Why buy a foreign language dictionary when one doesn’t speak a word of the language in question? When it’s as fun to read as Peter Constantine’s Japanese Street Slang (2006, ISBN 13 978-0-8348-0250-6), that’s when. First published in 1992, the book has never been out of print, and even has a 2011 edition (we found […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Japan' Category
WoWasis field test review: the world’s greatest travel pen, Sharbo Zebra SBA1 pen/pencil
As travel writers, we here at WoWasis have some pretty heady requirements for a writing instrument. We need a reliable pen, but also need a pencil to write notes in the back pages of books we’re reviewing. It’s got to be small, in order to fit in any pocket (we carry it everywhere, all the […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Longstreets’ ‘Yoshiwara: City of the Senses’ of Tokyo
Yoshiwara was a district in Tokyo famous for adult entertainment options. Formalized in the 17th century, it thrived as a sex center until 1958, when prostitution was officially banned in Tokyo. Published in 1970, Stephen and Ethel Longstreet’s Yoshiwara: City of the Senses (no ISBN) is a history of the district, its culture, practices, and […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism’
For centuries, Western art lovers have been fascinated by Japanese woodcuts of landscapes made by noted Ukiyo-e “floating world” artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, and of scenes from daily life by master artists Kitagawa Utamaro and Suzuki Harunobu. These woodcuts have directly inspired the work of Westerns artists, but perhaps never more […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis Reports: Apartment Asian Massage Parlors (AAMP) in North America
Today, your WoWasiscorrespondents visit North America to report on Apartment Asian Massage Parlors. Also, read the WoWasis post on commonly used AAMP acronyms relating to practices at North American massage parlors). AAMPs, as they are commonly known, are most typically found in large apartment complexes, although a few “float” in hotels. Part of the service consists […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Red-Light Nights, Bangkok Daze’ by William Sparrow
When we here at WoWasis first saw William Sparrow’s Red-Light Nights, Bangkok Days: Chronicles of Sexuality Across Asia (ISBN 2008, ISBN 978-981-08-1076-4) at our nearby bookstore, our first thought was “sheesh, who needs another book about sex in Asia?” Fiction and non-fiction books on sexual themes involving Southeast Asia no doubt number in the thousands. […]
Read the rest of this entry »Best skin scrub, massage, and spa in Bangkok? Sazanka’s new location
Although mostly men frequent Sazanka, the experience of getting salted, exfoliated, massaged, and lotioned is something all genders would appreciate. Sazanka has just moved to a new location, one BTS stop away from its former location on Washington Square. Those of us at WoWasis recommend the two hour long “Sazanka Massage,” essentially a Korean akasuri process, […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Yakuza: The Explosive Account of Japan’s Criminal Underworld’
If you’re looking for a comprehensive book that provides great insight on Yakuaza business, history, culture, scams, players, this book is it, even though it was first published in 1986. Where it falls short is in the area of Yakuza and prostitution, where frankly, it has a lot of it wrong. We’ll explain why, but […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Gold Warriors’ by Sterling & Peggy Seagrave
Sterling and Peggy Seagrave continue to amaze your WoWasis review staff. We’re veteran SE Asia travelers, and like many travelers revisiting the region, have more and more questions about the political and cultural factors that drive decisions and events in these countries. In the past couple of years, we’ve been hearing anecdotal stories from associates […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Joan Sinclair’s ‘Pink Box: Inside Japan’s Sex Clubs’
What struck us here at WoWasis about Joan Sinclair’s photo-essay book weren’t solely the photographs, but the glossary, referencing 177 terms used in Japan to describe the world of fuzoku, or commercial sex. That’s how we discovered mantaku, female anatomy ink prints, transferred from the lady’s posterior to paper, and sold to the customer as […]
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