Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan

by Lisa Katayama

Japan has a way of thinking that is just . . . different. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Tokyo-born journalist Lisa Katayama's collection of urawaza (a Japanese word for secret lifestyle tricks and techniques). Want to turbocharge your sled? Spray the bottom with nonstick cooking spray. Can't find someone to water your plants while you're away? Place the plant on a water-soaked diaper, so it slowly absorbs water over time. The subject of popular...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811862151
• ISBN13: 9780811862158
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (CA)
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.8" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 13 to 22 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Five Stars even before purchase...I OWE this author!

When the Dallas Morning News reviewed this book, I almost passed. I'm 66 and have had about enough of household hints, but it was a slow day and I read to the end. Paraphrasing, "To restore a wool sweater shrunk in the dryer, soak in a sink of water and hair conditioner, then block etc...." My Prince had washed in hot water AND dried my favorite garment ever...a $300 merino wool/possum fur cardigan sweater from New Zealand. No kidding,from an XXL it might have fit a 10 year old child. I hadn't discarded the sweater, thinking I might someday make potholders or something from it. So after a dip in the sink with about half a bottle of hair conditioner, a short soak, a quick rinse, a towel blot, a block and my sweater is nearly perfect. My gosh, what else is in this book? Can't wait to find out.

More useful than you can possibly imagine!

It's certainly about time we had something from Japan that goes beyond the famous "101 Useless Japanese Inventions" (funny, though). Now we have "Very useful Japanese tricks." I really like how Lisa tells us why the tricks work as well. And the vignettes for how the situations might arise are so funny! I've had this book for several months now, and it only gets more and more useful and fun. It's improved my quality of life in so many areas -- in the margins, but it's these little things that make it so fun. The other day I spilled wine on some white clothing. No problem. I impressed my grandmother and family to no end by cleaning up their coffee and tea-stained cups and coffee-maker with orange peel and salt. My wife dropped an egg on the floor, and it was so easy to clean up the mess. In our household, "what does it say in the Urawaza book?" is now the standard first response to many situations. In the office, warmed-over coffee never tasted so good. I don't need to worry about garlic breath after lunch. And my plant is thanking Urawaza for saving its life, since it stayed home without me but didn't dry out. I just wish I could hold more of the urawaza in my head so I'd be prepared for all sorts of contingencies on the road too. I've recommended this so many of my friends, who immediately rush to go get their own copy after I've recited some of the great tricks. Definitely one for every household. This also makes a great gift! (I'm set for this Christmas season - I always have trouble finding something that's fun and useful)

Entertaining and totally useful!

Love learning the super creative ways to be more efficient in every day living. I think this would also would make a cool & unique gift too.

This book changed my life

These tips allowed me to carry heavier things, improve my karaoke skills, eliminate excess beer foam, overclock my car battery and cure my hiccups. The tips and the instructions on how they work are so fascinating that they lodge in the mind easily--I may not need to know how to remove gum from someone's hair for five or ten years...but if I ever need to do it, I'll remember the Urawaza method.

Clever, useful and fun tricks

Urawaza contains dozens of cool tricks, everyday inspirations and ways to impress your friends and family by cleverly doing things better. I have tried several of the tips. My faves are using a piece of bread to pick up glass (pg. 70)--works like a charm! This weekend I made potato salad and used the super-cool egg-peeling technique (p. 96) and impressed my BBQ guests! Urawaza is a fun guide that appeals to that part within us all that likes to simultaneously be clever & practical. The book also couples simple scientific explanations that help us understand more about our environment through. It will be a hit with Japanese culture fans, DIY enthusiasts, those who appreciate Everyman wisdom and especially young folks who enjoy exploring our world in new ways.