Customer Reviews

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Japanese (Xenophobe's Guides - Oval Books)

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Thsi book was disappointing. I've read others in the Xenophobes series, and they were informative and humorous, though not particularly practical as travel guides. However, the Japan guide was neither. Having already read Culture Shock: Japan, I was very disappointed in this book. It has less information -- and less humor -- than Culture Shock. In fact, the Xenophobes guide had exactly 2 facts not mentioned in Culture Shock. Whether you are interested in travelling to Japan, or just looking for multicultural humor, I do not recommend this particular Xenophobes Guide.

I've been living in japan for about two years now, and while you can learn more by going through several longer, more extensive books, for a single guide that offers an irreverant explanation of a very difficult country to understand, the Xenophobes Guide to the Japanese is solid. Like the reviewer above, I read the Culture Shock guide to japan, and while I found it interesting too and learned more about culture shock, altogether for a short, funny book I don't consider it as informative or comprehensive.
If you want to read more of these kinds of books on japan, check out Hokkaido Highway Blues, by Will Ferguson, an former english teacher that hitchiked across the country during his stay. People that have already lived out here a while always find it a lot funnier than people that havent yet, but for what its worth it gives a really accurate depiction of what its like to be a westerner living out here.

Although this book gave a fair view of characteristic of Japanese in general, this book degraded Japanese women by depicting them almost like old stereotypic view of Japanese women being geisha. I was infuriated since I am Japanese and I can't believe that the author is Japanese as well (and also female)!! Skip the part about description of Japanese women near the beginning of the book. The description is totally incorrect and I have never heard of anyone who paints her chest to make it look attractive for men.

For the outrageous price one gets a very succint introduction into the habits of the Japanese, one that disregards the internal differences that are bound to exist in the country.

It is very good for a two hours fun read for someone who does not really plan to visit the country. The amount of information given is more easily gathered through a TV documentary though, and anyone wishing real help should address oneself elsewhere.

To keep matters very light but do it more usefully, about 40 more pages would have sufficed, together with a more rational partition of topics.

I would have appreciated a section about easy blunders to avoid when visiting such a different country and more attention to the intercourse between foreigners and natives, not excluding the more friendly or even intimate point of view.