Having lived in Japan and visited several times since myself, I could identify with some of the stories in this book. Filled with insights and musings about Japanese culture, this book is a good read for anyone looking to visit themselves.

Un modo fresco di vedere il Giappone, attraverso le prime esperienze di un gaijin appena arrivato. Ed è forse il modo migliore di conoscere un Pese, registrare le prime impressioni, gli errori, i fraintendimenti iniziali e rivederli con occhi d'esperienza qualche tempo dopo.
Fresco e intrigante. ;)

Cover: Nice*! I like the shade of red (at least it looks red on my phone, but it could be a shade of brown?) and the keychain.

About time I read some non-fiction again!

Culture shock also seems to work through the pages of a book, especially when said book is well-written. There are things I can’t grasp and things I’d like to experience firsthand, probably because living abroad has been a dream of mine since 1872 or so. Life has taken me on a different path so far, but given the tiniest chance, I’d pull an Ash and spend time in Japan, too.

His anecdotes are ninety percent funny and ten percent puzzling, a ratio that works. I had to shake my head at him losing his bag—theft as an unexisting concept or not, I’d never leave my belongings unattended in public—but I cheered alongside him at the Warabi keychain. I frowned at the traveling conditions people seem to be experiencing quite often, but I laughed at the caterpillar (thank you, by the way. Deeply appreciated).

The strongest point of Because Japan is the fact that it shows both Japanese culture and daily life through the eyes of a foreigner. Blunders and missteps are inevitable, yet Ash talks about his experience with grace and respect.

Plot aside, Because Japan flows well, as the grammar has been polished to the nth.

4 stars on GR.

* My copy has a different cover. I couldn’t put it on as the definition was too poor, so I went with the other.

I enjoyed the public transportation stories and how into Pokémon Go Watson was! I didn’t love the lengthy descriptions of things like the apartment that dragged on for pages. I felt like the story was good but there was very little editing. It needed more editing. Some parts of Watson’s story were lacking details which made the book seem scattered. I did like it, I just thought it could have been tightened up to be more even.

I Loved this wonderful descriptive stay in Japan. Ash’’s story is full of humor and beautifully observed reflections on a working stay in This fascinating country. It bought back happy memories of a holiday spent in Tokyo. A gentle heartwarming read.

An informative read if you are thinking of living in Japan. However! As I am also a Brit in Japan, I enjoyed reading this one - up to a point. I found the writing style, particularly at the beginning, at times a bit dull and it felt like I was listening to a talk to the WI or something! It lacked bounce in many places which is a shame as buried within it are many fascinating observations or memories which show what life here is really like. For example, bag theft and the difficulties of losing your resident’s card or how people don’t help when they see an accident.

Never having been to Japan myself and loving travel memoirs, I knew I had to read and review this one. I found it very interesting. Japanese culture is very interesting and different from that of the UK and US. I found Watson to give a good balance between appreciating a different culture and not completely idolizing it. Some of my favorite portions of the memoir were when Watson focused on his transitions when he returned back to the UK for a long visit and when he left Japan permanently, staying for a while in Australia before transitioning fully back to the UK.

Review to come Jan 2nd to blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I am always in for books about Japan, about travelling, about living there, seeing their experiences and read about the country. And so this one had to come with me. Sadly, it wasn't all that for me.

Let me start with the good stuff. I had fun reading about the author's first time in Japan, from finding an apartment to learning more of the language to hanami and giving people presents as a welcome gift. I loved that he was a fan of Pokemon GO (me too) and laughed at the stories about Pokemon GO especially that Lapras one. I remember that people went totally bonkers about Pokemon GO here as well, and I remember that my husband and I were just thinking that people were craycray to go that far. XD We read about strange and strict rules. About public transport (each time I read about that I am glad I am not there XD). I always like it when authors explain their title or their title pops up in the book.

But the writing just felt a bit stiff. At times it wasn't easy to read because it just didn't seem to flow, it didn't grab my attention. He also likes to go on big descriptions of things, like the chapter with the apartment? After 2 pages I just gave up, and glad I did because there were another 6-10 pages about the apartment. Dude, I really don't care. XD Other times he just started about one topic, then went to something else, then back again, which made me confused and I had to re-read at times.

Also, this isn't entirely a book about firsts and I had expected that one given the introduction and how he called the notebook.

So yeah, while I did have plenty I enjoyed, the stiff writing just made it hard for me to read and I sometimes just found myself bored. I cannot give the book more than 2stars

Because Japan is a narrative based on the author's living experience in Japan. When the British author goes to Japan to become an English teacher, because of his previous visits to Japan, and his fluent Japanese, he thinks he'll settle rather easily, yet instead, he suffers from cultural shock. His journaling habit leads him to start a "Journal of Firsts" which he fills with his wonderful and interesting, sometimes weird experiences as a foreigner trying to make it in Japan. This book consists of his journal of firsts, in which he shares with his reader his life and encounters in Tokyo in detail, "his firsts", in other words.

If you'd like to know what it means to be a foreigner in Japan, what the customs are, as well as the culture and the people more closely, then this book is perfect for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful. Poignant. Phenomenal.
This was a beautify read and I learnt so much. There was nothing more that I wanted from this book. Truly a gem. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A tale of 'firsts' from a UK expat living in Japan, Ash Watson delivers a humorous account of trials and errors and cultural faux pas in a country that has so much to offer those willing to learn.

I enjoyed most of the stories here. Ash has a natural way with words that endear them to the reader, and I found myself often amused at the many situations they found themselves in. However, at times the stories did get a little repetitive. However, on the whole this made me even more interested in visiting Japan and seeing the wonderful unique traditions and culture described.

If you’ve ever experienced living abroad, have a love for all things Japan or if you’re looking for a great book to pull you in and provide an escape from everyday life, Because Japan is the book for you.

Ash Watsons’ funny and engaging stories make this book incredibly easy to pick up again. (Though I admit I couldn’t put it down once. In the end, I read it all in one sitting!).

Through his essays, Ash analyses the good and the not so good of living in Tokyo as a gaijin (foreigner) and never fails to make you feel like you are always by his side, living those same experiences with him. Although a memoir, the book takes you on a journey that almost feels like fiction and the numerous train chronicles scattered throughout the book are a great hook that always leave you looking forward to the next one.

The lighthearted tone of this book makes it perfect to read anytime and anywhere, whether on your daily commute, on a beach or before bed. It’ll leave you smiling, curious, fascinated and entertained. I’m already looking forward to reading it again!

I get a great deal of enjoyment from reading about other people’s experiences living or spending some time in Japan. Japan is a country unlike any other; culturally unique, indifferent to foreigners in a way; seemingly safe. In the case of “Because Japan” by Ash Watson, he writes from the perspective of being a student in a foreign exchange program in high school at one time to returning every two years or so to visit friends, then finally moving to Japan to teach English in a high school about 10+ years after his first visit. Watson minces no words as he tells about his experiences riding the trains, interpreting (misinterpreting) Japanese phrases, expectations in social engagements and finding a place to live. What I found out about Watson by the time I finished the book was that he had a great deal of patience. He dealt with misunderstandings and pondered instances that he didn’t understand. These are qualities one must have when dealing with cultures unlike your own. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And don’t let it bother you. That’s why Watson can now tell you…”Because…Japan.”

A nice introduction to life in Japan from an outsider’s perspective. An interesting read for anyone curious about Japanese culture or for those who have experienced the ups and downs of living in a foreign country.

Refreshing, honest view of Japan through a Western’s eyes. I got to experience what it would be like to live and teach in Japan without having to go there. A truly wonderful source for those considering teaching English in the East.

It was the first book I read about Japan from an expat's perspective and I don't feel any bit disappointed. Author's interesting and fun stories about living in Japan as a foreigner, country which in many aspects is completely different from what we are used to in the Western world, let us see Japan and Japanese from a different perspective.

With every book about Japan I am feeling more and more happy that I decided to start learning this language this year.

Hope very much that Because Japan 2.0 will see the world some time soon.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The typical phases of the expat adjustment cycle are: preparation, honeymoon, culture shock, and adaptation. This was explained to me upon arriving in Japan as an expat in 2011 at the beginning of what ended up being a five year stint with my family in that incredible country. Although the circumstances of my assignment were very different than that of the author, I recognized similarities in how we handled assimilating the best we could to a country with a culture so completely different than that of our home. I was saddened that Watson took such offense to people who approached him wanting to practice their English with him or offering him an English menu at a restaurant. Overall, I enjoyed this book simply as a way to reflect on my own experience in Japan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an honest review.

I did not enjoy this book. It felt like the author gets into describing stuff that’s not all that interesting. For instance, the layout of every apartment he saw. Also, the attempts at humour fall flat. Some portions feel over dramatised. Overall… not impressed!

I've only had the opportunity to stop in Tokyo a couple of times but learned so much more about the country and people from reading Because Japan. Watson's many stories of his train adventures reminded me of when we took the train in Tokyo with two toddlers, diaper bags, and strollers in tow. You can only imagine how that went. The author handles the occasional rudeness of the Japanese, their staring faces, and continuous lines with aplomb, finding humor where he can. He ended his two years completing his Japan-bucket list while also realizing how much he'd learned about himself and his resilience.

There is a small, but established genre of Gaijin Lit where first-timers to Japan write about their lives and learning in Japan. "Because Japan" is no better or worse than the usual book written by young newcomers to Japan. It's an interesting format, but I think he has not fully understood the whole idea of firsts in Japan and how that works. But I enjoyed reading this humorous account and it differs from older works of this genre with the entrance of the smart phone so that our hero is never fully out of touch with his home world and also has the ability to get information on anything. How different his experiences were from those of us who were in Japan pre-internet!