Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read About Japan!
Review: I remember before I left for my first trip to Japan in 1996, reading about Feiler and his adventures in an Onsen hot springs. I remember his description of having to take of all his clothes and bathe in front of all these Japanese guys he just met. Any yet, during my trip in 1996 the same thing happened to me! I felt just like Feiler! The book is informative about Japanese culture and at the same time a great read. Its a must read if you plan to visit Japan...especially if you are a teacher.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting at least
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. I have lived in Japan for 6 years (and still do), married and taught on the JET Programme. As a former JET I was disheartened as this book does not paint an accurate picture of life in Japan as a JET. Granted people's experiences differ from prefecture to prefecture and from school to school, but Learning to Bow's anecdotes and observations about Japan are far too extreme and at times border on lies. Also the frequent use of sarcasm and satire is not in anyway humorous and portrays the author as "god's gift to English teaching". For anyone curious about life on the JET Programme, teaching English in Japan or life in Japan in general, I do not recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Sarcasm and fabrications
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. I have lived in Japan for 6 years (and still do), married and taught on the JET Programme. As a former JET I was disheartened as this book does not paint an accurate picture of life in Japan as a JET. Granted people's experiences differ from prefecture to prefecture and from school to school, but Learning to Bow's anecdotes and observations about Japan are far too extreme and at times border on lies. Also the frequent use of sarcasm and satire is not in anyway humorous and portrays the author as "god's gift to English teaching". For anyone curious about life on the JET Programme, teaching English in Japan or life in Japan in general, I do not recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Bag of Wind
Review: If I hadnt actually lived in Japan i could see how i could mistake this thing for authoritive, but it amazes me that anyone who has lived out here more than a year could see this as much more than the bag of wind it is. With its pretentious title and lofty quotations of translated haikus, Feiler proves he knows how to make a good impression. The problem is, if you actually read it, you realize he isnt much good at doing anything else. At the time of writing this book, Feiler had been living out here a year as JET highschool teacher (though he doesnt actually admit to that in so many words- to hear him tell it, he was here on "special invite from the japanese goverment", as if he was some kind of high-ranking diplomat). The title ("Inside the heart of Japan") and chapter headings ("Drinking alone in rural Japan", for example), suggest that by reading it you'll gain powerful, poetic realities about this mysterious country. But every chapter left me unsastisfied. He has a habit of starting chapters with an overwritten account of the kind of thing everyone does within a week of being here, and then, when its time to actually say anything, starts quoting press articles off the english language news services wire. If you comb the book carefully to seperate these rote repetitions of facts already freely available from what he actually writes himself, you'll be left with a very slim and trite account of japan indeed. Its a good thing for the author there are so few books of this type about Japan out there, because if people had more to compare it with they'd realize how bad it is. Anyone who came out here to teach english for a year and scanned the internet for newspaper articles to quote from for padding could have written this book.
Rating:
Summary: Feiler Does Not Dishonor His Subjects
Review: If you think that traveling means staying in one place for awhile, then you'll love this book. Learning to Bow gives readers a look not at the urban Japanese who are already beginning to live slightly outside the boundaries of their society's expectations, but the village Japanese. These are the people who sometimes do not even travel to Tokyo, much less Hawaii, S.F. or NYC! Feiler treats his subjects with kindess an affection, and admits that he is comparing Japanese society to American society. I couldn't put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent insight....
Review: Into both the strengths and weakness of not only Japan's educational system, but its culture as a whole. We as Westerners have a tendency to perceive the Japanese as having a "perfect" society, but this book helps to expose its flaws. Yes, their economy, schools, etc, etc are (or at least often seem) superior to our own, but as Mr. Feiler points out rather repeatedly, is it worth the price of ultimate conformity they are asked to pay? While I certainly think we can learn many, many things from them, they can also learn much from us. I would rather come from the "inferior" American educational system than give up so many of my freedoms of personal expression. As an added bonus, Mr. Feiler's book is not only immensely informative, it is a fun read with lots of interesting nuggets of trivia about Japanese culture and history. And the way the chapters are broken down into very specific themes (they are even each introduced with a quote to help illuminate that chapter's theme) would make it an excellent choice to use in the classroom at the high school or college level, in segments or as a whole. Overall, highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest books I read about Japan.
Review: It was also one of the most helpful and accurate books I read about Japanese education before I travelled there as a Fulbright Memorial Program participant.
Rating:
Summary: A good writer
Review: Like many people in Japan this book was recommended to me but I didn't want to read it. A friend gave me a copy and eventually I read it. The author gets so many things wrong about Japan that I wonder if he really spoke as much Japanese as he suggests. I often found my self scoffing at his opinions and explanations. It seems this was the end of his Japanese experience as he has gone on to write books on other topics. He also strikes me as quite a loner, if this is the summary of his social interaction he must have had a lonely time, which on the JET Programme is not uncommon. However he has a very good writing style which makes up for a lot of his failures. I'd suggest reading it and enjoying his perspective but be wary of his explanations.
Rating:
Summary: An in-depth look on Japanese school system and youth culture
Review: The author, Feiler, took up a year long tenture in a Japanese secondary school to teach English. As such, most of the chapters in this book are concentrated on comparisons between the Japanese school system and its American counter part. The author did an excellent analysis on this subject matter, there were lots of insightful ideas within the chapters. The writing style of this book is crisp and clear, sparkled with touches of humors at various places. Overall, it's an excellent book to be used for cross-cultural research, as well as a fun and educational book to read about. The only slight complain I have regarding this book is that since the author had concentrated heavily on the subject matter of 'schools', therefore he had to left many of the other fanscinating aspects of the Japanese culture unmentioned. It's not an all-around cross-cultural book.
Rating:
Summary: A glimpse into Japan of the late 1980's
Review: The primary strength of this book is the writing style. Unlike many books about Japanese culture, this book is funny and "living." The book contains a series of anecdotes, each one focusing on a particular experience that Bruce S. Feiler had during his stay. The stories are written as first-person memoirs, and cover such broad topics as Hiroshima and Nagasaki to how to date a Japanese girl. The writing is clever and engaging. The only thing I felt this book was lacking was an update of some sort. Written about 11 years ago, "Learning to Bow" is about Japan during the "bubble economy." Japan has gone through severe economic and societal changes since then, and I wonder how much of the information is still current. Surely, with the JET program in full swing for several decades now, the presence of foreigners is not such a surprise anymore. Also, the place of women has gone through some significant changes since this book was written. Still, anyone planning a long-term stay in Japan should read this book. It is fun, insightful and has great tips for climbing Mt. Fuji.
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