Ride in the Neon Sun [Paperback]

Josie Dew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001

The third in her series of cycling books sees the author riding east across Australia, China, Korea, Borneo, Indonesia and Malaysia. The journey encompasses the Orient - the old, the modern, and the futuristic, beginning with a tour of Japan.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Josie Dew's efforts pay off, enabling you to freewheel effortlessly through this riveting country TIME OUT It is her well-developed sense of the ridiculous which makes her adventures so entertaining.'TODAY 'Her writing is witty, sharp and sparkles with vitality.'THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE A female Bill Bryson...A RIDE IN THE NEON SUN is full of delights TLS Entertaining...Josie Dew has an eye for the absurd, and she found it aplenty in the fascinatingly diverse culture of Japan IRISH NEWS --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Josie, still only thirty-three, has covered more miles and visited more countries on her bike than most people will ever travel by plane in their entire lives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751517550
• ISBN-13: 978-0751517552
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,419,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars useful for swatting flies, July 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ride in the Neon Sun (Paperback)

At the risk of being accused of having "yellow fever"(?) I would say this book is not worth the trouble. If you are interested in understanding Japan, find another, for example one of the Alan Booth books which was written by a person with real knowledge and understanding of Japan and was a far better writer.

Ms. Dew rambled on for millions of pages it seems--well about 700-- and tells nothing new about the country that hasn't been said many times before by those ignorant of the country. Any criticisms are extremely shallow and what you end up with is: the Japanese and Japan are all kind, polite, and wonderful and of course weird, strange and inscrutable in the end. "But that's Japan."

Little about cycling in this book, so it won't likely satisfy the cycling enthusiast. Cycling was just her mode of travel. So there is little useful info about Japan that would satisfy anyone seeking useful, realistic knowledge, and little to satify cyclists. I really can't say what it is good for, but as mentioned earlier, it does contain many news reports from several years ago that were aired on FEN (US Armed Forces radio in Japan.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 2,900 Miles in Japan by Bike, September 9, 2000

By 

David Shomper "Apollo engineer" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ride in the Neon Sun (Paperback)

Oppressive heat and humidity, choking truck fumes, voracious mosquitoes, howling typhoons, uninspired concrete architecture, venomous snakes....why, I kept asking myself as I read this book, would anybody choose to do a bike tour of Japan? Actually, the ever-optimistic Ms. Dew hadn't planned to either, but managed to take a wrong turn on the way to New Zealand and wound up spending 4 months exploring the many Japanese islands. In the rainy season.

This is Josie's 3rd book on cycling in various places around the world. Those familiar with her previous works (both very highly recommended also) may find this book a little more on the serious side. It is also much longer and more detailed.

Despite having a near-useless phrase book ("Well, by gosh, I am from Missouri"), she manages to get along quite well with the language and quickly becomes very knowledgeable about the local customs. Some of her descriptions of the language interchanges are hilarious.

Josie can't seem to cycle more than a few kilometers without somebody foisting food and/or drink upon her, and always without any ulterior motives. The Japanese are fascinated at seeing a petite, young, attractive, blonde woman cycling alone and always manage to assume she is American. (She's English.) She is constantly being taken in and mothered by families which gives her a special exposure to the culture most of us will never have the chance to experience. The book does an excellent job of shattering many of the western stereotype views of Japan and the Japanese.

As usual, Josie manages to skewer most of the Americans she meets, mostly because of their lack of desire to explore the complexities of the Japanese culture.

The book includes clever maps of her routes, many excellent color photos, a humorous (and convenient) glossary of Japanese words, and an amusing index. She also includes a complete list of what to take along should you be inclined to attempt a long term bike trip. (My only question is how did she ever fit all that gear on her bike?)

While the book made me realize that doing a bike trip in Japan was not my cup of tea, it was entertaining to read of her adventures without experiencing the heat and humidity, not to mention the mosquitoes and snakes. It certainly would be an excellent read for anyone planning a trip to Japan by any mode of transportation. And if you have half the success she did in obtaining free food and lodging, it would be a cheap trip indeed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great read, July 18, 2005

By 

Wayne Cuthbert (japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ride in the Neon Sun (Paperback)

i have lived in japan for the last 20 years, having completed my doctorate in japan, and being married to a japanese woman. i feel as though i may have some qualification to comment on this book, as opposed to the neo-japanologists who may have only spent a year or two in japan. i really enjoyed this book for what it is, a light-hearted and humorous account of a bicycle trip through japan. her accounts are spot on, and i find them even more so after all this time. i cannot agree that she has a racist outlook to the japanese or demeans them in any way. it is just an author describing what she sees, not what you want her to see. i find this refreshing and do not see the need to subscribe to a politically correct format in her style of reporting. she seems a regular person who is out to enjoy a bike ride without the politics.

all in all i can recommend this book for anyone who wants a great travel read or an insight into japan.