Dave Barry Does Japan

Rating:
Summary: One of Dave Barry's best works ever
Review: Perhaps it's because Dave Barry Does Japan was my first introduction to the humorous genius, but after reading just about every book of his to date, I still rank Dave Barry Does Japan as one of his cleverest works ever (second only to Dave Barry Is From Mars and Venus).

Dave Barry masterfully pokes fun of both Japanese and American culture without falling into the trap of condescension or racism that all too many humorists do. Yes, the Japanese have some customs that seem awfully silly to an outsider, but so do we, and Barry never loses sight of that. His light-toned but serious chapter on his visit to Hiroshima is quite moving, and refreshes rather than disrupt the flow of humor in the remainder of the book.

Anyone who has been to Japan knows exactly what Dave Barry is talking about in this hilarious book. Definite must-reading for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: On the Mark!!!
Review: Take a break from your serious studies of Japan with this one! Though Barry only spends a brief time in Japan he makes some very important observations and brings his humor to its highest level in the process.

Rating:
Summary: Idiotic, embarrassing, did I mention ¿idiotic¿?
Review: The publisher's blurb claims that this "funny" book is not mean spirited, yet its author's attempt at humour is at the expense of sacred, centuries-old Japanese tradition and cultural morays. The author is a fool and an embarrassment and epitomizes a phrase coined by Graham Greene, "the ugly American". Mr. Barry is "ugly" beyond comprehension, pummelled by the "ugly stick". If only that stick would render him comatose.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely one of his best
Review: This book is very funny, particularly on the food incidents, which others have pointed out, but it has a surprising amount of sober observations, too, such as the fact that you can leave money on your hotel room dresser in Japan and it will still be there when you return. For me, this book is a great mix of humor, travel, and cultural observation, but don't get me wrong - humor is still here with a capital 'H'.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, short and irreverent look at Japan
Review: This book kept popping up on my recommendations, and I finally gave in and bought it. I have recently been wading through a series of Japan-orientated intercultural texts, and this book was a breath of fresh air. It is equal parts funny and insightful.

The book takes an irreverent, realistic look at Japan. This is the point of view of the tourist. Some things, like plastic squid and Sumo, really are strange to us. Dave Barry is not afraid to call a spade a spade. He does not attempt to cross-examine his own cultural biases, but just is happy to say "Look at that. Weird." Also, he is a very funny writer. I have not read any Dave Barry books before this one. The chapter on Hiroshima shows that he can be respectful as well as silly. That chapter really made the book for me.

My only real complaint with the book is that it is "thin." It is a short book, with a large font. Unlike humorous travelogues by Bill Bryson, this book has very little depth and is no more than a "surface glance" at a small part (Tokyo and Kyoto) of Japan. However, Dave Barry is honest about this and says so straight out. Still, it is lots of fun.

Rating:
Summary: Very Funny Look at a Foreign Culture
Review: This book was a gas. My favorite part was the part that compared the American to Japanese auto industry. Anyone who finds this book 'ethnocentric' or offensive is just sad. It was a hoot like most of Dave's books.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: This book was a pleasant surprise; the concept sounded forced, and not really all that funny, so it was not at the top of my priorities list of Dave Barry books to read. But it is truly one of his best, up there with "Dave Barry Talks Back", "Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need", and "Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up". Much of it is screamingly funny, although he actually does have a semi-serious chapter/column on visiting Hiroshima (how much can even Dave Barry find to laugh about at Hiroshima? Not much, and surprisingly, he doesn't try) but the interesting thing, for all that he would deny any intention of being serious, is that there are serious insights to be found in this book on the differences between America and Japan if one looks past the chuckles.

This book is a must for any Dave Barry fan, and his highly recommended if you AREN'T already familiar with his other work. Of course, if you ARE familiar with his work, and didn't care for it, his style of humor hasn't changed any.

Rating:
Summary: The Funniest Book I've Ever Read
Review: This is a must read for anyone who has ever lived in Japan or who has had occasion to become familiar with the Land of the Rising Sun. Having lived in Japan for several years (and loving it), I found this to be the funniest book I ever read. I laughed out loud many times as Barry seems to have a way of putting into comical words the thoughts that I have had on many occasions.

Rating:
Summary: THE FUNNIEST BOOK EVER!!
Review: THis is by far the funniest book that Dave Barry has ever written!! I can't even tell you how many times i've read and reread this book. It's more times than i can count and everytime it never fails to make me laugh out loud.

This book is basically a travel journal of Dave Barry's trip to Japan. In it, he tells us of the many humerous situations that would arise when an american visits a foreign country, especially a country as "wacky" as Japan. It's so funny reading about how he deals with the different customs and fads over there (bowing techniques, engrish). It's funny how he compares the way of actting between Japanese and Americans. NOt only is this book hilarious but it's also, in its own way, very informative. You can learn a lot about the japanese way of living from this book as well. He does go into depth about his experience with watching Japanese opera, going to a japanese comedy place, watching sumo wrestling and taking part in a geisha tea ceremony.

I, myself, have always wanted to go to Japan because i'm totally intriqued by the japanese culture and customs, but i don't have enough money for such a trip so i content myself by reading this book. I really recommend this book to anyone. I gaurantee that you'll laugh out loud. It's esp. great for anyone specifically interested in Japan.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, but...
Review: This is my first Dave Barry encounter, and for the most part I have to say that I found him quite amusing. There were, however, several instances when I thought that maybe he went a little too far, and then came the chapter on Hiroshima. This chapter is preceeded and followed by a leaf printed darker which obviously is intended to indicate that the book is going to get serious for a moment. I was curious to read what his thoughts were, what the reactions of a comedian--an American comedian--would be to what he experiences. He writes the following about his visit to the memorial museum in Hiroshima:

"I found myself weeping, out of sorrow and helplessness and guilt. But I also felt anger. Because the way the museum presents it, the atomic bomb was like a lightning bolt--something nobody could forsee, and nobody could prevent. It was as though one day, for no reason, the Americans came along, literally out of the blue, and did this horrible thing to these innocent people.

"I don't know if it's possible to justify what happened to Hiroshima--I certainly wouldn't try to justify it to the victims' families. But I found myself wanting to shout to the other museum visitors: Do you know WHY my country did this? Do you wonder what would make a civilized country do such a thing?"

This is the point where I really lost interest in the book. Sure, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it is quite evident that Dave Barry just does not get it when it comes to this matter. Yes, why, indeed, would a "civilized" country do such a thing? Certainly because it had no other choice, because they were forced to do so by the knowledge that were the Americans to invade Japan itself, it would actually face resistence from millions of civilians--something the Americans would themselves do. The argument that the bombs were dropped in order to "save lives" is weak, and does not take into consideration the geo-political developments in July and August, as well as the fact that there were simply people in the United States who wanted to see what an A-Bomb could really do.

Unfortunately, I have a habit of finishing books, no matter how bad, and no matter how long it takes, so finishing this one to the end was like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard the rest of the way (which was fortunately not long). Although by the end my disgust with the Hiroshima chapter wore away somewhat, but it will take a while before I get around to reading another Dave Barry work.