Wicked Japanese For The Business Traveler [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Howard Tomb (Author), Jared Lee (Illustrator), Kuni Mikami (Translator), Kao Temma (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1991

From the sneakily successful travel series with over 1,000,000 copies in print, here is the pocket-sized guide that combines verbal self-defense with cultural insight. Specifically focused on getting in, getting around, and getting the deal done, Wicked Japanese prepares the gaijin (that's you) for a world so alien that just wearing the wrong necktie can spell certain death to the bargain you flew 18 hours to seal.

Impress your host with your politeness--and recite the correct apology for grazing a stranger with your sleeve: Buchoho de makoto ni moshiwake gozaimasen ("Sorry to have injured you with my stupid clumsiness"). And if planning to work for a Japanese company, show that you're a team player: Yumei na daigaisha no hitotsu no hagurama ni nalitai ("I wish to be a tiny cog in a huge and honorable machine"). 93,000 copies in print.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Howard Tomb is the author of the Wicked Travel books. He also writes for the Sunday Travel Section of the New York Times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Workman; 6th edition (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894808621
• ISBN-13: 978-0894808623
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Japanese
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Japanese
  • #34 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Phrasebooks - General

More About the Author

I enjoy travel, as you might expect from the books I've written. When I go abroad I prefer not to have a lot of plans or even hotel reservations. Many of my favorite experiences on the road -- and the ones I remember best -- have been in situations where I'm out of my element. That often leads to physical or emotional discomfort, but it's almost always worth it.

For example, the first time I set out to scuba dive with sharks, in a place called Palau in the western Pacific, I felt scared. The water was 900 feet deep and I didn't have a weapon. But when they swam lazily over to check me out, my fear turned to awe. Their incredible beauty, curiosity and caution surprised me. (Yes, I would get out of the water if I saw a tiger or great white.)

My brother and I once walked into a tough little biker bar in New Richmond, a small town in southern Ohio. Everyone stopped talking and stared at us. We're city boys; they probably thought we were lost. But we ordered Bud longnecks and shots of Maker's Mark and punched some Patsy Cline into the jukebox, and pretty soon everyone was back in conversation. Within half an hour the owner was introducing us to her daughter and we were shooting pool with the bikers, even though we didn't agree on all the rules. They found out we were people, even though we live in New York and L.A., and we were able to see them as individuals through their beards and leather.

That, to me, is the point of travel: not just to "see things" but to make the world a bigger place.

Although my travel books are meant to be funny rather than practical, my hope is that they help people appreciate other perspectives better and take themselves and their frustrations a little less seriously.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is humor - not to be taken seriously, June 23, 2000

By 

o0mingmak "o0mingmak" (Honolulu) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wicked Japanese For The Business Traveler (Paperback)

As the previous reviewer indicated, this book is not a serious study of the Japanese language, and yes, it is full of stereotypes. But Howard Tomb's take on Japanese society is often hilarious! The book is especially funny for those foreigners who have lived or stayed in Japan for an extended period of time, although that is not a prerequisite to understand the humor.

Tomb divides the book into different situations with explanations and a number of phrases for each. The phrases start out innocently enough, but get progressively outlandish and funny. For example, in the section for "Life in a Japanese Firm" you will note phrases with Japanese translations like:

"I will always agree with my superiors, even when they are totally wrong" or

"My dream is to be a tiny cog in a huge and honorable machine"

I had a friend who actually tried to use these phrases in Japanese while working for a Japanese company, but no-one understood the sarcasm (everyone took his statements seriously!). In short, the book is often hilarious in English, but not necessarily so in Japanese.

Wicked Japanese is definately worth the [money] for the laughs that it generates, but be careful if you actually decide to use it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wickedly Funny, January 29, 2001

By 

James R. Hoadley "Nagano Jim" (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wicked Japanese For The Business Traveler (Paperback)

This book is definitely not politically correct, but if sarcastic, biting humor is your thing, this one will have you rolling. As other reviewers have stated, the humor in this book is often lost on Japanese people, but if you've ever lived here, you'll probably laugh yourself to tears by the middle of the book. I use the author's explanation on why few people travel to Japan for tourism often, and it always gets laughs.

Be very careful about using the Japanese in this book, as some of the phrases are quite offensive. Still, this is a good antidote when you've read too many boring phrasebooks, or you've had a nasty bout of culture shock.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Loaded with Stereotypes, February 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wicked Japanese For The Business Traveler (Paperback)

This book had its moments, but it's certainly not to be taken seriously as phrasebook. Chockful of American stereotypes of Japan, most of the phrases, while actually Japanese, I can't imagine actually being used in real situations.

Well, maybe the phrases to use if you're a female being groped on a train ("Arrest this pervert!").