Tatami Days: Getting a Life in Japan

"You see, Japan does not actually rest atop an infinite pile of turtles, but on the back of a giant carp . . ."

In his mid-thirties, Australian freelance writer and PhD graduate Michael Guest headed for Japan on a whim, worked as tenured Professor in a national university, and stayed fifteen years. Memoir and cultural reflection, his captivating story is one of growth, adaptation and an ever-deepening appreciation of an enchanting, at times perplexing, society.

The author is a specialist in modern literature and humanities, with many academic and media articles to his credit, alongside international academic conference lectures. Guest takes an intellectual step beyond other books on culture and the expatriate experience in producing a rich and witty read. In his original take on the creative non-fiction memoir, we pursue the elusive spirit of the country. Notably, the book offers an insider's view of the nuances of university and professional college cultures, and the challenges and opportunities encountered in a career in Japan.

A very human account of a stranger in a strange land, Tatami Days is a series of adventures coming to grips with Japanese people and their culture. From everyday customs such as sake and chopstick etiquette; through temple practices, pachinko halls, and wonderful foods; to Noh, Kabuki and avant-garde theatre, we are taken right into the Japanese psyche. Social mores, conventions, historical background, and the underlying meanings of everyday actions are explored and reflected upon. Interactions with the Japanese are engaging, at times amusing, and illustrate the character of the people brilliantly.

The Japanese have great reverence for the natural world, and the entrancing pictures Guest paints of scenery, historic places and city life are superbly executed, complete with underlying context. We are with the author, an honest, sensitive and insightful observer, for every faux pas, humorous or otherwise, that anyone might make, stepping into the unknown, discovering tools for understanding and connection. His journey is also one of self-discovery, enforced by isolation and the consciousness of being forever discerned as an outsider.

Anyone fascinated with Japan and its people, or contemplating spending time there, will find this book to be particularly delightful and valuable. As a lived study in cross-cultural communication, Tatami Days offers insightful perspectives on developing cultural awareness, understanding and sensitivity. The book would make an excellent discussion raiser if used in an educational context, such as courses on Japanese life, or cultural awareness for international training and development.

Author: Michael Guest
Publisher: Furin Chime Press
Published: 02/29/2020
Pages: 346
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.25w x 0.77d
ISBN: 9780648751700

About the Author
Guest, Michael: - Son of a Hong Kong WW2 refugee father and Scottish-Australian mother, Michael Guest was born in 1954 in the coal mining town of Lithgow, Australia. He lived, worked and studied in Sydney and the south coast of NSW, taking his PhD in modern literature (Samuel Beckett) at the University of Sydney. He moved to Japan in 1991 to teach English at business school in Nagoya, before accepting a position at Shizuoka University, where he would become a full Professor in media and cultural studies and a founding member of Japan's first national faculty and graduate school of informatics. He published many academic and media articles, some of which have appeared in The Australian newspaper, Australian Book Review, Australian Society, Journal of Beckett Studies, and Education about Asia. Michael recorded broadcasts as a freelance researcher and commentator on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National and co-edited the book Essentially Oriental: R.H. Blyth Selection (Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 1994), alongside Kuniyoshi Munakata, Leader of the Noh Shakespeare Company of Japan. He lectured at prominent international conferences in Australia, Japan, the United States, Germany, Thailand and Taiwan on literature, theory, culture and education, retiring from his professorship and relocating to Australia in 2006, where he worked as a university lecturer.