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Summary: Bumbling American in Japan - hilarious!
Review: I came across this book while in Japan ten years ago. I started laughing out loud in the bookstore, continued laughing, while reading on the train ride back, and continue laughing to this day. If you like goofy, slapstick, and can enjoy a 'funny' book without the need for educational, serious, analytics in everything you read, this will be a good choice for you. If you've ever been in Japan, you will be able to relate to most of the stories he tells. I really enjoyed it, bought several copies to give to friends (although I'm not sure that someone who's never been to Japan will get some of the humor) and continue to keep this book as one of my favorites to this day. I'll keep my eyes out for Dave Barry's funny, twisted humor books and articles as we all need a little something to relieve us from the stress of daily life...
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Summary: The best Dave Barry EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I didn't stop laughing at one point throughout the book (except the Hiroshima chapter, but that was worth it, nontheless) READ IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Summary: laugh out loud funny
Review: I had tears in my eyes reading this one. While sharing his experience in Japan he manages to actually enlighten and be devastatingly funny at the same time. It made me want to go to Tokyo and see for myself.
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Summary: Another fantastic Barry book
Review: I have a lot of Dave Barry books, and Dave Barry Does Japan is one of his best actual books (as opposed to collections of columns). There aren't as many outright jokes as in his other books, but this is because the situations he gets into are funny enough without them. My favorite part is his never ending quest to find food that is dead, safe, and doesn't have corn on it. Of course, nearly everything he finds doesn't match at least one of these requirments. Also great are the chapters about being lost in Tokyo and attempting to learn Japanese on the plane. Dave also shows his talent for serious writing with a chapter about Hiroshima. If you like Dave Barry, this book is a must buy!
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Summary: I'm curious what I'd think if I weren't living in Japan
Review: I have found myself on a recent binge of amazon.com review writing that stems from days where I don't have to teach class. So to occupy myself when I should be teaching English, I write reviews. Today, I finished Dave Barry Does Japan, and I decided to add my two cents to the other 50 reviews. I started off enjoying this book a great deal. And I finished the book enjoying it a great deal. And I highly suggest it for anyone living in Japan or anyone who's remotely interested in travel. Its hilarious. The best moment for me was Chapter 2. I shared this chapter with the English Club I teach once a week and it was refreshing to find that the Japanese are also befuddled by the "Elevator Ladies." 3 Weeks in a place where you've suddenly stepped off of the plane and become illiterate can be extremely alienating, and Dave Barry has done the best to exemplify that alienation. I have read enough complaints from people living in Japan; Barry was refreshingly funny. Definitely a good read if you want to wallow in a spirit of I-Hate-Japan. I was nearly in tears while reading about becoming accustomed to bowing. And his assesment of Japanese driving is right on the money. In a country where you shouldn't stick out, I got quite the number of stares from my coworkers as I laughed out loud. Then there's the Hiroshima chapter, which is definitely a step into a different book. I paid particular attention to it as I am taking a trip to Hiroshima this weekend. I agree with his assessment of August 5 becoming like Memorial Day, though other reviewers have made comments about his rant about "WHY" so I will leave that alone. It definitely ruined what was shaping up to be a five-star review. In a nutshell, I really enjoyed the book and will probably find myself reading it repeatedly, though there were moments when I felt like, "Geeze broaden your horizons a little" Though if the entire book were about how much he loved Japanese culture and couldn't get enough squid, octopus and raw fish complete with eyes, then the book wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. His final assessment is an astute one. Nobody's perfect. We have a lot to learn and centuries of improvement to affect in the US, but Japan has some wacky hangups too. I hope you can tell from this review whether or not you'd enjoy the book. It has its gems, but if you're like me, you will find yourself getting tired of his demeanor at certain points. Overall, its worth it.
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Summary: I'm curious what I'd think if I weren't living in Japan
Review: I have found myself on a recent binge of amazon.com review writing that stems from days where I don't have to teach class. So to occupy myself when I should be teaching English, I write reviews. Today, I finished Dave Barry Does Japan, and I decided to add my two cents to the other 50 reviews. I started off enjoying this book a great deal. And I finished the book enjoying it a great deal. And I highly suggest it for anyone living in Japan or anyone who's remotely interested in travel. Its hilarious. The best moment for me was Chapter 2. I shared this chapter with the English Club I teach once a week and it was refreshing to find that the Japanese are also befuddled by the "Elevator Ladies." 3 Weeks in a place where you've suddenly stepped off of the plane and become illiterate can be extremely alienating, and Dave Barry has done the best to exemplify that alienation. I have read enough complaints from people living in Japan; Barry was refreshingly funny. Definitely a good read if you want to wallow in a spirit of I-Hate-Japan. I was nearly in tears while reading about becoming accustomed to bowing. And his assesment of Japanese driving is right on the money. In a country where you shouldn't stick out, I got quite the number of stares from my coworkers as I laughed out loud. Then there's the Hiroshima chapter, which is definitely a step into a different book. I paid particular attention to it as I am taking a trip to Hiroshima this weekend. I agree with his assessment of August 5 becoming like Memorial Day, though other reviewers have made comments about his rant about "WHY" so I will leave that alone. It definitely ruined what was shaping up to be a five-star review. In a nutshell, I really enjoyed the book and will probably find myself reading it repeatedly, though there were moments when I felt like, "Geeze broaden your horizons a little" Though if the entire book were about how much he loved Japanese culture and couldn't get enough squid, octopus and raw fish complete with eyes, then the book wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. His final assessment is an astute one. Nobody's perfect. We have a lot to learn and centuries of improvement to affect in the US, but Japan has some wacky hangups too. I hope you can tell from this review whether or not you'd enjoy the book. It has its gems, but if you're like me, you will find yourself getting tired of his demeanor at certain points. Overall, its worth it.
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Summary: Cultural idiocy has it's privledges
Review: I just spent a year in Japan, and Berry's book is dead on. He obviously knows nothing about the culture going into it, and that's the beauty of the work. His observations are from a fresh perspective, and to those of us who have studied the culture for so long, it's an eye opening "yeah, they do do that..." experience.
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Summary: Must-Read for Every Japan Expat
Review: I laughed so hard that tears were running down my face. What was so funny? Dave Barry's ability to be so incredibly insightful with his own reactions to very common situations in Japan (but more specifically, Tokyo and big city life) and then compare and contrast them with "the American Way of Doing Things". I've lived in Tokyo for more than 3 years, but I'm not new to living "overseas" so it wasn't the un-Americanness that grabbed me, although I can appreciate it; I haven't lived in America since 1985. Dave describes in detail most Westerner's first reactions to Japan, whether they know it or not themselves or admit to it. His observations were my own and had been sitting dormant in my mind until I read his book upon which I howled with acknowledgement (what is the love affair with corn all about anyways; corn chowder at McDonald's?) I love living in Japan; the people are kind and honest (ok, politicians in every country are crooked), it's safe (6 year-old kids run around by themselves even in Tokyo!), the food is wonderful and Tokyo is ugly as sin, but never, ever boring. Many Kanji (Chinese ideograms) are finally looking less like Dave's chicken scratch to me, I know that even taxi drivers have trouble finding some places, it's second nature to slurp my ramen and I less often have to feel like an anxious dog looking for something familiar/train station name as I ride the trains.
But...I will always feel like a large white waterbuffalo lumbering down the streets here (most of my Japanese friends wear size 0 or 00 jeans!). My only question is, how did he get the picture so accurately in only 2 weeks!
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Summary: Could not stop laughing
Review: I lived in Japan for 3 years. I saw the book in a Tokyo bookstore, bought it, and started to read it in a Japanese coffee shop. I could not resist but laughed out loud - which did not stop til I finished the book. Do I need to say more ?
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Summary: Insightful Travelogue, My Favorite Dave Barry
Review: I own about a dozen Dave Barry books, and although this one is probably not the outright funniest one, it is one of my favorites. I love this book both because of his first-hand cultural insights and it's humor. Unlike some other Barry writing, this book doesn't need as many jokes, since the cultural differences create some hilarious scenarios without even trying. For example, there's a great anecdote about Dave being goaded into eating squid at a sumo match, and when he gags and spits it out the wrestlers (and crowd) laugh at him. I found these stories both insightful and humorous at the same time. This is a painless overview of Japanese culture and an entertaining read that will have you laughing out loud at times.
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