Tune in Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries by Tim AndersonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I picked up this book because I wanted to gain a sneak peek into what my future would be if I uprooted and moved to Japan. This book is an entertaining and informative window to Japanese urban culture through a western perspective. The author discusses so many aspects of Japanese life - none of the subjects you would find in a history book, but instead the real experience of what it would be like to live in modern day Japan, with real Japanese people, not what Americans imagine them to be. The book covers different parts of the adventure that would be universal to any teaching abroad employee: random international roommates, all with their own preconceived notions of the country and goals for their time there built on those notions, comical language and custom barriers, and the experience of teaching itself.
Much of the discussion in this book is light hearted and joking, but like with all jokes, there's some truth. One of my favorite chapters is Tim discussing the word "kawaii" and how since there isn't a need to obsess about being thin in Japan (as opposed to America), the focus has shifted entirely to being cute enough. In America, an adult with a Hello Kitty purse or some other childish adornment would be mocked and probably thought a bit mentally unstable, but in Japan, it's completely the norm, accepted as though cute things are their version of bling. What's great about this chapter, and really about the book as a whole, is that while Tim is able to be cynical and critical of this idiosyncrasy, he himself has also taken part in it, finding himself buying cute clothing, t-shirts, cell phone charms - he is a westerner, has western perspectives, yet still finds himself adapting and seeing the appeal of the traditions of his new culture. The book covers topics that a sociology or anthropology or whatever type of student could study seriously, but the light treatment of the stories encountered in his everyday life makes Tim Anderson's book just as valid as any such study and far more accessible and fun to read.
Overall, while the book isn't particularly riveting, each chapter's anecdotes make it a fun read. Personally, I read this on my kindle app while traveling on the subway to and from places, so the stories were spanned over a few months for me, but given that the material isn't necessarily thought-intensive, it's a great book to unwind to and still gain some perspective along the way of what Tokyo and teaching abroad is like. Would I read it again? Probably not, but I'm glad I did.
View all my reviews
