It's Better with Your Shoes Off

By Anne T. Cleveland and Anne Cleveland

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804802688
• ISBN13: 9780804802680
• Release Date: January 1955
• Publisher: Charles E.Tuttle Co
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Severely dated, but still has some validity for westerners living in Japan

Being immersed in another culture is a difficult thing, and when you have to conduct business as well, it can be intimidating, as there are so many ways to make costly errors. This book uses cartoons to illustrate daily life in Japan and how the western mind processes it. It uses a fictitious family of a husband, wife and two children under ten to demonstrate the problems and joys of living in Japan. It all starts with finding a place to live, which can be one of the biggest culture shocks. Apartments in Japan are smaller and congestion everywhere is a part of life. One of my favorite cartoons is called "Still Life With Lily", which shows a lily on a shelf next to a convenience place or toilet. However, one must temper the humor with the realization that this book was written in 1955, so it does not reflect much of what is modern Japan. Nevertheless, it is amusing and does provide some significant pointers on how westerners can adapt to live in a country where the culture is so different from what they are familiar with.

culture shock

This very funny bookis about an American family lving in Japan and trying to accustom themselves to the differences in cultures. M's Cleveland uses black and white drawings to show the family, the Wests, in various situations. One particularly funny one is Mr West goesto a geisha party. Mrs West's imagination runs overtime, imagining her husband enjoying himself more than she think he should. The reality of it is quite an eye opener. All the cartoons are funny but also educational.I recommend this book highly for those of you how Japan appeared to Americans living there in the 1950s.