Living Carelessly in Tokyo and Elsewhere: A Memoir

This is a series of chronological autobiographical vignettes by a distinguished translator of Japanese works and multi-purpose film maker. It's the story of how a 6'4" Jewish boy from New York City/Tuscon went to Harvard, became enthralled with the Japanese language, went to Japan, went native and returned to the US, often relying on his youthful Japanese immersion for employment and career. There are wonderful descriptions of Japan, such as waiting for the results of the University of Tokyo entrance exam, living with Mayumi's family, the people and production of the documentary trilogy and the night life of Japan in its postwar boom. There are portraits of Mishima and Oe, the home of a Noh actor and stories about the economics of writing and translation. Nathan had a singular experience in post-war Japan. The early vignettes are worthy of their own volume. Stateside, this interesting life encompasses two academic careers, script writing, production of successful commercials and business videos and a crisis in the business itself. There are glimpses of Nathan's two families, a description of Nobel Prize proceedings and several returns to Japan. The value of this book for me was that it re-kindled my interest in Japanese fiction and post-war Japan.

I will keep this short and sweet. As an American who has lived in Tokyo and working as professional Japanese-English translator, I am particular biased and in tune with Mr. Nathan's message. I cannot make any guarantees for anyone without such experiences to relate to if they will enjoy this book as much as I did. However, it is marvelously well written and such refreshingly honest prose is a rarity these days. I would recommend it for any serious scholar of Japan (and not just in the academic meaning of the word).