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Gaijins in Japan
Here's a collection of our favorite "gaijins in Japan" titles. Some of the experiences are recent, others date from the turn-of-the-century. All are interesting, and may whet your appetite to become a gaijin yourself -- if only for a little while.
36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan by Cathy Davidson Paperback
248 pages
A Year in Japan by Kate T. Williamson Paperback
192 pages, 350 color illustrations
An artist's journal, this book captures the author's experiences and impressions during a year-long stay in Kyoto.
Adventures in Japan: A Literary Journey in the Footsteps of a Victorian Lady by Evelyn Kaye Paperback
250 pages
Illustrated travelogue by the author as she follows the 1878 route of Victorian traveler Isabella Bird through northern Japan.
Beyond Sushi, A Year in Japan by Kenneth Januszewski Paperback
222 pages
The Blue-Eyed Salaryman: From World Traveller to Lifer at Mitsubishi by Niall Murtagh Paperback
227 pages
The Cloud and the Light: Memoirs of a Japanese Christian Surgeon from Nagasaki by Martin Dr. Kawano, William J. Chambliss, Paul Miller (Translator) Paperback
325 pages
A Protestant, inter-denominational surgeon who, while a medical student, survived the bombing of Nagasaki.
Getting Both Feet Wet: Experiences Inside The JET Program by David Kootnikoff Paperback
222 pages
Fourteen essays: seven by former JETs and seven by JTEs (Japanese teachers of English).
Hannah Riddell: An Englishwoman in Japan by Julia Boyd
Account of a woman who, in 1891, arrived in Kumamoto as a missionary.
Hitching Rides with Buddha by Will Ferguson Paperback
432 pages
An account of the author's cross-country hitchhiking trip.
The Inland Sea by Donald Richie, Yoichi Midorikawa (Photographer) Paperback
260 pages
Sheltered between Japan's major islands lies the Inland Sea, a place modernity passed by. In this classic travel memoir, Donald Richie embarks on a quest to find Japan's timeless heart among its mysterious waters and forgotten islands. This edition features an introduction by Pico Iyer, photographs from the award-winning PBS documentary, and a new afterword.
In the Empire of Dreams by Dianne Highbridge Hardcover
288 pages
In this fictional account, ten self-contained chapters detail interlocking vignettes of three Western women living, teaching and growing older in Tokyo.
Japan and Back and Places Elsewhere: A Memoir by Hugh Cortazzi Hardcover
255 pages
Japan Through American Eyes: The Journal of Francis Hall, 1859-1866 by F. G. Notehelfer (Editor) Paperback
288 pages
The journal of Francis Hall, who went to Japan in 1859 to collect material for a book on the country and to serve as correspondent for Horace Greely's New York Tribune.
The Japanese Chronicles by Nicolas Bouvier, Anne Dickerson (Translator)
French journalist's accounts of his visits to Japan from 1955 through 1970.
Japanese Lessons: A Year in a Japanese School Through the Eyes of an American Anthropologist and Her Children by Gail R. Benjamin Hardcover
A look at the differences between two cultures' educational systems.
The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto
352 pages
An affair with the well-educated wife of a salaryman results in "a beautifully written book about someone looking for ancient dreams in a strange modern place" (LA Times Book Review).
Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan by Bruce S. Feiler Paperback
336 pages
A funny, lively book about an English teacher experiencing the clash of cultures in a small Japanese town.
Legless in Ginza: Orientating Japan by Robin Gerster Paperback
Australian teacher's account is "part travel book, part personal/professional memoir and part cultural study."
Longfellow's Tattoos: Tourism, Collecting, And Japan by Christine M.E. Guth Paperback
234 pages
Charles Longfellow, son of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, arrived in Yokohama in 1871, intending a brief visit, and stayed for two years. He returned to Boston laden with photographs, curios, and art objects, as well as the elaborate tattoos he had "collected" on his body. His journals, correspondence, and art collection dramatically demonstrate America’s early impressions of Japanese culture, and his personal odyssey illustrates the impact on both countries of globetrotting tourism.
Looking for the Lost: Journeys Through a Vanishing Japan
389 pages
A fascinating account of the author's journey by foot through three remote regions of Japan.
My Mother is a Tractor: A Life in Rural Japan by Nicholas Klar Paperback
208 pages
A JET participant's experience in -- rural Japan.
No Elbow Room by Kenneth Andrews Paperback
179 pages
5'4" American Male MIT Graduate, Joins Company X Japan. Join me as I enter the Japanese social and business world through a variety of humorous, and at times, serious anecdotes.
Onna Rashiku (Like a Woman): The Diary of a Language Learner in Japan by Karen Ogulnick Paperback
154 pages
Rediscovering Old Tokaido: In the Footsteps of Hiroshige by Patrick Carey Hardcover
176 pages
Too Late for the Festival: An American Salary-Woman in Japan by Rhiannon Paine Hardcover
200 pages
An "American innocent abroad" account of a Californian woman's year-plus assignment as a technical writer at Hewlett-Packard Japan.
Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind: The Zen Journal and Letters of Maura 'Soshin' O'Halloran by Maura O'Halloran Hardcover
311 pages
In 1979, the 24-year-old author left her waitressing job in Boston and began studying Zen (as an acolyte and monk at Buddhist monasteries in Iwate and Tokyo). Today she is revered as a Buddhist saint, and a statue in her honor stands at the monastery where she lived.
The Roads to Sata: A 2000-Mile Walk Through Japan by Alan Booth Paperback
304 pages
Brit's tale of his 2,000-mile walk across Japan in the early 1980s.
Travelers' Tales Japan by Donald W. George Paperback
411 pages
Turning Japanese by David Galef Paperback
240 pages
Novel about a slightly odd (but then, aren't we all?) young American seeking work in Japan.
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella Bird Paperback
400 pages
The classic travel book which details Isabella Bird's 1878 trip, where she set out alone to explore the interior of Japan.