How to experience the real Japan instead of the travelogue Japan, by preparing your attitude and expectations and getting off of the beaten track.
Most people who visit Japan as tourists are kept on a pre-set course that takes them to and by a variety of attractions, limiting their experiences to a small sampling of the diversity and richness that make up the essence of life in Japan.
The depth and breadth of the whole Japan exper-ience is, in fact, incredible and cannot be packaged into several days or even several weeks.
However, even visitors who are bound by time constraints and well-beaten tours can enliven and enrich their experiences by participating in unique customs and practices. This ranges from staying overnight at a hot springs resort inn to experiencing the lifestyle of Japan’s Shogunate era lords and ladies.
The book provides information and insights that add a special dimension to the Japan experience even if it is just for a few days—including the ability to communicate with the Japanese in Japanese!
Excerpt
Japan has its own creation myth; a story that is far more detailed and interesting than the Christian myth.
Expands beyond the safety of pages bound by predictability to explore and often confirm exciting creative possibilities. A shimmering collage of memoir, creative nonfiction, literary journalism, and dizzying flights into poetic observation, this is t
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