not disappointed at all! While I was aware of some of the information in the book through stories from other travelers, there was a lot about Japan and their way of life, their history and politics that I was not aware of, and I'm hoping that I'm slightly wiser now and will hopefully be able to be mindful of their practices and culture when I do visit?

I admired her style of writing, which had some excellent vocabulary I must say and was completely opposite to the bindaas writing style of Shobha De and yet equally fun because of the subtle humor and modest way she writes about her experiences.

I would definitely recommend this book if you've been to Japan or planning to visit there or would just like to know more about the country.

[Soul Touch Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orienting is collection of author's experience in Japan and it's history & tradition from Indian point of view.


•


It was fun at the beginning when author was mostly sharing her strange and (really) surprising experiences. I felt sudden urge to visit Tokyo and experience it myself. What I didn't enjoy was historical and cultural part. I am not someone who is deeply interested in foreign culture and Japan is no exception. Also, I think it could've been written in language more simple and reader friendly. Opening dictionary app after every few pages is no fun.


•


If you're someone who is intrested in Japan's culture and history as much as their lifestyle then this is the perfect book for you.

[bhargavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book from a very impressive woman

I loved her comparative account of personal experiences while living in Beijing, Indonesia, versus Japan

but what makes this book extra special is the extra mile she has taken in researching, interviewing, and meeting with traditional masters, scholars, and even local artisans/teachers/shopkeepers

from interviewing local politicians to accounting the geo-political climate in pan-asia, this is an incredibly informative book

I additionally appreciate the insight she provides as an indian woman, and visible foreigner in her day to day living in Japan

[Sngsweelian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to Pallavi Aiyar's reading of her book. Many times I found myself chuckling in the car as she talked about her funny or even exasperating experiences living as a foreigner in Japan. One memorable account is of her learning the Japanese language. I could totally identify with her frustrations. I have not reached the stratospheric stage of conjugating adjectives in my own experience but I'm sure I would have rolled my eyes many times if I had persevered till that level. Needless to say, I gave up long before that.

This book is a worthwhile investment of your time. Pallavi Aiyar is an accomplished writer and a witty one to boot. The book ends just when the Covid pandemic arrived in Japan. I wish there were more to follow so we can have a fuller account of the whole Japanese experience with Covid. In any case, do pick up the book or listen to Aiyar's reading of her book to enjoy a wonderful account of her life in the Land of the Rising Sun.

[Akshara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whimsical, meandering, thoughtful book on Japan and living there as an expat. I enjoyed dipping in and out and reading chapters on various aspects of Japan - toilets and Sakura blossoms alike. The book is not meant to be an in depth study of Japan and its people and culture and it isn't. What it is is a window into life into one of the most inscrutable and difficult to understand countries alongside the popular hastags of Marie Kondo and bullet trains. I especially enjoyed the wry humour and the author's tangential references to parenting. I did think the last chapter on covid was a bit of an insipid ending though.

[Ruturaj Yadav · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am keen to read about the culture of geographies / time in which the narrative of the book is based in - a reason why I really liked books like Maximum City, Pachinko and Shantaram. This book captures the essence of an outsider in Japan who is trying to blend in and understand their way of life. I liked the style of narrative as the flow is quite easy going to keep you hooked. It touches upon multiple different facets of life in Japan ranging from politics to cleanliness to infra - makes it quite a holistic account of the modern day Japan. Worth a read - audible experience was good.

[Sathvik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pallavi Aiyar takes you on a journey through Japan's history, politics, racism, India-Japan relations, culture, insane number of rules, mind blowing 72 beautiful seasons, and nearly a full chapter about Japan's world-famous toilets.

[Namoshree Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading it. I was personally interested in reading about Japan and their culture and this was a great read. It’s not one of those books that tell all good about one culture and you read it in utter awe.
It’s a book that bring you all about their culture in it’s true form as it is preached and followed today.
It is full of knowledge and since all this knowledge comes interlinked in the form of a story it is an easy read.