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Tokyo Tales: My Journey
Suzy Cohen Okubo, a young Israeli woman just released from the army, decides to travel to the far east - first to Thailand, and then to Japan. Although this trip was mainly to unwind and relax after the military service, as many Israelis do, she found herself building a new life away from her home and country.
In this book, Suzy delicately describes the story of her acclimatization In Tokyo: Her first job as a bar hostess, her marriage to a local businessman, and her attempts to adapt to the Japanese culture, which was so very different from what she knew from Israel.
This is an important and interesting story which gives the reader a glimpse into the intricacies of the Japanese culture and mentality - not from the "common tourist" perspective. Suzy’s journey resembles a speeding roller coaster going up and down the tracks, as she faced many difficulties along the way - including battling cancer, the stock market crash, the tsunami events, and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Yet, she did not succumb to despair and found an opportunity for growth and woman empowerment after every crisis.
Suzy grew from an innocent young woman living in her husband’s shadow to a successful, fully independent businesswoman.
In this book, Suzy delicately describes the story of her acclimatization In Tokyo: Her first job as a bar hostess, her marriage to a local businessman, and her attempts to adapt to the Japanese culture, which was so very different from what she knew from Israel.
This is an important and interesting story which gives the reader a glimpse into the intricacies of the Japanese culture and mentality - not from the "common tourist" perspective. Suzy’s journey resembles a speeding roller coaster going up and down the tracks, as she faced many difficulties along the way - including battling cancer, the stock market crash, the tsunami events, and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Yet, she did not succumb to despair and found an opportunity for growth and woman empowerment after every crisis.
Suzy grew from an innocent young woman living in her husband’s shadow to a successful, fully independent businesswoman.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2022
25 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 26, 2022
‘We are all people and we all want to live and be together’ – A celebration of life!
Author Suzy Cohen Okubo invites us on her life’s journey through challenges, experiences, and rewarding times as a young Israeli woman who, upon completing her military commitment for Israel, vacationed in Thailand, and eventually moved to Japan where she began a new life. Her memoir serves as not only a view into her responses to a new country, marriage to a Japanese businessman, and facing such hurdles as carcinoma, tsunamis, and financial challenges, but also one of the finest introductions to Japanese culture as experienced by an ‘immigrant’ in the form of a completely entertaining chronicle. Her responses to her new ‘home’ are far more vivid than the usual casual visitors log: the complex and fascinating facets of Japanese traditions and life styles become wholly relatable – even visual! The contrasts between Suzy’s life in Israel and in Japan are heightened by her return trips to Israel while living in Japan. ‘Suzy grew from an innocent young woman living in her husband’s shadow to a successful, fully independent businesswoman.’
A hint of the content quality is present in the ‘epilogue’ of Suzy’s book: ‘Next year will mark my 30th anniversary of living in Japan Thinking about all the years Makato and I have lived together, and all the crises and challenges we dealt with, individually and as a couple, fills me with pride. Life taught us its best clichés, that every time we stumbled and fell, we got up stronger than before…Learning to accept and respect the profound differences between us became the source of our strength…’ This is a book that is successful on every level – discovering Japanese culture and the spirit of a woman meeting and conquering challenges. Highly recommended
Author Suzy Cohen Okubo invites us on her life’s journey through challenges, experiences, and rewarding times as a young Israeli woman who, upon completing her military commitment for Israel, vacationed in Thailand, and eventually moved to Japan where she began a new life. Her memoir serves as not only a view into her responses to a new country, marriage to a Japanese businessman, and facing such hurdles as carcinoma, tsunamis, and financial challenges, but also one of the finest introductions to Japanese culture as experienced by an ‘immigrant’ in the form of a completely entertaining chronicle. Her responses to her new ‘home’ are far more vivid than the usual casual visitors log: the complex and fascinating facets of Japanese traditions and life styles become wholly relatable – even visual! The contrasts between Suzy’s life in Israel and in Japan are heightened by her return trips to Israel while living in Japan. ‘Suzy grew from an innocent young woman living in her husband’s shadow to a successful, fully independent businesswoman.’
A hint of the content quality is present in the ‘epilogue’ of Suzy’s book: ‘Next year will mark my 30th anniversary of living in Japan Thinking about all the years Makato and I have lived together, and all the crises and challenges we dealt with, individually and as a couple, fills me with pride. Life taught us its best clichés, that every time we stumbled and fell, we got up stronger than before…Learning to accept and respect the profound differences between us became the source of our strength…’ This is a book that is successful on every level – discovering Japanese culture and the spirit of a woman meeting and conquering challenges. Highly recommended
October 31, 2022
Amazing read
I love reading this story because it reminds us of all what were striving for in life the vacations ,marriage, kids..our goals in life. But with all that comes alot of struggles they have to face tsunami.COVID 19. A bunch of different struggles to many to mention, so you should read the book to see how they made it all happen to be successful and strive with marriage and kids family and everything. Highly recommended great book and everything just started off as just a vacation.
I love reading this story because it reminds us of all what were striving for in life the vacations ,marriage, kids..our goals in life. But with all that comes alot of struggles they have to face tsunami.COVID 19. A bunch of different struggles to many to mention, so you should read the book to see how they made it all happen to be successful and strive with marriage and kids family and everything. Highly recommended great book and everything just started off as just a vacation.
February 2, 2026
Essential reading for anyone considering a relationship with someone of another culture. Beautifully and sensitively narrated, I could not put the book down! Suzy tells the story over many decades with deep and meaningful insight into every aspect of a relationship. Seeing the "inside" of Japan was amazing, but reflecting on the challenges inside almost every relationship was a profound experience. Highly recommended!
January 19, 2026
We are all human and want the same thing. To live and be happy.
One woman’s journey to Japan and how it changed her home and life forever.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. And I hope it resonates with you the way it did me. Culture has no bounds. Time has many memories. And journeys are all apart of us.
One woman’s journey to Japan and how it changed her home and life forever.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. And I hope it resonates with you the way it did me. Culture has no bounds. Time has many memories. And journeys are all apart of us.
June 21, 2024
Awesome
The book is from an author who lived in 2 cultures, Israeli and Japanese. She left one to learn about the other and for most of her life, intermixed a bit of each in her ventures and careers. Very interesting and amusing story.
The book is from an author who lived in 2 cultures, Israeli and Japanese. She left one to learn about the other and for most of her life, intermixed a bit of each in her ventures and careers. Very interesting and amusing story.
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January 18, 2026Comparative Culture
I enjoyed reading this book. This is a well written account of a woman's life bridging two countries. I love cultural anthropology, and this book answers the need. Ms. Okubo has done a great job.
I enjoyed reading this book. This is a well written account of a woman's life bridging two countries. I love cultural anthropology, and this book answers the need. Ms. Okubo has done a great job.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews