Customer Reviews

Memoirs of an American Housewife in Japan

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Imagine your mother, a nice, middle-class lady from suburbia who probably hasn't travelled much out of the US, suddenly ups and follows Dad's job halfway across the world. Confronted with something totally alien, she writes letters home or in her journal about these foreign experiences she's having. Basically, that's this book. Sometimes she's totally wrong about Japan and the Japanese; sometimes her middle class western prejudices and assumptions show through; sometimes she reveals insight she probably doesn't know she's revealing, but her voice in all this is totally honest. Any expat living in Japan will identify with a lot of her experiences (haven't we all been dressed up in kimono for a photo?). I confess that I bought this book because I had briefly met Mrs. Hager in Japan and mutual friend told me about it, and after a few pages thought "Oh no!" But though the book is amateurish and could certainly have used a good editor, I was hooked on it anyway and read it straight through. Not because I knew the people (I didn't, as it turns out), but because it was like reading somebody's diary!

Memoirs of an American Housewife in Japan is a detailed, straightforward account of how one American woman spent two years living in Japan and how she dealt with the people and strange customs she encountered there. Pauline Hager describes in great detail her hometown in Japan, her neighbors, and all the places in the country that she visits. She also describes some of the countries surrounding Japan, such as Singapore and Thailand, which she visits while living in the Far East.

This book would be an excellent companion for exchange students or anyone planning to live in Japan for an extended period of time. In addition to describing Japanese customs, Hager discusses the language, cuisine, religion, and holidays. There are even sections on the book devoted to sumo wrestling, the climate, the vegetation, you name it. As someone that has been a long-time fan of all things Japanese, this book was a delight to read.

The only flaw is due to the very nature of the book. Everything Hager sees is, of course, given from her own perspective. In addition to learning about the culture, readers must hear her own impressions and opinions. For some readers this may be a big problem. If that's you, then you might prefer something more impersonal like a guidebook. Personally I was not bothered that much. Hager had to adjust to living in Japan and learn how to adjust to its customs over time, sometimes learning the hard way. Anyone in her shoes would have to go through the same thing. It's all just a part of her experience in Japan. After all, while this book may be a helpful (if biased) guide to Japanese culture, it is also a memoir.

I would highly recomend this book to any American who is either planning to live in Japan or is simply interested in Japanese culture.

Asia is such a powerhouse area of the world that even if you never visit, you can learn valuable lessons from this book. Of course the author is middle class American, she makes this very clear. What is helpful is how she writes in such a way that you feel like you are there.

Wincing when one discovers they have made an error in how they dress for certain occasions, to everyday things like bathrooms, which depending on how ones home or hotel in Japan is set up, can be major cultural shock.

The book is one I recommend for those who like our family, have had and continue to have Japanese exchange students. And for those who will be American exchange students in Japan. Cannot recommend the book enough.

Pauline Hager spent some years in Mito, Japan, living rather than visiting. She samples breakfasts (never giving up a preference to donuts for the traditional rice and fish, which makes her gag), Japanese medicine (no advanced orthopedic surgery, surprising in a land with great health overall.) Pauline has a good way with descriptions and is not afraid to state her opinion. For example, she didn't like Singapore much (I found it about the opposite of everything she said and I DO like Japanese breakfasts a lot.)

The fun details like toilet slippers, kimono customs and the reactions of everyday people make this worth reading. I enjoyed a vicarious visit back to Japan, comparing my notes to Pauline's. A fun read and would be good for anyone who is curious about daily life in Japan.

Memoirs Of An American Housewife In Japan is the true autobiographical story of Pauline Hager, an amazing American woman, who had to adjust to the completely different culture of Japan when her husband had to work there on a multinational project. Living in housing especially designed for Westerners, and surrounded by friendly neighbors from all over the world, Pauline met the challenges of accepting new ways and of coping with language barriers, strict yet unfamiliar rules of etiquette, and much, much more. Memoirs Of An American Housewife In Japan is highly recommended, deftly written reading -- especially for anyone who finds themselves having to cope with being a stranger in a strange land!

This memoir does what it purports to do, and gives a workmanlike recounting of the author's experiences living as an expat housewife in Japan. It also describes the various vacations and trips she took in the area in the two years they were expats in Japan. The strength of this book is that it gives a very personal view of the experiences and impressions of the author. She describes the roads, the food, her living conditions, grocery stores, language teaching/lessons, her friends, Japanese and otherwise, and her American interpretation of Japanese customs and lifestyle as it interleaves with the expectations and lifestyle of an American woman with grown children. That's also one of the weaknesses, becaues the experiences are relatively narrow. If you are a college student or recent grad, or a mother with school age kids, yout experiences and focus would be different, as would the information that as a reader you might seek from such a memoir.

That being said, a book should be judged by its purpose, and this book does exactly what it purports to do. I read it in a couple of days and it was an easy read, and the writing style was conversational and flowed well. There were a few editing mistakes, but only a very few, not enough to impact the book at all.

The information on first impressions of Japan, the roads, stores, houses, etc. was interesting. Later in the book, as she begins to describe many acquaintances and places she's visited, the book suffers a little from too many names and too much activity without insight. For example, a relation of how difficult it is to drive and shop in a city where you can't read the language is interesting in that it raises the paradox of being a literate adult in a situation where you aren't literate. A discussion of various restaurants and visits, where the main detail is that the restaurant is warm/cold, the house is warm/cold is sort of meaningless. It is interesting that food/fuel etc, is very expensive in Japan, but toward the end of the book the story was more a relation of events/people, a travelogue rather than a cultural discussion or commentary.

If you are intersted in personal memoirs, particularly of the expat kind, or of American impressions of Japanese life, you might find this interesting or useful. I don't care to travel much, so I find such memoirs intersting. This one was mildly interesting and reasonably pleasant.

This was a lot of fun to read! The book is not a professional memoir, travel guide, or 'how to' guide, but a nice narrative about how a reasonably average/normal American housewife adjusted to moving to a completely different environment.

I recently read another book by an American expatriate who basically spent the vast majority of it complaining about how painful her time was in Japan. How much more fun to see another (basically) average person move to Japan, live in a Japanese house, interact with her Japanese neighbors and really take advantage of such a great opportunity. We get to read how she had to adjust to the shopping, the food, the driving, learning the language, and my personal favorite--trying to negotiate life when you are an illiterate. Reading her anxieties and the way she overcame them and really embraced and loved her time in Japan was an interesting journey to take.

I have to admit I might have preferred a more chronologic approach--this was more by topic, but you know what...who cares what I think? Her way worked too and I had a great time 'seeing' how she did. I'm very glad I gave this book a shot as I enjoyed my time reading it.

For people who are looking at a long term move to Japan this book would be a great read ahead of time, just to get a feel for what one normal person experienced.

Definitely Recommended!!

JTG

Pauline had a somewhat similar experience to ours, except she was in a small company compound, and we lived in a nearly totally Japanese area. Like us, she attempted to see and learn as much as possible during her stay. I related to many of her experiences. However, there were many others which were different. We lived in Takarazuka near Osaka; she was in a small town closer to Tokyo. She metioned the import company in Kobe; the owners were good friends. For a feel for what it's like to live in Japan as an expat, this will give you a good feel. It appears that Pauline's husband was very well paid as they were able to travel quite a bit. Travel in Japan is extrememly expensive! She was also able to get to many places in Asia during her stay. They were also able to make two home visits twice a year. We were only allowed one, and only at the company's discretion. (There were times druing construction when travel of any kind was not allowed.)
A pleasant and personal view of Japan.

Great book. I felt I was living in Japan right in the same area as the Japanese people. In order to live like that had to learn how to drive on narrow streets with streets signs written in Japanese. Learn how to grocery shop and learn everything that we take for granted in the United States everyday. Plus, having to deal with a language you don't speak or understand. Great Book. Linda Meckler