Learning to Bow by Bruce Feiler

[Larry]

Bruce Feiler's Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan relates his experiences as junior high school teacher about 20 years ago in Sano, a town located in Tochigi Prefecture located about 100 miles ot the north of Tokyo. Feiler's book has been widely praised by those who know Japan well, e.g.James Fallows and Robert Whiting. It has been attacked by some reviewers mainly because he is willing to point out that Japanese students are well educated by some of the horrors of War like Hiroshima while they are not taught about others, like the Rape of Nanking. Further his mentioning of burakumin, the outcasts of Japanese society won't sit well with some who don't think that these people should even be mentioned

I think the strength of the book is what he shows about the education system. While it is limited to his experiences in the one school and it written 20 years ago, I have a feeling that a lot of what he tells us remains generally true. He drives home the importance of one's own circle and honoring the dependency upon that circle, whether it is for a junior high school student or himself as one of the teachers. Ultimately, I think that the book reveals great affection for Japan, the junior high school he was at, and the teachers and students of that school.

This book is one of two books that I think does a great job in telling how an American deals with the strange country that Japan can be. It takes its place beside Cathy Davidson's 36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan.

Feiler has written widely about a number of different things. His books range from his experiences at Oxford, (Looking for Class: Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge), joining the circus, (Under the Big Top: A Season with the Circus), religion in the Middle East Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths, the changing face of country and western music (Dreaming Out Loud: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, And The Changing Face Of Nashville), and how to deal in a profoundly original way with a life threatening illness The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me. Every now and then, Feiler can be annoying, but all in all, he's quite wonderful.

[Katy]

Larry,
I read this the year my older son graduated from college and went off to Japan on the JET program. He enjoyed his two years teaching there very much. Before leaving, he gave us a copy of LEARNING TO BOW and we eventually attended a book talk and met the author. Feiler's candid observations on Japanese education and culture were interesting and engaging. I loved the book. Although I did not get to Japan, myself, my husband went there on a business trip and met our son for a visit to Kyoto. Fascinating country, great book.

[John]

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I recall that I liked this book when I read it, but the details are hazy for me; I suppose I'm what some consider "lucky" in that I can reread books as "new" again. Same for Davidson's book, which I have a distinct recollection of liking quite a lot.

From those, and other books I've read, it's been dismaying to see the extent the Japanese educational system relies on rote learning, discouraging students to present their own ideas effectively.

I should read Feiler on the Middle East; Oxford maybe as well, but that's lower on the TBR potential.

If you haven't read The Housekeeper and the Professor, Larry, you ought to consider it - short enough to be a fast read. I'm not that big into reading novels, but absolutely could not put down The Makioka Sisters!

[Cateline]

Learning to Bow sounds very interesting and informative.

Ditto to John's recommendation regarding The Housekeeper and the Professor, I read it a while back and found it to be a good story, and instructive.

Oh, let me recommend one more thing. :) The Devotion of Suspect X is a great mystery set in Japan. The author, Keigo Higashino knows how to write a twisty story.

[Larry]

John and Cateline,

Thanks to both of you for your suggestions. I do have a copy of THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE PROFESSOR, but haven't read it. I ordered a copy of the THE MAKIOKA SISTERS. I definitely should have read that one a long time ago. And luckily our public library has a number of copies of THE DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X.

I've been interested in crime in Japan for a long time, both in fiction and true life recountings. As I continue to clean out my mother's house, I keep on finding things. One item is a silver cigarette lighter that the Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police gave to my father when we left Japan in 1955. Even though I don't smoke, I'll hold onto that.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

We had a really good discussion of The Makioka Sisters years ago here:
http://constantreader.com/discussions...

Our more recent discussion of The Housekeeper and the Professor is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

In 2009 we had a discussion of Out by Natsuo Kirino, a kind of psychological thriller based in Japan. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Larry]

Sherry,

This is much appreciated.

Larry

[Larry]

Katy wrote: "Larry,
I read this the year my older son graduated from college and went off to Japan on the JET program. He enjoyed his two years teaching there very much. Before leaving, he gave us a copy of LE..."

Katy,

Thanks for sharing your own opinion and your own personal experiences. I loved Japan, but I also recognize the negative parts of the society. Over a ten year period, I visited Japan 17 times. One of the reasons I retired after 32 years of working for USDA, was an upcoming trip to Japan five years ago that I just didn't want to make. I called the American Embassy, told them to find someone else to give a speech that I was scheduled to give at the International Grains Council meeting, and called it a career. Since then, I get to read a lot more things I want to read, e.g. books, and a lot fewer things that I have to read, e.g. briefing papers. ;-)

Larry

P.S., Katy, which prefecture was your son located in for his two years in the JET program?

[Barbara]

Feiler sounds like a good find for me, Larry. I am always curious about other cultures and countries and I have just discovered that my library owns this book by him and a number of others. Thank you for posting this note.

[Katy]

Larry,
Right now I am in Delaware visiting my sister. The city was Myoshi. I can't remember the prefecture, but when I return home this week, I will look it up. Also, I will look up my notes on LEARNING TO BOW, which I used for a paper on comparative education for a re-certification class during my career in the DCPS.
Katy

[Cateline]

I, luckily, found a penny + shipping copy on Amazon Marketplace..... :)

[Katy]

Larry,
I find that I have spelled the city incorrectly. It is Miyoshi. It is in the Hiroshima prefecture. As to the book, I don't remember it that well, but what interested me was the way in which the Japanese education system builds community responsibility.
Students learn that duty and honor begin with dedication to their home room. This includes loyalty to their fellow students and responsibility for the physical care of the classroom. This extends further to the community when on Trash Day, they go into the city to assigned areas to pick up trash.
While their methods can be criticized, they succeed admirably in their primary goal of developing citizens with a strong community ethic.