Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but the main character is annoying
Review: The book has a fun and interesting setting -- contrasting new & old Japan -- as well as some well-written characterizations. However -- as a Japanese-American who has traveled throughout Japan -- I found Ken Tanaka's obtuseness about the Japanese irritating and somewhat unbelievable. Early on, Tanaka claims to have had a "lifelong" interest in Japanese culture -- well, perhaps, though we are told few specifics. He thens proceeds to address everyone he meets in Japan in English and seems surprised that they can't understand him. Worse, he then disses them (at least to himself) for assuming he speaks Japanese. Does the fact that he's in Japan, where Japanese IS the primary language, ever cross his mind? Not really. Does it occur to him that learning a bit of Japanese might help him communicate? Apparently not. Okay, he is three generations removed from Japan, but STILL -- what kind of idiot travels the world expecting everyone to speak English fluently?On the plus side, Junko, the Korean-Japanese producer, is well-rounded and used to illuminate some of the contradictions of modern Japan. I have not read "Death in Little Tokyo" but feel I should in order to fill in some gaps in "Toyotomi Blades". His Japanese-American girlfriend, Mariko, for example -- is it her first trip to Japan? What part of Japan is her family from? Some of the things that would naturally come up when Japanese-Americans visit Japan are oddly missing from this story.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but the main character is annoying
Review: The book has a fun and interesting setting -- contrasting new & old Japan -- as well as some well-written characterizations. However -- as a Japanese-American who has traveled throughout Japan -- I found Ken Tanaka's obtuseness about the Japanese irritating and somewhat unbelievable. Early on, Tanaka claims to have had a "lifelong" interest in Japanese culture -- well, perhaps, though we are told few specifics. He thens proceeds to address everyone he meets in Japan in English and seems surprised that they can't understand him. Worse, he then disses them (at least to himself) for assuming he speaks Japanese. Does the fact that he's in Japan, where Japanese IS the primary language, ever cross his mind? Not really. Does it occur to him that learning a bit of Japanese might help him communicate? Apparently not. Okay, he is three generations removed from Japan, but STILL -- what kind of idiot travels the world expecting everyone to speak English fluently? On the plus side, Junko, the Korean-Japanese producer, is well-rounded and used to illuminate some of the contradictions of modern Japan. I have not read "Death in Little Tokyo" but feel I should in order to fill in some gaps in "Toyotomi Blades". His Japanese-American girlfriend, Mariko, for example -- is it her first trip to Japan? What part of Japan is her family from? Some of the things that would naturally come up when Japanese-Americans visit Japan are oddly missing from this story.
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