Daniel Wells begins a new life as an assistant junior high school teacher in the rural Japanese village of Tonoharu. Isolated from those around him by cultural and language barriers, he leads a monastic existence, peppered only by his inept pursuit of the company of a fellow American who lives a couple towns over. But contrary to appearances, Dan isn't the only foreigner to call Tonoharu home. Across town, a group of wealthy European eccentrics board in a one-time Buddhist temple, for reasons that remain obscure to their gossiping neighbors.
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*Starred Review* Xeric Award–winner Martinson gives us a fully realized, engaging tale of international alienation. Ivy League grad Dan Wells has arrived in Japan to take his first job ever, assisting in English instruction classes at a small-town junior-high school. In his first months on the job, he faces boredom between classes (not all the Japanese teachers want his assistance, but he has made a contractual agreement to be on site at the school all day, every day), homesickness, the reality that he doesn’t readily become a glib Japanese conversationalist, and the rebuffs of other Westerners, who are either better prepared for the foreign experience or so quick to dismiss Japanese culture that they don’t engage the existential truth that alienation is more about the foreigner than about the host. Martinson’s daintily shaded and cross-hatched panels fit both the setting and Dan’s mood. Sly visual puns, particularly surrounding Dan’s inability to understand spoken Japanese but clarity about the temperaments of the speakers, spice the otherwise reportorial account. Martinson’s highly autobiographical fictional graphic novel conveys the feel as well as the facts of his hero’s experience of romanticism confronted by reality. --Francisca Goldsmith
About the Author
Lars Martinson was born on Mother's Day, 1977. He has met a princess, seen a five-legged cow, and eaten raw octopus eggs. From 2003 to 2006 he taught English in Fukuoka, Japan through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. In 2007 he received the prestigious Xeric Grant for his graphic novel Tonoharu: Part One. He currently lives in Minneapolis and is hard at work on the second part of the Tonoharu story.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
true parody of the JET Experience!,
By
This review is from: Tonoharu: Part One (Hardcover)
Tonoharu is a beautiful, true to life graphic novel. I taught English in Fukuoka for three years with the JET Programme, and even though this book presents some extreme examples of what can happen, the most outrageous thing is how factual it actually is. Nuanced, detailed, funny and sad, it really captures the spirit of what it's like to be a foreigner in Japan, the high highs and the lonely lows. I definitely recommend it to all JET alums and all those interested in seeing Japan through Western eyes. If you like manga, it will give you a deeper appreciation of the culture. Those who haven't been to Japan but enjoyed the movie Lost in Translation will feel a similar sense of lyrical dislocation as they follow the adventures of Daniel in Tonoharu.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Offbeat and intriguing,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tonoharu: Part One (Hardcover)
A serious minority - Daniel Wells is the only American in a rural Japanese Village, where he serves as an assistant junior high school teacher. "Tonoharu: Part One" is the start of his story as Daniel must deal with everything coming with his new job - language barriers, culture shock, it's a lonely existence. His only relief comes from the pursuit, although not effective, of an American girl who resides in a town not far from his own. His adventures often turn offbeat and intriguing, making "Tonoharu: Part One" highly recommended for community library graphic novel collections.
Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Recommendation for the Graphic Novel Tonoharo,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Tonoharu: Part One (Hardcover)
I have just finished reading the graphic novel Tonoharo Vol. 1 for the third time in a week.
The basic story is about an American who moves to Japan to teach english. I lived in Fukuoka Japan for 3-years and taught "conversational" english at a company called GEOS. I started to go slightly "bonkers" my last 6 months or so and left a bit burnt out and I've never been back. Some of this story is based in and around Fukuoka so it brings back some memories for me. Many people have asked what it was like to live and work in Japan and I've told and discussed it with them to the best of my ability. The writer does an excellent job of catching some of the subtlety and small detail that comes with living as a foreigner in Japan, and expresses some of the frustrations being a foreigner. My experiences were quite a bit different than what is portrayed in the story but many similar things happened to me. And, strangely enough, I knew people that lead lives very similar to the characters in the graphic novel. I also knew people that led lives very different but still went thru the same experiences and process of living there. I'm not sure if I got so much out of this because I lived there or the writer does such a good job. If your at all interested in the subject of expats in Japan, this is a graphic novel that you should read. Volume 2 has just come out but I haven't had a chance to purchase it yet but I will.
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