- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: New American Library; Reprint edition (27 Oct 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0452272408
- ISBN-13: 978-0452272408
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 12.4 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,169,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"No one could have tried harder to fathom Japanese culture [than Davidson]. The result is a series of illuminations not unlike the sudden break in the clouds that finally lets her glimpse Mount Fuji from the window of a bullet train." Francine Prose, New York Times Book Review "Appealing."--Francine Prose, New York Times Book Review "Quick-witted."--Elizabeth Ward, Washington Post Book World "Davidson is a droll guide and a questing soul."--Elle "Beautifully written."--Susan Allen Toth, author of Blooming: A Small-Town Girlhood "Luminous... Nuanced and passionate."--Booklist "[Davidson's] charmingly drawn word-pictures resonate."--Publishers Weekly "A delightful read."--Mary Catherine Bateson, author of Composing a Life "Brilliant, wise, and witty."--Louise DeSalvo, author of Virginia Woolf "A lovely book."--Marilyn French, author of The Women's Room "Davidson is a sensitive observer."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Perceptive, frank, and personal."--Library Journal "Superb ... a jewel."--Trenton Times "Honest and even-handed."--Lincoln Journal-Star "Brimming with understated emotion."--Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-Star "Top drawer."--Kirkus Reviews "Trust us. Try it."--New York Daily News
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Product Description
Davidson moved to Japan in 1980 to teach English at the nation's leading all-women's university, and began a deep and abiding fascination with the country and its people. This spirited and evocative work is at once a highly original travel memoir and the compelling account of a deeply personal interior journey.
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First Sentence
I dreamt Japan long before I went there. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
I dreamt Japan long before I went there. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I had searched a long time for something readable--insightful but not academically dry-- about modern Japanese culture and found it with this memoir. The writing and storytelling are beautiful, honest, poignant, and funny. The author really takes you with her--from her fascination and even obsession with the Japanese culture to her ambivalence of ever feeling if she'll fit in. You feel like you are travelling with her, experiencing all the funny, touching, wacky things that she sees, as well as all the emotional shifts, decisions, etc. of someone trying to balance her cultural interests, academic career, and family. Any other author could be awkward about this, but she really does it naturally and subtledly, so it feels as though you are part of both her external and internal journey.
I don't know if I've ever read another book that has touched me like this one. I've tried looking for more books to learn about the Japanese culture and about personal experiences in Japan, but I doubt if I will find any more beautifully and sentimentally done.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have shared many of the sensations she describes in this book: the way the most mundane conversations can seem like a great accomplishment, because they have been conducted in Japanese, for example. The impulse to speak Japanese whenever you try to speak any foreign language. The feeling that you are "becoming Japanese." Ms. Davidson does not sugar-coat life in Japan whatsoever, and in fact a major theme of the book is explaining why she doesn't live there. I would give it 5 stars except that for a short book, it is a little hard to get through. Some of the observations on life, death, marriage, and photography seem a little sophomoric or naive. But highly recommended nonetheless; it would be a great book to pack on an extended vacation in Japan.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As an American "sensei" in Japan, I felt like I was reading my exact experience here! I laughed aloud and completely related to everything Ms. Davidson described in this book. I too, am completely mesmerized with this culture, yet painfully aware of my foreign status. The author capitvated me from the first page with her wonderful conversational storytelling. Ms. Davidson..."Yoku dekimashita!" (Well done!)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best book to read before going to Japan!
I absolutely LOVE this book! I havent actually finished reading it yet but this is definitely a very useful book to read before you go to Japan. Read more
Published 19 months ago by J. Ferry
An essential essay of Japan and its culture
36 Views of Mount Fuji was extremely engaging to read and helped so much with a paper I was writing comparing Japanese and American culture. Read more
Published on 30 April 1999
excellent book
I've read this book twice, and loved it both times. The author describes her experiences in a fascinating way. Recommended for anyone who is interested in Japanese culture.
Published on 13 April 1999
A rare, finely balanced point-of-view of Japan
Not since Alan Booth's excellent "Roads to Sata" have I enjoyed a gaijin's memoir so thoroughly. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 1999
An Intellectual and moving insight into Japanese Culture
I loved this book. From the beginning you are drawn in to the unfamiliar plights of a 'Gaijin' teacher in Japan. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 1999
A Sugar-coated Japan
I am currently living in a small seaside city off the coast of the Japan Sea and have been living in Japan for approximately the same amount of time that Davidson lived here. Read more
Published on 11 Mar 1999
Excellent insight for those plannings trip outside USA
Excellent book that provided reader a chance to experience Japan through the author. Included wonderful moments while traveling in Japan by herself and with her husband and/or... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 1999
Great for anyone travelling in an unfamiliar culture
A friend of mine gave me this book before I went to study in Costa Rica. It was given to her by a friend before she went to study in Austria. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 1998
Fascinating and heart-felt, it touched me deeply
Cathy Davidson's account of her ambivalent love-affair with Japan was a delightful surprise to find. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 1998
Highly recommended for the serious visitor to Japan.
This was one of those rare books where the author carefully draws you into her life, and you get to experience the full gamut of emotions that prompted the author to want to share... Read more
Published on 22 July 1998
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