The title says it all: an American family of 5 (6, counting the border collie) transfer from the States to Tokyo, Japan, and this book tells all about their life there.
The absolute protagonist of these comical adventures is Karen, the mother, who experiences all the cultural shocks a foreigner stumbles upon their arrival in Japan: from the language barrier to different social customs and anything else in between, Karen drags you into the laughs and 'sorrows' of expats' life in the land of the rising sun.
The reason why this book is so funny is that japan (and Eastern countries in general) is diametrically opposite to Western culture and some customs become comprehensible after you fail a few times...
You don't have to be an expat in Japan (or anywhere else) to enjoy this series of misadventures and I highly recommend the read, because it's good-humored and, if that's not good enough reason, you could always grab some do's and don't while we wait for when it'll be safer and appropriate to start traveling again.
The absolute protagonist of these comical adventures is Karen, the mother, who experiences all the cultural shocks a foreigner stumbles upon their arrival in Japan: from the language barrier to different social customs and anything else in between, Karen drags you into the laughs and 'sorrows' of expats' life in the land of the rising sun.
👍👎My Thoughts
Karen is the humourous mom we all would love to have...I started laughing from page 1 and, believe me, half of the misadventures she writes about happened to me as well: from the 'make-up' bag they give you before trying any clothes, to 'the shoe removal ceremony' and the Odyssey which grocery shopping trips are, she deals with them with the right amount of self-humor and optimism and I'd say she's winning!The reason why this book is so funny is that japan (and Eastern countries in general) is diametrically opposite to Western culture and some customs become comprehensible after you fail a few times...
You don't have to be an expat in Japan (or anywhere else) to enjoy this series of misadventures and I highly recommend the read, because it's good-humored and, if that's not good enough reason, you could always grab some do's and don't while we wait for when it'll be safer and appropriate to start traveling again.
My vote: 8/10
Ph: goodreads.com
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