Japanese Demystified: Book Review

I recently picked up a copy of Japanese Demystified from my local library. I had been holding off from ordering the book because the cover looked like it was going to be dummy’s guide to the Japanese language.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

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The Roads to Sata

I often think that some first time travelers to Japan suffer from a condition of Japan-can-do-no-wrong. When I came back from Japan the first time all doe-eyed and with wonderlust, I certainly felt that Japan was as close to perfection as I could find. For months after I was constantly comparing everything in Canada to the way things went down in Japan. “That worker in Wendy’s didn’t say hello when I entered the store…hmmm.” “These people are not queuing up orderly AT ALL!” “Why is this toilet not shooting water at my bum?”

I had become a Japanophile.

Since I could see the signs of Japanophilia developing, I tried to find more books that covered the other side of the coin. That’s not to say that I went looking for the dark underbelly of Japan, I just wanted a more balanced look at the Japanese culture and people.

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