 What is it about Japan that so enchants foreigners?Partly it is the beauty of the country (palm-lined beaches, turquoise water, hot springs, green-cloaked mountains, and glistening rice paddies). It’s also the ancient, intricate arts and crafts (flower arranging, pottery, tea ceremony, sumi-e painting, haiku poetry, and elegant dancing). And it’s the cuisine (fresh sashimi, lighter-than-air tempura, seaweed-wrapped rice balls, and handmade noodles-all washed down with a steaming thimbleful of sake or a frothy glass of ice-cold beer).Perhaps most persuasively of all, it is the kindness and sensitivity of the Japanese people who will go to astonishing lengths to procure a special gift, direct visitors to their desired destinations, return a forgotten wallet, or see a friend off.
All of these attributes interact in amazingly complex and compelling ways, creating the whole of Japanese culture and countryside-a whole that is as enchanting as it is enigmatic. This is not to suggest that everything in and of Japan is unblemished. Any outsider who has lived there knows the culture is filled with frustrations for the non-native who may feel excluded. Yet Japan, in its entirety, is a place that rewards persistence and open-mindedness with enthralling enlightenments and lessons that can change one’s life. As with all of our books, Travelers’ Tales Japan: True Stories offers useful and memorable anecdotes which tell of experiences to be had or avoided. The authors come from all walks of life and all are wanderers with tales to tell. Their stories will help you to deepen and enrich your experience as a traveler. Notable authors in this collection include: Travelers’ Tales Japan: True Stories |
