GERI O SHIMASU

Despite the unfortunate title (GERI O SHIMASU translates, according to the author Alia Luria, as “I Have Diarrhea”), this book is a delight, a lively, entertaining, and not infrequently profound account of the author’s stay in Japan for a semester as a law student. Luria’s tone is chatty, sometimes bawdy, but always the voice of someone deeply interested in what’s going on around her, so much so that her explanatory footnotes often run away with her. She delights in the details of cultural differences, ranging from etiquette on public transport to the Japanese view of drag shows to the contrast in violent crime rates, women’s independence, and other factors of Japanese and American life. By no means rose-colored or idealized, it’s nonetheless ultimately a loving and thoughtful account. The prose is additionally enhanced by regular intervals of haiku that demonstrates Luria’s ability to capture an emotion or sensation in a mere few well-chosen words.