Book Review
Title: Beauty and Chaos: Slices and Morsels of Tokyo Life
Author: Michael Pronko
Genre: Non-Fiction/Essays
Rating: *****
Reviews: I have done a few reviews for Michael Pronko but his essays on life in Tokyo are by far my favourites and I couldn’t wait to dive into Beauty and Chaos. As this is a collection of essays I am going to review the book in its parts to make it easier to read.
Part One: Fastidious Refinement, A Meticulous Love of Life
Michael Pronko’s writing style is definitely realistic in the truest sense of the word. He discusses the hectic lifestyle of most people who live in Tokyo and how difficult something as simple as navigation can be in the city. While most people would find this disorientating, Pronko finds it to be magical with a little moment of calm and quiet that often come when you need them most before jumping back into the flow of life. One of my favourite things about this section is how Pronko talks about how he came to be in Japan and why he continues to live there and like most people who don’t have a plan, he just thought it would be interesting and it was, so he continued to stay there. I myself would love to move to Japan at some point in the future and I am studying to get a degree in order to get on the JET program.
Part Two: A Beautiful Confusion
I can’t stress how much I love Michael Pronko’s writing style as it really conveys a sense of normalcy, what I mean by this is that when he writes it really comes across that he is just an ordinary person like you or me and I really enjoy that. What I also enjoyed was that Pronko can take something really ordinary like slogans on T-shirts, advertising and normal everyday things and make them so interesting especially for someone who has never been to Japan themselves. Pronko draws so amazing comparisons between the Western, mainly American culture to Japanese culture which is astounding to read. From the way they celebrate holidays like Christmas to simple things like eating in a ramen shop, the differences from the individualistic societies of American, the UK and most of Europe to the collectivist society of Japan are mind-bending at best and completely impossible to understand until you have actually immersed yourself in the culture and experienced it first-hand. I loved how Pronko really highlights thinks like the handling of cash and how it is different between American and Japan. As a Brit, I can honestly say I don’t really think about the way I hand over money in a store, I just do if I carry cash at all, whereas Japan is a cash economy and money is treated with the utmost respect. This section really focused on some of the large differences Pronko has witnessed between Japan and the West even if these differences come from something rather small and insignificant.
Part Three: Scenes from the Train
As most would guess from the title of this part it focuses on not just trains but transport in general. Most who know anything about Japan will know that trains are a huge part of life in Japan and one of the easiest way to travel. Being on the train allows you to notice things that you wouldn’t have before and Pronko does just this. As a teacher, he was worried that with the rise of technology, specifically mobile phones, reading culture would decline and was proven drastically wrong on a train where the majority of people seemed to be reading rather than using their phones, which I would love to see. As a huge reader myself, I am majorly invested in reading culture which I can see taking a major decline in the UK and the illiteracy among teens and young adults is rapidly rising and it is nice to see even in one of the technology capitals of the world, they haven’t lost their love of the written word. Pronko in Scenes from the train really highlights the duality of Japan and he does this in two major ways. The first is how Japan can keep a tight hold on its history and works fastidiously to preserve its history and yet strives to keep with the times and remain a modern and innovative country. The second is my favourite and it is how everyone schedules everything and yet most of the time they arrive late, and this is because scheduling is more an ideal and the actuality for Japan but rather than abandoning it they actually work a lot harder to achieve it even though it may be impossible. I must really highlight how different Japan is from the rest of the world, especially for me in the UK some of the things Japanese people do seems absolutely insane but at the same time makes so much sense, the confusion and awe I am feeling right now is inspiring.
Part Four: Beauty and Chaos, Slices and Morsels of Tokyo Life
In part four Pronko introduces us to the pure duality of both the city and the human mind. He manages to convey how certain stores can perfectly mimic the chaos of the city around him while the mind naturally seeks out order and structure where none are found. He also emphasises this duality in everyday life in mundane tasks like eating. Eating by its very nature is mundane we do it over and over every day in order to keep on living yet the art of eating with chopsticks – which I have yet to master – is balletic, beautiful and even sensual. These small yet significant dualities appeal to us as humans who are drawn in by the chaos even though we will seek to order it, in some cases this is impossible, and it also destroys the mystery that drew us in the first place. The duality of human nature is summed up in two short chapters which is utterly astounding for me, the amount of self-awareness someone needs to have is immense but Pronko showcases this in a divine manner. One thing I love about this collection of essays is how human they feel, I know that might sound weird but stick with me. In most non-fiction, I read no matter how personal the subject always feel quite clinical but Pronko injects his writing with a real moment of humour, frustration, and awe which makes it feel alive like I could close my eyes and be in Japan only to have the illusion shatter the moment I open my eyes. One thing I would have liked is for these books to be available in audiobook format, preferably read by the author himself, while Motions & Moments, as well as The Last Train, are already available in audiobook format I would love to see these essay collections in the near future read by the man who wrote them and truly understands the meaning behind the words.
Part Five: A Maze of the Mind
In part five, Pronko continues to demonstrate the dualities that Japan has to offer, from the traditional versus the modern, the order versus the chaos and strangely the straight versus the circle. This part is quite short and focuses on some elements that would naturally appeal to foreigners as Pronko gives advice on some things he found challenging upon moving to Japan and how by visiting other countries like China, he can see the clear and quite stark differences. However, many native Japanese are born with an almost innate instinct that allows them to navigate the country with ease while foreigners don’t have this Pronko proves that it is possible to develop this instinct over time.
Part Six: After Words
Part six is the shortest part in the book with only just over 20 pages but I was keen to see how Pronko would wrap up this collection of essays. This final part adds a few more insights about Tokyo and Japan in general, but on the whole, it is far more personal. After Words contains Michael Pronko’s personal journey of how he came to life in Japan and what he had done with his life. Pronko’s life is the one I personally want, filled with travel and personal discovery hopefully ending with me living in Japan as well. If I ever get the chance I’d love to meet Michael in person and discuss so much with him about the practicalities of living in a country like Japan. Overall, whether you’re like me and love everything about Japan or just want to learn something about the Land of the Rising Sun I highly recommend you pick up Pronko’s essays.
Buy it here:
Paperback: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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