Brief reviews of recent books from or about Japan
| Wasabi Brothers Electronic Media Subgroup | |
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The Bookshelf Brief reviews of recent books from or about Japan |
| Currently on the Shelf | ||
| The Four Immigrants Manga | Little Adventures in Tokyo | |
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The Four Immigrants Manga: A Japanese Experience in San Francisco,
1904-1924, Henry (Yoshitaka) Kiyama, Frederik L. Schodt (trans.), Stone
Bridge Press, 1998, 152 pp., $12.95
Manga? History? Manga? Documentary? Like the choices posed by the new Volkswagen Beetle ads, The Four Immigrants Manga invites the reader to decide how best to embrace it. No matter the mode selected, you will be richly rewarded, even if you decide Kiyama's work isn't really manga as we know it today because there's only one naked lady, and she's a middle-aged matron blessedly covered with bath bubbles. Kiyama's work documents his experience as an educated immigrant from Japan, forced to work in menial jobs in San Francisco at a time when public sentiment endorsed what one has been called " an orgy of anti-Japanese legislation." With a keen eye capable of recording the ironic humor on both sides of this racist equation, Kiyama produced 52, 12-panel episodes, each a neatly presented vignette capable of standing on its own. Although the art student aimed for publication in one of the Japanese language newspapers published in California, Kiyama's work ended up as a well-received 1927 exhibit in San Francisco's Japanese community, before local publication in 1931 as Manga Yonin Shosei ("The Four Students' Comic"), written in both Japanese and English. It was one of the first comic books of original-material published in America. The current edition, with ample and informative notes by translator Frederik L. Schodt, the well-known manga maven, deserves to be read by anyone with an interest the history of immigration in the U.S., Asian-American studies, California history, Japanese history, or manga. If that sounds like a rather dry endorsement, anybody in search of a good chuckle won't wait long if reading the adventures of Henry and the ('real cool') guys as they power through penury, earthquakes, riots, fires, war, a World's Fair, Prohibition, good times and 'bad' women. Reviewed by Beth Hughes |
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Little Adventures in Tokyo: 39 Thrills for the Urban Explorer, by Rick Kennedy, Stone Bridge Press, 1998, 173 pp. $12.95.
This is not the only guide to Tokyo you'll ever need, but no matter where you fall on the 'resident' to 'first time visitor' scale, it's a darned handy little book. I'd suggest dipping into it the right way. Run the bath at "dead lobster" heat, slip in, slap a towel on your sweaty brow and relax. (If this doesn't instantly sound familiar, instinctive even, then consider yourself in immersion training session for that initial run at Edo. ) As a human noodle, you won't be able to read more than one episode at a time. This is good, because, like any collection of previously published pieces, there are some irritatingly repetitive stylistic tics. Kennedy successfully conveys his appreciation for the magnificently improbably jumble that is Tokyo. He captures the idiosyncratic details that make those who share his love of the place, love it lots. Absolutely correctly, Kennedy directs urban explorers to Shinjuku Station at rush hour. Beyond the exoticism of tea, Kennedy suggests kohdo, the ritual appreciation of incense. Kennedy offers indoor skiing in Nishi Funabashi. Why? Because it is a perfectly nutty example of the perfect nuttiness of Tokyo and even the most bovine of tourists on the shortest of visits should do something this goofy. More expectedly, the longtime Tokyo resident provides context and maps for some swell rambles through the city, including suggestions for coffee, booze and other amusements along the way. Okay, I know you're muttering "yeah, yeah, she's got a Jones for Tokyo" but I've got an objection: this is a guy's Tokyo. I'm not saying corners come turned down on the pages listing clubs where- it- may- be- possible- to- occasionally- see -live- sex- on -stage- if- you -have -the- proper- introduction. Nope. I'm just pointing out a slight imbalance and providing one example by asking why the Finlando Sauna rates two pages of raves, and a map, while the Green Plaza Ladies' Sauna gets three lines, with a note that it lacks the sheer zaniness of Finlando. Rick, don't counter by pointing out that your essay on "Retro Tokyo" bounces from boutique to boutique or that you balance hydrofoil racing and department store openings as both providing insight into the real Tokyo. Simply send a female-type person on a quest for a women's bath that is as "crazily exotic" as Finlando. It doesn't need to be in the same area as the men's bath. It just needs to be as zany. When she finds it, interrogate her, starting with "What size are the towels" and then tell us all about the place. Wet women will thank you. Reviewed by Beth Hughes |
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| About the Reviewer: Beth Hughes is a writer based in San Franciso and New York. A former Gannett Fellow in Asian Studies, she maintains a lively interest in Japanese pop culture, despite a focus on weightier matters, such as business and economics. |
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