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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From Booklist
*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
Format: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
Format: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
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A bit of a downer
I read Part One and it was so depressing that I'm not continuing on to the other volumes. This is a beautifully-packaged edition and the cover caught my attention. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Gromer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely artwork - but one-sided story of isolation & loneliness
As someone who has spent time teaching in Japan and written about it (For Fukui's Sake: Two years in rural Japan) I was really keen to read Tonoharu. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Sinbad
3.0 out of 5 stars
different experiences, but some familiar.
This is a story of alienation and of the experience of being a foreigner in a strange land. I once dreamed of teaching English abroad... Read more
Published 19 months ago by John Ronald
4.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating melancholy
I just read this book in one short sitting, and I feel the same as I do when I hear that sad "Christmastime is here" song from Charlie Brown's Christmas... Read more
Published on January 24, 2011 by Jeremy Aldrich
1.0 out of 5 stars
Lifeless
Many of the positive reviews for this book come from those who have experienced similar programs in Japan. Read more
Published on January 18, 2011 by FalPal
2.0 out of 5 stars
A bit of a bummer
I bought this book thinking it would be an insightful tale into the ups and downs of teaching in Japan. Read more
Published on November 21, 2010 by BookWormBill
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not the utopian Japan that Japanophiles expect.
I left for Japan with great expectations too, embarking on a year's adventure teaching English for Aeon that quickly soured and nearly marooned me. Read more
Published on September 24, 2010 by Dave Sanborn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read, a must for people spending time in Japan
I really enjoyed this book, it managed to capture a lot of the emotions you go through spending time in Japan, without being particularly judgmental or drawing conclusions for you. Read more
Published on December 16, 2009 by S. George
4.0 out of 5 stars
Isolated in Translation
I'm not generally big on memoir or semi-autobiographical fiction as a genre (especially in graphic formats, where the navel-gazing can get totally out of hand), but the beautiful... Read more
Published on August 16, 2009 by A. Ross
4.0 out of 5 stars
Painfully Honest
Lars Martinson's graphic novel "Tonoharu" is the story of Daniel Wells, an American who goes to teach English for a year in the titular backwaters Japanese town. Read more
Published on August 16, 2008 by Lothe
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