31 Months in Japan
Larry K. & Lorna Collins
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2005 iUniverse
ISBN: 0595345840

The Building of a Theme Park.

Two Southern Californians are hired for an adventure of a lifetime — moving to Japan to participate in the construction of the Universal Studios Japan® outside Osaka.

Join Larry K. & Lorna Collins on an odyssey into a foreign culture where they are often misunderstood & frequently confused. Discover the challenges & frustrations of building a world-class entertainment venue outside the United States. Come with them as they discover the beauty & the people of Japan. Share their laughter, tears, surprise & final triumph as the park is completed ahead of schedule & under budget. Meet fascinating characters like Jurassic Jack, the Nihon Cowboy & Dote-san.

31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park combines interesting details & behind-the-scenes descriptions of how magic is made in the entertainment industry, as well as funny & touching personal remembrances.

That having been writ, 31 Months in Japan is an elegantly presented & charming account of two childhood sweethearts working in the world of theme parks, who chose the road to Japan, thrived there & returned to tell us their tales, with photographs of the team included.

As you will know by now I love to read about culture clashes & how the writers fit in & learnt to adapt. Japanese culture & cuisine were not entirely unknown to Larry & Lorna Collins, however, learning to live & work in Japan had them crossing many a foreign bridge, often with surprising results. They take us through the varied aspects of doing business, setting up house & making friends there, from Hashi - chopsticks to Meishi - business cards to the quality of humility, bowing upon greeting, saying “Thank You”, & so much more. All simply & briefly written, which is what I particularly like about their presentation. Everything they introduce us to they write in clean & lean language that sweeps us along from one adventure to the next, from social gaffes to typhoons to festivals to construction woes.

31 Months in Japan is a must for anyone planning on traveling to or working in Japan. It teaches about & shows a very different lifestyle, & how our American ways of doing things can make for both funny & embarrassing moments. Throughout, you sense the authors' excitement, their appreciation of beauty, hard work & friendship.

A unique & engaging read.
(11/06/05)

Rebecca