Japanland : A Year in Search of Wa – Karin Muller
Karin Muller spent years searching for the meaning of life. Having studied judo for years, she was impressed by the dedication of many of its Japanese practitioners–something she was told that she would have to become Japanese to fully understand. Wa. The state of harmony. So she decides to spend a year in Japan. One of her instructors finds a Japanese host family for her and off she goes.
But she is quintessentially American, and it is with decided cultural biases that she navigates Japanese life and culture. It seems she can do nothing right for her host mother Yukiko, who considers Muller a barbarian. After several months staying with the family, she strikes out on her own–at which she finally starts to understand her own place in Japanese culture. This was a riveting read, which I enjoyed thoroughly.
Comments
[...] I would prefer not to compare this book to Japanland because they cover entirely different territory. Nonetheless, comparisons beckon, and their siren call is too tantalizing to resist; it was too recent a read. While Learning to Bow was very interesting, it wasn’t nearly as riveting a read. Muller does such a fine job of describing her year, drawing us into her struggles. Feiler speaks Japanese and understands Japan more — yet Muller manages to paint a more descriptive picture. Still, this was good, and I would recommend. [...]