Orienting

by Pallavi Aiyer

Genres: Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Ramesh CV]

This was a very easy read and it was enjoyable. Being an Indian, I did relate to the author culturally and that made it intersecting

The only issue with the travelogues is that they have a “use by” date. Japan has moved on from the era when Pallavi lived. Things have changed and we now have a woman prime minister in Japan

I will certainly recommend this book to anyone who is likely to visit Japan

[Suroor]

I really enjoyed this book by an Indian journalist who lived in Japan for four years. Although she has lived in Beijing and Jakarta, and speaks Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesia, Japanese defeated her. But she found a lot to love about Japan, not least haiku, of which there are several scattered through the book. A really interesting look at Japan through the eyes of someone from a very different Asian country.

[Deepa]

An interesting travelogue from an Indian journalist/author about the culture shock she had when living in Japan for a few years. Had many interesting observations about what defines Japanese identity, but the last couple of chapters discussing politics fell flat for me in comparison to the start.