Filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge of how Confucius' teachings influence Asian societies. Informative but also amusing. ( )

This is a departure for me but TR Reid is one of my favorite contributors to National Public Radio and one of my NPR friends gave me this book for my birthday. It's a fabulous account of what TR and his family discovered when they lived in Toyko. It's written just as if he was sitting in my living room telling me about their adventures. Really enjoyable. ( )

Interesting read for those unfamiliar with Asian culture. For anyone who has spent time living or working in Japan in particular, this book will reaffirm what you already know but is unlikely to enlighten. Tended to drag and repeat after a while and could definitely benefit from some updating as much has changed since publication. ( )

Interesting and thought-provoking, Reid's quiet, convincing presentation of Confucian ideals and how they may be influencing the quality of life for Asians is well worth reading. ( )

Oh wow, this was really a wonderful book. And truly international as I started it in Japan and finished it somewhere over the Pacific between Seoul and Los Angeles.

There is so much I could say about the book, but I loved how he opened up with the eastern flavours, the hodge podge of influences on both foods and then being surprised when you can't find the variation. It goes both ways--teriyaki McDonalds and the versions of sushi present in Australia and the US. He also managed to cover the Engrish--satay won and Let's Sex without appearing condescending. He explained how they came about which was interesting. I also like how he covered which words used a Japanese word--kuruma for car, and which took katakana turaku for truck. It's stuff like that I wondered about without really seriously considering.

I also liked how he hit on the day to day amusing moments, such as needing a fax to be able to get directions to go anywhere. Also the day to day worries such as putting the kids in a school--facing the issues of new school anywhere together with specialised issues such as bullying and how the kids would cope with a full new series of alphabets.

It's a mix of stuff I'd never have thought about because it didn't apply to my life in Japan (schooling) and things I'd never thought about such as the Plaza Accord and how NKK came to be making indoor athletic complexes rather than their traditional icebreakers. All interesting because I had wondered how they came to decide they 'needed' indoor beaches and ski hills.

While the majority of the book focused on his time living in Japan he also addressed issues in other Asian countries, such as the Michael Fay caning issue in Singapore which I remember being a huge issue back when it happened.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect was when he attempted to define the geographic construction that was East Asia. It's a made up construction, but it does have some roots in various names such as the kanji or chopstick culture. And what New Yorker can not laugh at his Singapore/Manhattan comparison.

All in all a good read, touched on familiar and new issues while keeping it interesting. ( )