Review Detail

What worked: This is a must-read for anyone fascinated with Japanese culture. Engaging, fun graphic novel version of a teen's travel guide through a summer in Japan. I really loved the photos and illustrations of some of the things the author encounters while in Japan. Some of my favorites include: Inzer comparing seeing the Japanese towns through her teen eyes and as a ten-year-old. Also the mentions of favorite food: ramen noodles, 'tonkatsu'-breaded port cutlet with rice, Mos burger(where you eat the burger in the wrapper), and the Kaiten sushi-a sushi place where plates of sushi are put on a rotating conveyor belt and you get to chose.

Mostly though I think this is a glimpse into a teen's revisiting the land of her birth. Inzer does a great job showing how different and same teens are in Japan and the US. There's also humor woven throughout. For example, when she asks her dad 'why' one of the hotel rooms charge by the hour. Her illustration on when she 'gets' it, is hilarious.

A must have for one who loves comic books and is fascinated with Japanese culture. This is an engaging, sweet journey of a teen revisiting the land of her youth.