Free Ebook: Memoirs Of A Gaijin
June 26th, 2008
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Ladies and gentlemen, today I’m very happy to release my second ebook, Memoirs of a Gaijin. It’s free as a direct PDF download (6 MB), with no opt-in required.
“Gaijin” is a Japanese word meaning “outsider.” It often refers specifically to a white person, and is now considered politically incorrect. But it’s certainly what I was.
From April 15 – 24, 2008, I visited my American friends who were spending a year in Kyoto. I learned a lot during my stay, and I felt compelled to read some books to learn even more. Japan is a fascinating country, and certainly very different from the United States.
I wrote this ebook to tell a story of Japan as seen through the eyes of an American tourist. My perspective is admittedly and intentionally biased. I’m an American, and I’m sure that castles and Geisha and kaizen are no more exotic to me than hamburgers and forks and individualism are to the Japanese. We already have official tour guides of Japan. Now we have my story too.
It’s a whopping 6 MB because of all the embedded photos, plus it has links to more than 250 exclusive photos and video clips. And don’t be intimidated by the 75 pages. It’s broken down into small sections for easy scanning. Now, read Memoirs of a Gaijin and see Japan as you’ve never seen it before.
Table of contents:
| Foreword by the Author | 2 |
| How to Read this Ebook | 2 |
| Table of Contents | 3 |
| Getting There | 5 |
| My Seat Number | 5 |
| Just What You Want to Hear on a Plane | 6 |
| The Time Difference | 6 |
| Jet Lag | 6 |
| Currency Exchange | 7 |
| Getting From the Airport to Kyoto | 8 |
| An Awkward Dinner Party | 10 |
| Speaking English in Japan | 11 |
| Kids Practicing Their English | 12 |
| English Words in Japanese | 13 |
| Writing Japanese Characters | 13 |
| The Capital of Japan | 14 |
| Kyoto | 15 |
| Going to Tokyo | 15 |
| Capsule Inn Akihabara | 16 |
| Tokyo Disneyland | 17 |
| Tokyo | 18 |
| Pollen Masks | 19 |
| The Food | 19 |
| Fugu, the Deadly Blowfish | 20 |
| McDonald’s | 22 |
| Fish Market | 23 |
| Fruit | 24 |
| The Cookie Trap | 25 |
| Sake | 26 |
| Filling Up Your Glass | 27 |
| Chopsticks | 28 |
| “The World is Their Buffet” | 28 |
| Cherry Blossoms | 29 |
| Miyako Odori and Geisha | 30 |
| Tea Ceremony at the Miyako Odori | 31 |
| Geisha, Geiko, and Maiko | 32 |
| Are Geisha Prostitutes? | 33 |
| Kimono | 33 |
| Kyoto Handicraft Center | 34 |
| Swords | 35 |
| Kendo | 38 |
| Sumo | 39 |
| Castles and Temples and Shrines, Oh My! | 40 |
| Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo) | 41 |
| Ninna-ji Temple | 42 |
| Ryoanji Temple | 43 |
| Eikando Zenrin-Ji Temple | 43 |
| Hikone Castle | 44 |
| Hikonyan the Samurai Cat | 45 |
| Visiting a Different Prefecture | 46 |
| Path of Philosophy | 46 |
| Cats | 47 |
| Den-Den Daiko (Mr. Miyagi’s Drum) | 48 |
| Bikes | 49 |
| Vending Machines | 50 |
| Smoking | 51 |
| Taking off Your Shoes | 52 |
| Manga and Anime | 53 |
| The Lucky Pine Needles | 54 |
| Shinto | 54 |
| Buddhism | 55 |
| Super Mario Bros. | 56 |
| Commas In Numbers | 56 |
| Toilets | 57 |
| V for the Camera | 58 |
| Karaoke | 59 |
| The Public Eye | 59 |
| Platform Pizza | 59 |
| Obsession with Newness | 60 |
| Hair Styles for Men | 60 |
| Godzilla (Gojira) | 60 |
| Sudoku | 61 |
| No Shaking Hands | 62 |
| Kaizen | 62 |
| Toyota | 63 |
| The Girls | 63 |
| Buses | 64 |
| Technology | 65 |
| Water | 65 |
| Napkins and Toilet Paper | 66 |
| Rule of the Road | 66 |
| Crime | 67 |
| Discrimination | 67 |
| Imports | 67 |
| Mount Fuji | 68 |
| The Great Wave off Kanagawa | 69 |
| Signs | 70 |
| Getting Back | 71 |
| Why Visit Japan? | 72 |
| Further Reading | 74 |
| About the Author | 75 |
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June 26th, 2008 at 1:15 am
You did it Hunter! Congratulations!
I know this book is near and dear to your heart, and I can hardly wait to read it and see all of your pictures. From what you’ve written previously, it sounds like you had a fabulous time. Thanks for sharing, you handsome dude.
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..Bloggers Flunk The Reading Assignments
June 26th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Awesome Book! Japan is only country on my list of places to visit at some point in the not so distant future so something like this will definitely come in handy!
It’s cool how you have Kaizen in there and I just wrote an article about it on my Blog yesterday.
One thing I wanted to point out. The swords you got should be faced the other way. Meaning, blade up, arching up like a rainbow not arching down. The reason for this is that the blade of a Katana sword is razor sharp (real Katana anyways), and any sort of moisture or condensation (or in a real battle sword – Blood) should always drip down away from the sharp edge of the blade. So if the blade is facing up, the condensation/blood will settle on the bottom dull edge of the sword.
Here’s some more information on it: http://www.chenessinc.com/display.htm
Great eBook, I love it.
Paul
June 26th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Hi Hunter – Thanks. I know this book will give the real story on Japan for outsiders, rather than a sugar coated version. I’m really looking forward to reading it. Still think you should be charging something for it though.
Cath Lawsons last blog post..You Can Profit From Something You Suck At
June 26th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Hi Hunter -
I can’t wait to read your e-book. I’m sure that it’s an exciting moment for you. I’d do anything I can to get the word out.
Shilpan
Shilpan | successsoul.coms last blog post..An Interview with Tina Su of Think Simple Now
June 26th, 2008 at 10:37 am
“Memoirs of a Gaijin”, see, I have a little ESP (maybe I should give Erin Pavlina a call and see if she needs a partner). I need to download some application or other to be able to read your e-book, I’ll do it this afternoon since I’m off to the gym now. Congratulations on getting your second e-book out there, you rock!
Marelisas last blog post..Creating Your Dream Life: Your Thinking Style
June 26th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Cool!
I downloaded – can’t wait to read.
Thank you for making it free… much appreciated.
Vereds last blog post..Are Bloggers Allowed To Have A Life?
June 26th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Hi, thanks for your email to let me know about your eBook! I see you are really into Japan.
It looks I need a software update to download it, so I will do it later this afternoon.
Akemi – Yes to Mes last blog post..Law Of Attraction, Million Dollar Check, And Business Growth
June 26th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Awesome – I’m going to get to reading this as soon as possible
rld – taekwondo happinesss last blog post..Why can’t I gain belt rank? (part 1)
June 26th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
@ Barbara, somehow I was guessing you’d be the first to comment. Yes, it was a great time, and I hope the ebook conveys some of that.
@ Paul, thanks for that info–I’ve switched the swords the other way. I had kept them arching down even though the dragon and tiger on the front were upside down, because I just think it looks better. But if there’s a specific reason to have them arching up, then I think I better do it that way.
That link was interesting, but I have to wonder, being left-handed, should I have the grip on the right to convey a non-hostile attitude? I guess I should still have the grip on the left because that’s the tradition, but little will people know I can quickly draw it when needed!
@ Cath, I considered it, but I didn’t really like the idea of charging for it. In this case, I’d rather get more people to read it. But I think I’m done with free ebooks for a while. It turned out to be way too much work to do for free!
@ Shilpan, it’s very exciting. Well, a combination of excitement to have it out there, and relief to be done with it!
@ Marelisa, @ Akemi, I’m not sure why it’s making you install some application, because it’s just a PDF file. What application does it want you to install? Like an Adobe plugin for IE?
@ Vered, don’t get used to the free bit…I’ll need to make some money eventually.
@ rld, let me know how you like it!
June 27th, 2008 at 3:05 am
He did it again: Hunter Nuttal
XiongShuis last blog post..He did it again: Hunter Nuttal
June 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Awesome! I can’t wait to read it. The book sounds like a great journey. You probably learned so much. I’m glad you are sharing it with your readers.
Karl Staibs last blog post..Tell One Friend About Work Happy Now!
June 27th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Hunter: I was having trouble with my computer and so my computer guy erased everything and then reloaded it. Apparently there were some things that had to be reloaded manually, including Adobe Reader. I just downloaded Adobe Reader and was able to download your e-book just fine. I glanced through it and it looks great. Those cherry blossoms are beautiful (I studied in Washington, DC, college and law school, so I saw the cherry blossoms bloom around the tidal basin many times, absolutely beautiful). I’ll read the e-book over the weekend. Thanks again.
Marelisas last blog post..Sleep Extravaganza – 40 Tools, Tidbits, & Resources to Help You Conquer Sleep
June 27th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Hunter, I love your eBooks. The photos in this one are stunning. I especially liked the one of Kyoto, and the Miyako Odori one.
I thought I knew quite a bit about Japanese culture, but learned a lot more details from this book (like pouring sake for others & leaving glass full when done drinking). Thank you for sharing this wonderful adventure with us.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
@ XiongShui, thanks for the writeup!
@ Karl, I just had to share it! Japan is such an amazing place, and I couldn’t keep it a secret.
@ Marelisa, I know how bad computer trouble can be. I’m glad you had someone to resolve the problem. I think I remember you saying you went to school in D.C., so you were lucky to see the cherry blossoms without having to go to the other side of the world!
@ Sterling, everything I saw was super-photogenic, so it’s not hard to get good photos. And fortunately there were some photos on flickr that were just what I needed to fill in the gaps. As for the culture, I think learning it all can take a lifetime!
July 7th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
[...] Recently, my blogger friend Hunter Nuttall visited my home country, Japan, and wrote the eBook “Memoirs of a Gaijin.” He went to Kyoto and Tokyo. I’m from Nagoya (a big city between Kyoto and Tokyo – he passed [...]
July 17th, 2008 at 8:14 am
I finished reading your book and have been meaning to get back to you about it
I just wanted to say that I loved it. It was informative, yet entertaining. When I visit Japan one day, I’m going to be sure to upload it to my laptop and read it on the plane.
Oh, and thank you for sharing it with us for free! I’m a poor college kid, so I probably would have missed out on this if there were a charge.
July 17th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
@ rld, I do hope you make it out to Japan one day, and that my ebook helps you in some way. I figured it made sense to make it free, since it’s not a “how to” book that’s going to provide some specific benefit. I remember what it was like to be a poor college kid too! Thanks for reading my ebook.