![]() ![]() ![]() Well, he does remind us that he's gay, but there's little about the gay Japanese "scene" until a chapter late in the book. Gay American underemployed fellow (phi beta kappa from UNC isn't exactly chopped liver) decides to chuck it all for a job teaching ESL in Japan. ![]() I had seen this book mentioned on Andrew Sullivan's blog a while ago, forgotten about it, and then recently saw it on my library's New Books shelf, so thought I'd check it out. I'll pause while you click the below link for reference: By the end of the chapter, you feel like you are reading an Oatmeal Valentines card. #AGE OF WATER GAIJIN SERIES#He describes a series of events, beginning calmly and slowly building a crescendo of outlandish metaphors and exaggerations. The other problem with this book is that the author is formulaic. Most of the things I read could have taken place in any reasonably large American city. I guess part of the problem is that I wanted stories ABOUT Japan, and what I got were stories that took place IN Japan. So, it turns out Japan is crazy-fucked-up-interesting! And somehow the author makes me fall asleep when relaying the stories that should, by any reasonable metric, be interesting. Sooooo I gave it two stars, but don't let Goodreads fool you, this book is NOT "Ok". #AGE OF WATER GAIJIN CODE#I did not like this book, but I can't rate it one star (I rate the DaVinci code that, for reference, and nothing else deserves that rating, except maybe Mark Twain). It's time's like this that I need Goodreads to change its rating system. So, it turns out Japan is crazy-fucked-up-interesting! And somehow the author makes me fall asleep when relaying the stories that should, by any reasonable metric, be inte Sigh. Whether playing drums on the fly in an otherwise all-Japanese noise band or attempting to keep his English classroom clean when it’s invaded by an older female student with a dirty mind, Tim comes to realize that living a meaningful life is about expecting the unexpected…right when he least expects it.more Despite the steep learning curve and the seemingly constant humiliation, the gaijin from North Carolina gradually begins to find his way. But his life desperately needed a shot of adrenaline, and what better way to get one than to leave behind his boyfriend, his cat, and his Siouxsie and the Banshees box set to move to “a tiny, overcrowded island heaving with clever, sensibly proportioned people who make him look fat”? In Tokyo, Tim became a “gaijin,” an outsider whose stumbling progression through Japanese culture is minutely chronicled in these sixteen hilarious stories. It was a gutsy move, especially for a tall, white, gay Southerner who didn’t speak a lick of Japanese. Tim Anderson was pushing thirty and working a string of dead-end jobs when he made the spontaneous decision to pack his bags and move to Japan. But so few people actually have the bravery to run – run away from everything and selflessly seek out personal fulfillment on the other side of the world where they don’t understand anything and won’t be expected to. #AGE OF WATER GAIJIN FULL#Tim Anderson was pushing thirty and working a Everyone wants to escape their boring, stagnant lives full of inertia and regret. Everyone wants to escape their boring, stagnant lives full of inertia and regret. ![]()
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