Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Worthwhile Introduction to Japanese Culture
Comment: T R Reid, an accomplished American journalist and a fine writer, lived and worked in Tokyo for several years. Most of this book is based on Reid's personal experience with Japanese culture, although there is some discussion of Asian culture generally.
Reid explains how Asian cultures have succeeded socially where the West has not, e.g., lower crime rates, more economic equality and more social cohesion. For example, he tells of purchasing a bicycle in Japan. The cost of the bike is higher than it would have been in the US, because the Japanese store has more and higher paid employees. On the other hand, there is no risk of the bike being stolen, so Reid does not feel compelled to buy a lock.
Reid's observations are interesting and worthwhile, although not necessarily unique. The book is easy and pleasant to read. I recommend it.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Big Bore
Comment: Begins with good writing and interesting tales, then suddenly dies in a morass of stale Confucian history. The book goes from a witty account of Asian life to endless Confucian minutia. I enjoy reading Confucian philosophy and Asian history, but this stuff just was not readable. You get the sense that the author ran out of stuff to write and started copying out of "The Official History of Confucian Thought, as compiled by a Government Bureaucrat." I want my money back.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent for someone that knows nothing about Asian culture
Comment: Mr. Reid has written an easy read of the powerhouse and most like dominent cultures for the next 500 years, Asia. His description of Japanese schooling is right on target (my wife is from Japan and our children go to Japanese schools run by the Japanese government in San Diego). If you want to know something about the powerhouse for the next 500 years read his book!My only critism of his book is his endorcement of Asian (Japanese in particular) emphasis on ceremony. My word about Japanese ceremony is,yuk! Also, I wish he had provided us with some suggestions as to how Western cultures might incorporate Confucius values into our diverse socitey? Aparently in Asia most Asian news organization believe the entire U.S.is like it was in the wild West of the 1870's with murder, bugulary, rape and mayham an everyday common happening. And for this reason the U.S. is constantly being put down by Asian leaders and Asian media. The Asians point out that since the 1960's crime has sky rocketed in the U.S. What Mr. Reid is suggesting in his book is because there is a crisis in American culture (ie, high crime) perhaps we should take drastic measures to correct the problem by adopting Asian values and completly change our culture by doing so? Anyway, it was a great book and I hope to pass it on to friends that show some interest in those successful Asians. Joe Seckelman
Customer Rating:
Summary: This book offers hope for a better society.
Comment: I am going to send copies of this book to many people. It is the best news that I have received in a long time. With so many bad things happening in America (for example the shootings at Columbine H.S.), it is wonderful to know that some parts of the world are safer. The news that in some parts of the world the middle class is actually growing seems almost too good to be true. I didn't realize that this was actually happening somewhere. I have the great fortune of living with a student from Okinawa Japan, and he has confirmed that school in Japan is as described in this book. I am thinking about trying to set up a Japanese style school here in the United States. If anyone else is interested in this idea, please contact me. I think we have to begin making our world better starting with the children. For me, this book offered the first real recipe on how to do that. There are many ideas in education. It is hard to discern which will really work, and which will do more harm than good. The Asian system has proven itself, and we should learn from their examples.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, albeit sometimes tedious look at Asian society
Comment: This book is a revealing look at Asian society and its striking differences, as well as similarities to Western society. The reading is sometimes a bit tedious and repetitive. The author attempts to write both a scholarly treatise as well as a easy-to-digest read and the two objectives sometimes clash. The book excels when it gives insight into Asian attitudes: for example why they may say yes when they mean no, why companies avoid layoffs, etc. Especially fun are his numerous snippets of everyday Japanese life. Ultimately, however, TR Reid offers only a few thoughts regarding how Western society might change its values to obtain the benefits he sees in Asian society.
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