Customer Reviews

Living Carelessly in Tokyo and Elsewhere: A Memoir

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This is a series of chronological autobiographical vignettes by a distinguished translator of Japanese works and multi-purpose film maker. It's the story of how a 6'4" Jewish boy from New York City/Tuscon went to Harvard, became enthralled with the Japanese language, went to Japan, went native and returned to the US, often relying on his youthful Japanese immersion for employment and career.

There are wonderful descriptions of Japan, such as waiting for the results of the University of Tokyo entrance exam, living with Mayumi's family, the people and production of the documentary trilogy and the night life of Japan in its postwar boom. There are portraits of Mishima and Oe, the home of a Noh actor and stories about the economics of writing and translation. Nathan had a singular experience in post-war Japan. The early vignettes are worthy of their own volume.

Stateside, this interesting life encompasses two academic careers, script writing, production of successful commercials and business videos and a crisis in the business itself. There are glimpses of Nathan's two families, a description of Nobel Prize proceedings and several returns to Japan.

The value of this book for me was that it re-kindled my interest in Japanese fiction and post-war Japan.

I will keep this short and sweet. As an American who has lived in Tokyo and working as professional Japanese-English translator, I am particular biased and in tune with Mr. Nathan's message. I cannot make any guarantees for anyone without such experiences to relate to if they will enjoy this book as much as I did. However, it is marvelously well written and such refreshingly honest prose is a rarity these days. I would recommend it for any serious scholar of Japan (and not just in the academic meaning of the word).

Nathan's memoir is piercingly honest, both as he describes his education and working life, and in his descriptions of Japan. It's no picnic being a foreigner in Japan, because, no matter how well you speak the language, and understand the very complex culture, you're always different. (In America, of course, we're all different!)

I knew John early in his student days, and he was no "jerk," as an earlier review had it. What nonsense.

For those who are interested in directing films (which Nathan did), script writing, the problems and challenges of translating fiction, post-war Japan and its cultural elites, book publishing in America in the past 30 years, Princeton's academic milieu, all of this and more is a part of Nathan's memoir. My only quarrel with Nathan's account is that he is much too hard on himself. He rarely takes a moment to reflect on his accomplishments, which are legion, and his unique role in translating America to the Japanese, and Japan to Americans.

I would deem John Nathan's autobiography bittersweet. Indeed, he had a great good fortune to be in the crucial period of Japan that I envy, though his self-involvement may have prevented him from really appreciating his circumstances.

Though I have no qualms in his ambivalence about Japan having lived in Tokyo in it's heydey in the early '80s, during that weird bi-polar xenophobic love/hate nature of the Japanese. Gaijins were generally considered a strange mix of celebrity status and circus acts, while being a sansei (third-generation Japanese American) I was thought of as inferior buck tooth cousin from the New World.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who has spent time in Japan, especially Tokyo.

This guy was a jerk in person, but he was at least funny when it was directed towards other people, so maybe he can write a decent book. Still, I doubt his book is all that great for those interested in Japan since he sounded like just one more gaijin burned by Japan. Better that you give it your own shot rather than let this sourpuss spoil all of the amazing experiences you can have by visiting, or even living, in Japan. I will give his other books a shot since they seem more favorable to a student of Japanese language and culture. After that, perhaps I will revise my statements.