Lost in Tokyo: A Year of Sex, Sushi, and Suicide in the Real Japan

by Garett Wilson

After half a decade in Japan, Garett Wilson thought that nothing could shock him anymore... until he started a new job and a new life at a high school in downtown Tokyo. Here he discovered the real Japan, not the version sold to tourists, and realized that it was far more thrilling, heartbreaking, and beautiful than anything he had ever experienced.

Over the course of one year in Tokyo, Garett navigates the perilous waters of 21st-century Japan, where love and laughter are as common as violence and tragedy. From love hotels to sumo, yakuza gangs to hostess bars, and a Shinto wedding to a KFC Christmas, discover what Tokyo is really like for its 38 million inhabitants.

A travel book, a tale of sex and romance, and a love letter to a maddening, wonderful place, Lost in Tokyo provides a new perspective on living, working and playing in the world's most vibrant city.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, Travel

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2018

Reviews

[Jackie Mui · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story is a little less provocative than the cover appears. Mainly, it's about a British guy who works in Japan as an English teacher and his life abroad.

First half of the book mainly focuses on his adjustment to school work life. The latter half was a bit more interesting as he encounters a major life change starting with a move to a rental building. This part was a bit more engaging and interesting for folks who are curious to know what it is like to move and encounter bureaucracy of Japan. For me, seeing the imperfectness of what is deemed the "perfect" country is what is fascinating and it took me half way through the book to find what I was looking for.

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 2 out of 5]

shame that this isn’t about sex sushi or suicide

[Frances Bonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read about a British English teacher in Japan .

This was an informative and insightful account of a young British man who entered the arcane would of teaching English to middle school students in Tokyo. Relates the challenges, frustrations, joys, Sadness and happiness of integrating himself into an often inscrutable Japanese faculty that at times virtually ignored him. But overtime he learned how to make himself an accepted teacher by faculty and students. He relates the complexity of the education system and rhe highly ritualistic traditions and customs that had to be navigated to earn acceptance. Recommended as a good and honest study of the culture and politics of Japanese education.

[Augusto Bernardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hilarious and I found myself chuckling the whole way through. The audiobook version was particularly brilliant because the narrator had a thick Yorkshire accent which made the author Garett even funnier. He gives a brilliant and unique perspective of a foreign immigrant to Japan. That is distinctly different to a tourist perspective or that of a anime fan. Although he lives in Japan, speaks Japanese and does actually love Japan, he gives some very funny and specific criticism about his experience. One classic example is the superficial perspective that Japanese people are friendly. They sure are but the culture and history has made it that they are very closed off to foreigners. He thereby has to face many hurdles in his quest to become part of the community. The cultural and comedic barrier also causes so many confusions and either side believes the other one to be dumb or irrational. Garett is a high school English Teacher in Japan and describes the challenges of the formative years of a Japanese teenager. He also has a local girlfriend which he honestly admits he was a rather poor boyfriend. That part of the book clearly explains the very present sexual side of Japanese culture. I originally wanted to read this book because I thought it would offer way more tourist or historical insights of Tokyo which the book doesn't really do. It has some brief tips in regards to his spare time drinking, karaoke bars and some of the close travelling nearby. Garett says in the book something that really rang true to me which was that big capital cities, like Tokyo, are not a very good or accurate representation of the true essence of the country and its culture. The chapter I perhaps like and remembered the most is the one he talks about Japanese TV. Westerners don't quite understand on how bad Japanese TV shows really are. I'm going to butcher the explanation but it has something to do with the over saturation of the shows on TV. There is very little emphasis put on the quality of the shows both form the creators and the audience. Japanese TV shows mainly focus on the icons, which actually have a different meaning to the icons of the English language. Where the Icons in English refer to a title that is earned, in Japan an icon is a job title for young beautiful pop stars that dabble in TV as well. Actors are completely secondary. And so is acting. Thereby what he consider to be really quintessential Japanese style of drama is just a product of poor acting and scriptwriting that has devolved into a style in it of itself that is popular in anime and manga. One of the biggest surprises in the book was when Garett talks about how Japanese culture does not promote being different or unique. They rather put an emphasis on organisation, efficiency as a community and also perfecting something already established. That seems somewhat obvious despite some Japanese outliers being some of the most creative artists I've ever seen. That difference though he clarifies probably starts in their formative years as they spend such an enormous time learning to write and remember Kanji. Japanese students have to learn more than 1000 different Kanji characters which leaves them barely any time for any creative writing like done in the west. Of course, one cannot ignore the fact that Japan is an island and was closed off to the rest of the world for most of it's existence and long history. There is a sense of pride that still lingers somewhat despite the westernisation of Japan.
Food wasn't that much a focus either in this book which is fine but there was an appreciation for Okinomiyaki for emphasising the experience of eating food as opposed to the size, quality or quantity. Garett delves deep into the personal/sex life of Japan, which I thought was such a brutally honest perspective to add into your book, especially as he is a school teacher. The part that was actually most memorable/shocking was when the older Japanese teachers are openly discussing what "type" of teenage school girls they liked. It is well known that there is this bizarre grey area between fantasy, suppressed emotion and also full blown pedophilia in Japan. I just had no idea how normal it really was as Garett wasn't criticising his peers but rather showing how awkward he felt and how vastly different Westerners attraction was.
The last part of the book focuses on a rather sad part of Japan. Based on the title I was hoping that it was going to reference the Yakuza or some form of crime or terrorism. But it didn't. It was about suicide. There are many nuances in Japanese culture that the typical westerner can't really rationalise nor even pick up on. Suicide in Japan I think is one of those that I at least have a hard time to comprehend. There is quite a lot of pressure by society to succeed in your school grades and achieve which somehow or another can lead to suicide. Even just explaining it now seemed like I did it a disservice. Garett explains the deeply shocking and heartbreaking time that one of his students killed himself by jumping off the balcony.
In conclusion, I think that Garett is a brilliant author that I would happily read another one of his books.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh.

Reads like diary entries. Bland in some areas, culturally interesting in others, funny, complains a lot in some chapters, but entertaining; a good introspective none the less. Between his interesting tales there is a story to follow, but it is hard to follow at times as it is not the focus.

Spoilers:
It really gets interesting when his Japanese gf kicks him out after he had lipstick on his collar, we as the audiance don't get to know the details to this. He then hooks up with a rich married woman, then using that as a jumping board, sluts his way across the country. Leading on serveral women, cheating on them, the whole shebang. All the while emphatically expressing that he is not a good person. Unfortunately the book ends with him getting back together with the ex after his testicle nearly gets shattered due to an incident. He then asks her to marry him and it’s all very unrewarding.

It is an entertaining book and a good look at the culture and history of a nation, but the way it is told is not rewarding.

[Samineh Bagheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had prepared myself to give 1 star to this book. However the last few chapters changed my mind. The book starts with a lot of complaints and struggles the Autor has in his working environment and honestly there is no sex, sushi or suicide. No insights about Japanese culture. The Autor has a Japanese girlfriend who he never really introduced as a person. It seems like she is just there and it doesn’t really matter who she is. The last chapters, though opens up a few interesting perspectives about Japanese culture. The book suddenly becomes sympatic and understanding of this new world.
I found something very interesting about the autor. Although he never really directly mentions his love for Japan and it sounds as if he is constantly complaining, I found a big love for Japan within this book. In the entire book and all the hardships he has in Japan there is only one point of time at which he considers leaving this country but actually he never gets serious. He always fights his way through and wins his fight and love for Japan ❤️

[Aneta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I selected this book from the Audible catalogue because of its high rating. I read many different books about foreigners in Japan but they were written by people who visited Japan, mostly Tokyo. The insider's perspective was always missing. This book gives you exactly that - a tale from a guy, who bothered to learn Japanese and embraced the culture for what it was and not as an exotic world bathed in neon lights and love hotels.

I took one star off because the Audible narrator was KILLING ME. That posh British accent just did not go well with the story. Not the author's fault but it really took away from my experience.

[Tsvetelina Ivanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Интересна книжка, поднесена в стил дневник. Гарет, който вече 6 години в Япония разказва преживелиците си като учител по английски в различни училища. Едновременно с това разкрива подробности за обществото, как се работи когато не си местен, как се наема жилище, какво е отношението на колегите му и на местните към един чужденец. Какви са японските сватби и погребения, училищни обичаи и др. Изобщо дава представа за живота в Япония през погледа на един емигрант. *** защото като стил авторът не е нищо впечатляващо, макар че е забавен и оценявам гледната точка на човек, който е избрал за свой дом Япония.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, touching, and educational

This book will make you laugh and cry. Anyone whose ever worked as an ALT in Japan can relate to almost everything this man felt and experienced. He also does a great job dropping in fun facts about Japan in a way that connects with the larger story at hand.

[Kathleen Bellaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

I enjoyed learning about Japanese culture through the well written, funny and personal stories the author shared. As I will soon be traveling to Japan it left me with the feeling that I will understand the people and their customs a little bit better. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Geek Ville]

One of the best books on Japan

Very interesting and funny. A great look at modern Japan. Some sad and shocking parts but very warm too. Recommend to people interested in visiting or living in Japan.

[David Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Japan through the eyes of a resident Westerner.

Bought this before the standard tourist tour of Japan. Didn't help but even better it was a very relatable, enjoyable read about the Japan the tourist guide never visits.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilarious, touching and fascinating Year in life

Author has great insights into people and culture only matched by his humor & writing skill. Loved every chapter & will look for other works by same author. Expected but eminently satisfying ending. Enjoy!

[Argun Akcakanat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author delivered what he promised, "a year of sex, sushi, and suicide in the real Japan." Yet this was a missed opportunity. His professional experience was much more interesting than his love life.

[Alison Hornstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Wish the author threw a little more info around Japan as those were the most interesting parts (not all the sex he had being a light skinned foreigner).

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent but Quick read

Overall I enjoyed this book, it was a breeze to read through. I can't say I would give it racing reviews but it was nice

[patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read cover to cover today because I could and had the time.

Anyone considering teaching English in Japan should read this book.

3.5 Stars

[David Levin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating journal.

Spent 10 days in Japan this year. Barely scratched the surface of the country and culture. Really enjoyed the author's insights.

[Gokhan Polat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty boring. I feel like the last third was the crux to of the book, where Garett 'grew some balls' to tell a story.

[POkjhdstypo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok read. Not particularly well-written and title is nothing like contents.

[Joe Palermo · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting, but I felt there was too much filler material and focus on sexual conquests.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very good, but I wasn't ready for it to end so abruptly.

[obs20 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misleading title

This is a fine memoir of a British man's experience of teaching a year of middle school in Japan. His writing style was a bit unusual but I will certainly read his next book.

[Len · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well-written, funny, and relatable book about a British English teacher's interesting and heartfelt experiences of working for a year in Tokyo (and, previously elsewhere in Japan). This book was very engaging, and did an excellent job of describing the modern-day (21st century) daily experiences encountered by a foreigner living and working in Japan. My desire to visit Tokyo and the rest of Japan have been further increased after reading Garett's book. I hope that he continues writing about his experiences of living and working in Japan.

[Delfi Esfandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective from a foreigner living and working in Japan.