Spot On Japan My wife is from the southern tip of Honshu. We recently lived there for a year in her ancestors' countryside fishing village. I ordered this book from Amazon Japan amongst others. Now I'm back in Australia I can tell you it's a book you can read again and again and feel like you are in Japan. Alan Booth was a master at evoking a sense of place, the Japanese sensibility and their unique view on the world. Booth's subtle sense of humour is wonderful. If you only read one book on Japan, or are looking to spend time amongst the natives, then this book is a 'must'.
The country comes alive on every page Unlike some reviewers, I'm not able to comment on the book from an insider's point of view. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this account of one man's travels through Japan. It was something of a miracle to come across this book in late 2005, as the author, a well-known writer on all things Japan in his time, had passed away more than a decade earlier. I'm glad that a friend recommended it to me; I'm glad that I can pass along that recommendation here; and I'm glad that Booth left other works for those of us with a thirst for knowledge on Japan to explore.A Beautiful Travelography Alan Booth has the most wonderful way of making the reader feel his triumphs and sorrows. His writing style gives the book a very "visceral" feeling and it is easy to get lost in the book. This is added to by the authors bluntness. He never seems to be glossing over the truth. He openly talks about the good and bad that is done to him, and by him.
I read alot of this book while I spent my mornings in a Mister Donut in Asakusa during my trip to Tokyo for a photo shoot. The book really helped get my creative juices flowing and made me want to return to Japan to shoot along it "backside." It also made me realize the dangers of eating vindictive carp.
I would highly recomend this book to anyone thinking of traveling in Japan, or to someone who just likes to let their wings stretch in a good book.
