by Pico Iyer
it's generally understood in Japan-specialist circles that books on Japan, and indeed Japanese authored fiction, generally fall into two categories: the books on the illusion of Japan (1) or the books on the gritty reality (2). it's considered a mark of taste to prefer the latter; you are 'daring,' ...
Iyer moves to Kyoto, Japan to write. While there, he meets a young Japanese wife and mother, as anxious to practice her English as he was to practice his Japanese. Thus a relationship ...