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A Year in Japan
The Land of the Rising Sun is shining brightly across the American cultural landscape. Recent films such as Lost in Translation and Memoirs of a Geisha seem to have made everyone an expert on Japan, even if they’ve never been there. But the only way for a Westerner to get to know the real Japan is to become a part of it. Kate T. Williamson did just that, spending a year experiencing, studying, and reflecting on her adopted home. She brings her keen observations to us in A Year in Japan, a dramatically different look at a delightfully different way of life. Avoiding the usual clichés � Japan’s polite society, its unusual fashion trends, its crowded subways � Williamson focuses on some lesser known aspects of the country and culture. In stunning watercolors and piquant texts, she explains the terms used to order various amounts of tofu, the electric rugs found in many Japanese homes, and how to distinguish a maiko from a geisha.
190 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2006
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3,078 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
February 2, 2020
Paul and I were listening to the music “Titanium�....by David Guetta ...
....(a little high on life) - while enjoying this book together.
It made me want to go to Japan during the Cherry Season....or any season.
For Paul, ( an artist), it made him want to pull out some water colors and start painting.
We both were oohing and aahing over this sweet, beautiful book.
The size is 5�7�....
.....silky smooth to touch.
The paintings, ( water colors) are gorgeous & pretty,.....
....(hydrangeas, plum, peach, and cherry blossoms), etc.
Silly......( soy sauce in a tiny plastic fish bottle, and a young girl singing into microphone)..
Yummy & gooey....(fermented soy beans, and rice balls in a sweet soy-based sauce)...etc.
Textured....( materials, socks, elaborate accessories)
....Lovely details
....Lovely book
....Great book for artists, and those who are are gaga over Japan
👘🍒☂️🍱🥢
....(a little high on life) - while enjoying this book together.
It made me want to go to Japan during the Cherry Season....or any season.
For Paul, ( an artist), it made him want to pull out some water colors and start painting.
We both were oohing and aahing over this sweet, beautiful book.
The size is 5�7�....
.....silky smooth to touch.
The paintings, ( water colors) are gorgeous & pretty,.....
....(hydrangeas, plum, peach, and cherry blossoms), etc.
Silly......( soy sauce in a tiny plastic fish bottle, and a young girl singing into microphone)..
Yummy & gooey....(fermented soy beans, and rice balls in a sweet soy-based sauce)...etc.
Textured....( materials, socks, elaborate accessories)
....Lovely details
....Lovely book
....Great book for artists, and those who are are gaga over Japan
👘🍒☂️🍱🥢
August 11, 2016
What a gorgeous travelogue! Kate Williamson is an artist who spent a year in Kyoto. This beautiful book is filled with her colorful sketches of Japanese life and culture and descriptions of her experiences. The text is printed in a font that looks handwritten, and that script combined with the sturdy paperback binding made it feel like a real travel journal and sketchbook.
I especially liked Williamson's explanations of the different customs she saw:
"As soon as I walked out of the train station on my first day in Kyoto, I knew that I would love Japan. I passed the ground floor of a department store on my way to the street. To my right, next to purses and scarves, was a wall of color and pattern -- windowpane plaid, polka dots, orange and turquoise, red and magenta, lime and navy. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a display of washcloths, the most beautiful washcloths I had ever seen. Unlike their American counterparts, usually relegated to some fourth-floor linen department and confined to neutral bathroom hues, these squares of terry are not used for washing but are kept in purses for drying one's hands in public restrooms.
"The washcloths were my first exposure to the attention to detail that characterizes much of Japan -- both visually and socially. I soon came to realize just how much thought lies behind appearances and actions there, and that these details of beauty and nuances of word and deed are both expected and appreciated."
Williamson also mentioned how beautiful the socks in Japan were, and remarked on how many stores that were devoted entirely to them. She has neat drawings of Japanese foods and meals, and describes different trips she made to gardens, parks and festivals. Some of the watercolor artwork was so beautiful that I wish I had them as postcards. Her cherry and plum blossom drawings were especially lovely.
"During the prime weeks of sakura season in April, the cherry blossom sites are swarming with tourists and locals alike, most of whom come bearing tripods and incredibly large and professional-looking cameras. The flowers are very beautiful, but part of their appeal lies in their fleeting experience. Blossoms can be admired for about a week before they flutter off the branches, and a strong wind or heavy rainstorm can prematurely scatter petals to the ground ... Although I, too, did my best to capture the beauty of these blossoms on film, I can't help but wonder if photography -- trying to make a permanent image of an impermanent subject -- isn't entirely contrary to the nature of sakura."
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes beautiful travelogues or who appreciates Japanese culture.
I especially liked Williamson's explanations of the different customs she saw:
"As soon as I walked out of the train station on my first day in Kyoto, I knew that I would love Japan. I passed the ground floor of a department store on my way to the street. To my right, next to purses and scarves, was a wall of color and pattern -- windowpane plaid, polka dots, orange and turquoise, red and magenta, lime and navy. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a display of washcloths, the most beautiful washcloths I had ever seen. Unlike their American counterparts, usually relegated to some fourth-floor linen department and confined to neutral bathroom hues, these squares of terry are not used for washing but are kept in purses for drying one's hands in public restrooms.
"The washcloths were my first exposure to the attention to detail that characterizes much of Japan -- both visually and socially. I soon came to realize just how much thought lies behind appearances and actions there, and that these details of beauty and nuances of word and deed are both expected and appreciated."
Williamson also mentioned how beautiful the socks in Japan were, and remarked on how many stores that were devoted entirely to them. She has neat drawings of Japanese foods and meals, and describes different trips she made to gardens, parks and festivals. Some of the watercolor artwork was so beautiful that I wish I had them as postcards. Her cherry and plum blossom drawings were especially lovely.
"During the prime weeks of sakura season in April, the cherry blossom sites are swarming with tourists and locals alike, most of whom come bearing tripods and incredibly large and professional-looking cameras. The flowers are very beautiful, but part of their appeal lies in their fleeting experience. Blossoms can be admired for about a week before they flutter off the branches, and a strong wind or heavy rainstorm can prematurely scatter petals to the ground ... Although I, too, did my best to capture the beauty of these blossoms on film, I can't help but wonder if photography -- trying to make a permanent image of an impermanent subject -- isn't entirely contrary to the nature of sakura."
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes beautiful travelogues or who appreciates Japanese culture.
July 26, 2016
If you want to find out what one more American woman did in Japan post-college, with some twee illustrations, this is for you. If you want to find out about Japan, go there instead.
May 26, 2014
I was somewhat surprised by this book for when I opened it for it was full of illustrations and not very much text. The illustrations are very nice indeed, but I was expecting a narrative of her year in Japan as a type of travelogue, but this came nowhere near my expectations. Nice to look at but unfortunately not for me.
June 12, 2016
This was a recommendation on goodreads. I was a bit hesitant at first as it's not actually a written account, but notes with watercolour pictures. This is a book that is more for those who like art/drawings than for those who want an account of life in Japan.
However, the composition of it is beautiful. It's not an account, just a collection impressions, but the water colours are gorgeous and Williamson manages to capture so much life and substance in them.
This isn't a book to read, it's a book to look at. A coffee table book in manga format if you will. For me, it's a look at Japan, at the muted, but vibrant colours you find there, that captures something essential about the country. It's a feeling you have when you've been there and seeing it on the page like that brings back a lot of memories.
However, the composition of it is beautiful. It's not an account, just a collection impressions, but the water colours are gorgeous and Williamson manages to capture so much life and substance in them.
This isn't a book to read, it's a book to look at. A coffee table book in manga format if you will. For me, it's a look at Japan, at the muted, but vibrant colours you find there, that captures something essential about the country. It's a feeling you have when you've been there and seeing it on the page like that brings back a lot of memories.
June 1, 2020
Beautiful illustrations, mediocre information. I still like having it on my shelves. :)
English:
üç:
English:
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March 23, 2017
A travelogue right up my alley--Williamson zeroes in on the kind of tiny, fascinating details that are my favorite part of exploring another culture. For instance, in the Japanese language, the words you use for numbers/amounts change depending on what is being numbered/counted. So Williamson gives us a list of the words you would use to order one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven bricks of tofu. The list stops at seven, "because no one would ever order more than that," she's told.
These charming little observations are accompanied by bright, beautiful watercolor illustrations. Some of the accompanying wording is short and brilliant enough to be poetry. This won't take you long to read, but it's a good example of "less is more" -- I felt I had more of an insight into Japan from this quick read than from my weeklong visit there a couple of years ago.
These charming little observations are accompanied by bright, beautiful watercolor illustrations. Some of the accompanying wording is short and brilliant enough to be poetry. This won't take you long to read, but it's a good example of "less is more" -- I felt I had more of an insight into Japan from this quick read than from my weeklong visit there a couple of years ago.
December 29, 2008
Kate Williamson spent a year living in Kyoto, Japan. She went there to study, and kept a journal � both of her thoughts and experiences, and of artwork she created to capture some of those experiences. The result is very Japanese. It combines watercolors and sketches with prose that enriches both. In spare language, almost like haiku, and simple paintings of everyday Japanese objects and life, Williamson manages to convey a real sense of place and culture.
Excerpt:
Moon-Viewing
“One of my favorite aspects of Japanese culture is the combination of nature appreciation and social events. There are maple-viewing expeditions, evening parties under the cherry blossoms, and, although this seems to have been more common in earlier times, moon-viewing parties. Many old aristocratic residences have special platforms or rooms where nobles would gather to write moon-related verse as they gazed at the sky or into the moon’s reflection in a nearby pond.�
This pretty much sold me on Kyoto and Japan.
Appreciators of Japan and things Japanese and of, even, graphic novels, should appreciate this beautiful journal/collection.
Excerpt:
Moon-Viewing
“One of my favorite aspects of Japanese culture is the combination of nature appreciation and social events. There are maple-viewing expeditions, evening parties under the cherry blossoms, and, although this seems to have been more common in earlier times, moon-viewing parties. Many old aristocratic residences have special platforms or rooms where nobles would gather to write moon-related verse as they gazed at the sky or into the moon’s reflection in a nearby pond.�
This pretty much sold me on Kyoto and Japan.
Appreciators of Japan and things Japanese and of, even, graphic novels, should appreciate this beautiful journal/collection.
January 10, 2014
Really, really pretty book. Lovely watercolors that are simple and occasionally gorgeous. Certain pictures were unmemorable, but there were MANY that I sat and looked at for a long time.
Cute stories too, never too long, just little tastes of Japan.
If I had a complaint, it would be that sometimes a two-page illustration hides something interesting or pretty in the middle and it gets eaten by the page divide. I don't want to crack the spine to see the pretty pictures!
The book promises nothing in particular--it's not an extensive travel guide, a complete memoir, a picture biography--but whatever it is, I like it.
Cute stories too, never too long, just little tastes of Japan.
If I had a complaint, it would be that sometimes a two-page illustration hides something interesting or pretty in the middle and it gets eaten by the page divide. I don't want to crack the spine to see the pretty pictures!
The book promises nothing in particular--it's not an extensive travel guide, a complete memoir, a picture biography--but whatever it is, I like it.
September 28, 2016
Kate Williamson was a Harvard Grad who received a fellowship to travel abroad for a year, the condition being that the country and culture, must be different from one's own. She chose Japan. An illustrator, Williamson chronicled her year abroad by putting together this charming little book, which features vignettes of experiences, places and items she thought worth noting. There's not much writing, and the book is filled with Williamson's own artful images, so it reads more like a picture book with descriptions of the scenes. From socks to sumo wrestlers, Williamson presents colorful snapshots of a nation from the perspective of an American abroad. 3 1/2 stars.
May 7, 2021
I love seeing people’s sketch books. And learning about cultures. What a creative glimpse into Japan. My favorite was the temples.
May 1, 2022
3.5 stars. Handwritten notes about the author's impressions of her year in Japan, illustrated by her own sketches and water colours. Not much text, and quite slight and insubstantial. However, I did appreciate the quirkiness and charming little details. A different and illuminating take on a fascinating country.
June 4, 2008
Ended up mostly just skimming this book, it was a bit of a disappointment. The illustrations to go with it were lovely, and sometimes said more than the short descriptive passages of Japanese life. It's really just a collection of short snippets of life from Japan. There's no real detail about everyday living, just bits and pieces that anime fans may or may not already know.
April 29, 2022
This small book features the artist's impressions of her year in Japan. I liked learning about moon viewing and cherry blossom parties as well as a tradition of looking for the rabbit in the moon. Now, I would like to experience Japan for myself!
July 6, 2008
I loved the watercolors used to illustrate this book. It is a great introduction to many aspects of Japanese culture.
August 3, 2016
This is such a beautiful book!! It's elegant and compelling. Each page made me want to visit Japan while the overall structure frames a delightful way to study a year in a place. Bravo, Kate!
July 23, 2023
More picture book than prose, but oddly satisfying in its own way. The delicate watercolours are accompanied by short descriptive paragraphs which give you a quick impression of what Kate Williamson's year in Japan was like. Who knew that many taxi cabs contain fresh flowers? Or that the Japanese have a thing about socks?
A short read, but fun and informative.
A short read, but fun and informative.
January 21, 2023
Tranquil Book On Japan
This was a truly pleasant book and really nice book.
I enjoyed the notes about the love of Japan that Kate has.
I enjoyed this tranquil book.
Would recommend.
4.1/5
This was a truly pleasant book and really nice book.
I enjoyed the notes about the love of Japan that Kate has.
I enjoyed this tranquil book.
Would recommend.
4.1/5
June 27, 2020
3.6. The visuals are gorgeous but I could have used more text, still a lovely way to do some armchair traveling.
January 21, 2024
A lovely little book. Snippets of life in Japan and glimpses of Japanese culture, all accompanied by beautiful illustrations.
January 28, 2010
I really enjoyed this. Reading it is like visiting Japan with an artist friend who helps you notice all the small, beautiful details you might otherwise miss. I loved the socks drawings as much as the Washi (paper) patterns. I loved how the detailed illustrations of humble objects alternated with full-page paintings (the moon-viewing pages were a particular favorite). There's no grand theme or point being made - it is simply a lovely book of "here's what I noticed & here's what I love." It gave me the same feeling of peace & happy melancholy that Banana Yoshimoto's books often do - and of course it made me want to visit Japan.
November 7, 2010
I wish the author could have written -- and illustrated -- a longer version of this book! If I have a criticism to offer, it's that the book felt too short. I would have loved to have lived a bit more deeply and vicariously through the author's eyes. These "slices of life" were just too tantalizing and too short, and left me with many questions about Japanese customs, fashions, religion, and daily life. My favourite quote:
If only I could show them to someone who knows.
This moon, these flowers, this night that should not be wasted.
-Minamoto Nobuakira
If only I could show them to someone who knows.
This moon, these flowers, this night that should not be wasted.
-Minamoto Nobuakira
October 24, 2016
A lovely book. Williamson combines gorgeous watercolor illustrations and handwritten text to document the year she spent living in Japan. This is not a memoir; the book has no narrative and instead simply presents a patchwork of sensory experience and cultural observation. I appreciated the fact that Williamson didn't make herself the focal point of the work, but was content to record the things she saw, heard, and tasted in Japan. This book was pleasure to read and look at.
October 15, 2014
3,5-4 stars. Can't decide.
More thoughts in the morning. I need sleep. Zzzzz
O.K., update, here's a review from my blog (with few pics and stuff):
More thoughts in the morning. I need sleep. Zzzzz
O.K., update, here's a review from my blog (with few pics and stuff):
October 5, 2016
Williamson takes a visual approach to her yearlong stay in Kyoto. Most of the book is watercolor illustrations that portray various aspects of the life and culture of Japan. An appreciation of the "beauty and nuances" of the Japanese culture but not a lot of text.
January 4, 2010
really lovely. I will enjoy the illustrations in this for ages.
October 29, 2019
Gorgeous artwork and lots of fascinating details about daily life in Japan.
February 5, 2017
A short, sweet and quick (but neither comprehensive nor deep) introduction to Japanese culture. Some of the illustrations were wall-art level stunning.
January 21, 2019
"I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.�
� Bill Bryson
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.�
� Robert Louis Stevenson
“Arriving at each new city, the traveler finds again a past of his that he did not know he had: the foreignness of what you no longer are or no longer possess lies in wait for you in foreign, unpossessed places.�
� Italo Calvino
It is easy to confuse a book like this of being "about" a place. A foreigner's perspective on Kyoto and other spots she travels in her year on an artist fellowship can probably never really be about Japan. It will always be about the foreigner. This foreigner happens to be a bright and curious one. Her remembrance is pleasantly outward-looking, with minimal reflections on the author's own feelings, sensations, and/or neuroses. She gives instead beautiful illustrations and intimate descriptions of many of the small details of what she encounters. Some of these details are probably misunderstandings, romanticized, or unrepresentative; a person who is already familiar with Japan might not find it very interesting. They have already had such an encounter themselves. But there is nothing here that feels false to me. It seems to be very true to what it is: notes from abroad. The best audience is probably someone like me: someone who maybe knows a little about the country but not much; who likes pretty drawings and subjectivity; who's open to discovering one person's glimpse of temporary magic. It's caught me up enough to want to learn more.
� Bill Bryson
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.�
� Robert Louis Stevenson
“Arriving at each new city, the traveler finds again a past of his that he did not know he had: the foreignness of what you no longer are or no longer possess lies in wait for you in foreign, unpossessed places.�
� Italo Calvino
It is easy to confuse a book like this of being "about" a place. A foreigner's perspective on Kyoto and other spots she travels in her year on an artist fellowship can probably never really be about Japan. It will always be about the foreigner. This foreigner happens to be a bright and curious one. Her remembrance is pleasantly outward-looking, with minimal reflections on the author's own feelings, sensations, and/or neuroses. She gives instead beautiful illustrations and intimate descriptions of many of the small details of what she encounters. Some of these details are probably misunderstandings, romanticized, or unrepresentative; a person who is already familiar with Japan might not find it very interesting. They have already had such an encounter themselves. But there is nothing here that feels false to me. It seems to be very true to what it is: notes from abroad. The best audience is probably someone like me: someone who maybe knows a little about the country but not much; who likes pretty drawings and subjectivity; who's open to discovering one person's glimpse of temporary magic. It's caught me up enough to want to learn more.
January 31, 2023
I suppose your reaction to this beautifully produced book depends on what you expect. It's basically an artist's sketchbook / journal of the year she spent in Japan (mostly Kyoto), although to call it a sketchbook isn't really fair. It's filled from cover to cover with boldly colored illustrations, mostly of nature and food. Not sure what her techniques are -- a mix of watercolor and pens I suspect. It's a series of snapshots that are more meant to evoke mood than represent or capture the culture and place. Some of these have brief accompanying explanations of no more than a paragraph, but many are just the images. I've been to Japan once for two weeks, and spent a few days in Kyoto, and the book resonated with me. Hard to say how others will react, but it makes a nice gift for someone who's spent time in Japan.
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