Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining & Insightful
Review: "The Roads to Sata" is a foreigner's (British) account of his 2,000 mile walking journey from the country's northernmost to southernmost tip along the, mostly rural, Japan Sea side of the country in the early 1980s. What makes the book especailly enjoyable is what Mr. Booth brings to the table: fluency in Japanese; a familarity with the country and its culture from having lived there for half his life; a wry wit and an observant, thoughful mind.Most of the narrative deals with Mr. Booth's encounters with Japanese from all walks of life along the road and in the inns and bars he visits. Having lived in the country and revisted it on numerous occassions the book generated quite a bit of nostalgia for me and I also enjoyed Mr. Booth's take on the country and its society. If you've never been to Japan and you're looking for a book to help you get a real feel for the Japanese people you couldn't do much better than this book.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining & Insightful
Review: "The Roads to Sata" is a foreigner's (British) account of his 2,000 mile walking journey from the country's northernmost to southernmost tip along the, mostly rural, Japan Sea side of the country in the early 1980s. What makes the book especailly enjoyable is what Mr. Booth brings to the table: fluency in Japanese; a familarity with the country and its culture from having lived there for half his life; a wry wit and an observant, thoughful mind. Most of the narrative deals with Mr. Booth's encounters with Japanese from all walks of life along the road and in the inns and bars he visits. Having lived in the country and revisted it on numerous occassions the book generated quite a bit of nostalgia for me and I also enjoyed Mr. Booth's take on the country and its society. If you've never been to Japan and you're looking for a book to help you get a real feel for the Japanese people you couldn't do much better than this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A witty, fun, informing, and downright great book.
Review: After reading "The Roads to Sata" by Alan Booth, I found myself wanting to make a trip to Japan in order to follow in his footsteps. His prose made Japan come alive for me in a way that no other books have. I have had an interest in Japan and her citizens for some time, and this book brings me one step closer to actually being there. A required read for those interested in Japan, it makes you realize just how different we are from the Japanese, while at the same time making you see just how much we have in common. I also was quite surprised to find myself saddened by what Alan had to say at some points in the book, only to later pick myself off the floor from laughing so hard at some of his observations. All in all, a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: Alan Booth has written probably the most beautiful excuse for every lover of Japan. He doesn't whitewash his subject - the Japanese are a severely 'exceptionable' (a word I didn't make up) people. But he sees them and hears them and has the literary gift to translate it all into seamless, pellucid prose. I took immense pleasure in taking this journey with Alan Booth through the heart of Japan. The loss of him (to cancer) can never be repaired.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: Alan Booth has written probably the most beautiful excuse for every lover of Japan. He doesn't whitewash his subject - the Japanese are a severely 'exceptionable' (a word I didn't make up) people. But he sees them and hears them and has the literary gift to translate it all into seamless, pellucid prose. I took immense pleasure in taking this journey with Alan Booth through the heart of Japan. The loss of him (to cancer) can never be repaired.
Rating:
Summary: The Heart of the Japanese People, fondly unfolded by Booth
Review: Alan Booth, a English Author, takes time out to discover, first hand, the country and the people of Japan. In a country where every action has a plan, Booth's walking journey from the very tip of Northern Japan to Cape Sata in the South allows the Western reader to enter the heart of the Japanese people. Evident in this travelling journel is Mr. Booth's
respect for the citizens of a country which he has called home for many years, though his British sense of humor does not miss the opportunity to uncover the sometimes silly traditions which are perpetuated by time rather than common sense. The author may leave you feeling slightly frustrated from time to time. If he has, than he has done his job complete, for life in Japan can be so, especially from a Westerners field of view. "The Roads to Sata" is a journey worth taking.
Rating: 
Summary: Presents just one side of the Japan experience
Review: Having lived in Japan for a long time I found this book disappointing. As another reader stated above it is written from a man's perspective and experiences in Japan. I had a hard time relating to much of his book. Alan writes for the gaijin man in Japan. I know if a gajin woman were to repeat his journey the tale would be much different. I am sure many long-timers would agree.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!!!!
Review: I can't remeber how many times I've read this book, the first being when I was living in Japan but not yet speaking the language and I almost gave up on my classes there and then. Even though Alan Booth made his epic trip at a time when foreigners were still relatively rare in Japan, some of his experiences are still conceievable today. A must-read for anyone who's interested in Japan/travel/other cultures; my favourite episode involves the conversation with an inn keeper, in fluent Japanese, detailing the reasons why Booth can't stay there "We don't havce beds, only futon/ we don't eat meat and you foreigners can't eat raw fish/ we don't have knives and forks" etc etc, all of which are rebuffed in perfect Japanese. Finally the aged inn keeper says "But we don't speak English!" Having had many equally frustrating experiences, I could only laugh, as I did many times during this book. On a sad note, Alan Booth died several years ago while still in his 40's- I felt like I had lost a partner in crime, as well as being cheated of further insights on the country I sometimes loved... just read it!
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful read about a beautiful journey
Review: I enjoyed this book very much. The writing keeps pace with the author's careful look at Japan. His British humor adds wonderful moments, my favorite of which involve rainy nights on the beach and the strangeness of Japanese pornography. Like an earlier reviewer, I find this story to be as much about Alan Booth's introspection as it is about Japan. The walk is a mere backdrop for Booth the observer to share his insights on life. And they are accurate insights. This is one of the few examples of travel writing that can be enjoyed by everybody, regardless of whether they adore the destination being explored.
Rating:
Summary: Essential for serious travelers
Review: I picked this book out of the travel section of the library before I made my long-anticipated trip to Japan. Whereas Jay MacInnerny's "Ransom" prevented me from making the same visit ten years earlier, Booth's writing drew me in. I liked this book so much that I devoured it and then went to borrow his other one; "Looking for the Lost". Japan is a place where a foreigner will always be an outsider. Booth demonstrates this and still lets his love for the country shine through. It's not a topographical guidemap the way Fodor's does it, but it's just about the best mental preparation study for people who want to see some real Japan. A word of caution: Don't forget that the author's perspective is that of a foreign male living abroad in a testerone rich culture. There is still a woman's story to be told in a Japan travelogue someday, and it will be quite a different tale, I'm sure. Still, I recommend it highly for both genders.
| 
