Happy belated New Year. I love January. I love how dull it is. It feels like the only month that we are not under the pressure to feel joyful solely due to the season. There is no holiday spirit; there is no sense of hope brought on by that first flower that blooms in the spring, no promises attached to the first sip of a chilled white wine enjoyed on an empty stomach in a late summer afternoon in a seaside town or that light evening breeze that gently reminds us that it is autumn. It is dull all the way.
In January, if you feel joyful, that is wonderful (I kind of do; I enjoy the expectation-less mood of the month). If you do not, it is also okay and, honestly, expected. Melancholy, lack of motivation, and general disinterest are all acceptable mental states; there is no seasonal or social pressure to feel differently.
While northern regions like Hokkaido and Tohoku are particularly striking during January due to heavy snowfall, the weather and scenery in Tokyo go along with the blandness of the month. The mornings and evenings are icy-cold (as in sleeping with socks on icy, ugh), the sky is often blue, but the trees are leafless, and there are no colorful flowers. There is rarely any snow in the city. Unless you are into snow sports, hiking in nearby mountains is not an option to satisfy one`s recreational needs.
So spending an entire Sunday in bed watching Netflix and, if you want to feel a little better about your day and yourself, reading (even without the soothing effect of a gentle autumn rain hitting your windows) seems like the two perfect January activities in Tokyo. Or, I think so.
So this month's letter from Japan is not about any travels or hikes or a love letter to seasons. It is about nesting at home and reading Japan-themed books.
Five books about Japan
Japan is culturally one of the most fascinating countries, but it does not unveil itself quickly. The language barrier, a very strong one, makes it difficult to get a deeper understanding of the traditions and cultural context that make the country a unique destination.
But fortunately, there is an extensive selection of books about Japan originally written in English or translated into English that help one to put initial observations about the country in a better context or get pre-acquainted with its culture before the trip. For this month's letter, I picked five Japan-themed books, each touching upon a different aspect of the country's culture, that may make good companions for a trip to Japan.1
I have to warn you. As you will shortly notice, I am terrible at writing book reviews. I find it extremely difficult to put together even short 9-10 sentence reviews on Goodreads - how many times can you mention that the book was "engaging" or "delightfully surprising" after all? So please do not take this post as an attempt to provide meaningful book reviews but as a mere list-style post about some of my favorite books related to Japan.
Lost Japan: Last Glimpse of Beautiful Japan by Alex Kerr
Lost Japan is one of the best books about Japan written by a foreigner. The book, which partially reads as a memoir, is a collection of fourteen essays by Kerr that touches upon various cultural features of the country. He introduces us to kabuki, life in rural Japan (in the deliciously remote Iya Valley in Shikoku), calligraphy, and many other aspects of Japan that he is, or once was, fascinated with. Unavoidably, there is also strong criticism - as the title suggests - but with a genuinely affectionate tone.
But do not read this excellent book by Alex Kerr during or before your first trip to Japan. Let yourself get amazed by the country first and fall in love with it blindly, without noticing any of its unpleasant sides. If you loved Japan the first time, you will likely come back.
On your second visit to Japan, you may start noticing certain things about the country that are not all that fascinating - “What is that abandoned concrete building doing on an otherwise pristine beach?” By your third visit (“Oh, so these are not native but planted trees, an entire forest of planted trees? And that is a result of a state policy?”), you will likely be ready to read Alex Kerr's book to confirm your doubts about the country that you once madly fell in love with.
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