[cont'd from p. 3
Recommended Reading
Below are a list of books that have helped me in better understanding Japan and Japanese culture. Although the fictional books are historical, they still give the reader a good feel for Japanese culture and the differences from Western culture.
Non Fiction
Lonely Planet Tokyo, Chris Rowthorn & Chris Taylor -- much thinner and lighter than than the Lonely Planet Guide to Japan, all you need if you're just staying in Tokyo: lots of helpful maps with major landmarks and hotels written in Japanese (invaluable when dealing with non-English speaking cab drivers)
The National Geographic Traveler - Japan, Nicholas Bornoff -- big and heavy but packed with photos and comprehensive information about every corner of the country
Going to Japan on Business, Christalyn Brannen -- compact book full of valuable information, such as where to sit in a meetingor a a taxi, negotiation tactics, and advice to women on how to navigate a male-dominated business culture.
Making Out in Japanese, Todd & Erika Geers -- written by an American and his Japanese wife, a guide to the Japanese they don't teach you in the classroom. More whimsical than practical in value, as I've been told by my Japanese colleagues you may be slapped silly or get into a barroom brawl if using any of the phrases in this book. Nonetheless, it tells you how to break up with your Japanese girlfriend (or pick her up in a Roppongi club).
Women of the Pleasure Quarter, Lesley Downer -- the author is one of the few Westerners to break through the mystique surrounding the world of the geisha, comprehensively details training, dress and culture geisha society, as well as offering a historical perspective.
Japanese for Busy People -- this was the textbook for my Japanese course offered by the Japan Society of Northern California. Although not recommended without taking an instructor-taught class, it was a good book for gaining an introduction to a complex language.
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands -- a book that covers customs, value and belief systems of many different countries, Japan included, helpful for anyone traveling or doing business in another country.
Fiction
Shogun, James Clavell -- one of the books that started it all, 1,150 pages long, and a TV mini-series, the story of an English navigator shipwrecked in feudal Japan, and his struggle to outwit the Portugese colonists and adapt to a then unknown culture
Gaijin, James Clavell -- even longer than Shogun, Clavell sets his story in the international community in Yokohoma in the mid 19th century. Gaijin is the story of an heir to a Hong Kong trading company, and his courtship of a young French woman against the wishes of his domineering mother in Hong Kong, all occurring while the tide of xenophobia in Japan is rising.
Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden -- a novel told in the first person of a story of a young girl sold from her impoverished fishing village family to a geisha house in Kyoto, and her rise to become on of the top geishas in Kyoto's Gion district.
Travelers' Tales Guides Japan, ed. Donald W George & Amy Greimann Carlson -- like the other Travelers' Tales guides, this one is a collection of short stories, revealing different facets of travel in Japan and Japanese life, including climbing Mt. Fuji, taking an electric bath, and beating taiko drums.
The Secret Sun, Fred Hiatt -- okay, this one won't win any highbrow awards, the story of an American reporter and his Japanese assistant trying to uncover the story of a Japanese attempt to build an atom bomb during WWII.
The Ginger Tree, Oswald Wynd -- the story of a women who sails to Peking at the turn of the century to marry a military man, and afterward has an affair and a child with a Japanese officer which takes her to Japan for 40 years through two world wars, a tidal wave, and the Tokyo earthquake of 1923 -- a survival story of a woman who beats the odds.
The Tokaido Road: a Novel of Feudal Japan, Lucia St. Clair Robson -- the story of an heir to the Japanese shogunate and her battle to rejoin her allies in Kyoto to regroup, avenge her father's death and reclaim her title. The story starts in the "floating world" of Edo's (Tokyo's) Yoshiwara pleasure quarter to the main character's journey down the Tokaido Road from Edo to Kyoto with a peasant farmgirl who doesn't know her true identity.
Shinju, Laura Joh Rowland -- one of seven novels about the samurai investigator Sano Ichiro, this one is the story of Sano's investigation of an alleged double suicide by two lovers. Sano, suspicious of the ruling, opens up an investigation that some very powerful people would rather have closed.
A Few Words of Basic Japanese
If you look like a westerner, it will be assumed that you know neither the language nor the customs. This can be a good thing, as it will excuse you when you commit a faux pas (and you will, trust me). If you are of Asian heritage, but raised in an English speaking country (such as my wife), you may have a more difficult time, as the locals won't understand why you don't understand them. A couple of clerks in a drug store thought Erin, my wife, was retarded because she wasn't understanding their explanation on why her credit card wasn't working. A couple of Japanese Americans who were working in my Tokyo office encountered the same problem, as they knew no Japanese when they arrived in Tokyo.
Nonetheless, the locals will be extremely appreciative if you even make an attempt to say a few words in their language. Below are a few phrases that may be of help while in Japan.
One warning, when ordering food, you may do better by pointing then even attempting to talk. At Freshness Burger, the little takeout place at the base of my firm's building in Tokyo, I ordered a hamburger and a hot dog. When I brought it back up to the office, I found a hamburger and coffee in my bag.
Sumimasen - if you learn only one word of Japanese, learn this one. It means excuse me, sorry, or it's what you say to get someone's attention.
Wakarimasen - I don't understand: what the person above will say if they don't understand English, or don't know the answer
Ohayo gozaimasu - good morning
Kon nichiwa - good day (said in the afternoon)
Kon bonwa - good evening, used only after it's dark
Dozo - here, take this please; said when offering someone something or giving a business card
Hajimemashite, dozo yorushiku - said when meeting someone for the first time. Means pleased to meet you, much obliged.
Mata ashita - literally until tomorrow, informal, don't say in a formal business setting or to superiors
Shitsurei shimasu - good bye (most formal)
Mo ochido onegaishimasu - one more time please, said if you don't understand something the first time
O genki desu ka - How are you? (Lit. are you well?); said after Ohayo gozaimasu, kon nichiwa, etc.
Gambatte kudasai - give it your best, motivating or encouraging words
Chotto matte kudasai - one moment please, not a bad thing to say to buy yourself a little time after answering the phone in your Tokyo office
Hai! - yes, said after you've gotten someone's attention.
Iie - no
Irasshaimase - welcome, said by propietor of restaurant or store to customer when customer enters store
Sore (kore) o misete kudasai - please show me that (this).
Kore (sore) wa ikura desuka - how much is this (that)?
Domo - thanks (informal)
Arigato - thank you (more formal)
Domo arigato gozaimasu - thank you very much (most formal)
Do itashimashite - you're welcome
Oishii desu (deshita) - it is (was) delicious
Gochiso sama deshita - it was very good, said as a courtesy to a proprietor of a restaurant when departing
Kohi - coffee
O-cha - tea
Ma-cha - green tea
mizu - water
© 2002 by headwall
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