How to Read Japanese at Work DOC
These candid and often revealing interviews were conducted in a number ofcities across Japan as well as other Asian countries. They provide thereader with insights into culture and ways of thinking that are at oncemore vivid and authentic than culture sections of guidebooks. A version ofsome were previously published in Kansai Time Out magazine.While inspired by the work of the late and great Studs Terkel, thepresentation in Japanese at Work takes a different approach. The questionand answer format is preserved, giving readers a fuller picture of the ebb and flow of the conversation. The interviews break the unfortunate stereotype that Japanese workers are machine-like, unthinking and unfeeling. The interviewees share with us myriad ways to make a living:some work traditional occupations, others work ordinary ccupations, while still others work strikingly unfamiliar jobs. Moreover, some have clearly found their calling while others are still searching for vocational answers. The chapters include nterviews of an internationally renowned concert violinist, a Zen temple abbot, the owner of a hot springs resort, a beekeeper, a nightclub owner, an American-born activist, several homeless men, among many others. Readers will get the chance to learn about contemporary Japanese people and their dreams by reading Japanese at Work.
