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by: Lars Martinson  List Price: $19.95 Amazon.com's Price: $13.57 You Save: $6.38 (32%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 741 EAN: 9780980102321 Edition: 1st ISBN: 0980102324 Label: Top Shelf Productions Manufacturer: Top Shelf Productions Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 128 Publication Date: May 01, 2008 Publisher: Top Shelf Productions Studio: Top Shelf Productions Related Items: Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: Daniel Wells begins a new life as an assistant junior high school teacher in the rural Japanese village of Tonoharu. Isolated from those around him by cultural and language barriers, he leads a monastic existence, peppered only by his inept pursuit of the company of a fellow American who lives a couple towns over. But contrary to appearances, Dan isn't the only foreigner to call Tonoharu home. Across town, a group of wealthy European eccentrics board in a one-time Buddhist temple, for reasons that remain obscure to their gossiping neighbors. Average Rating:
 Rating: - Painfully HonestLars Martinson's graphic novel "Tonoharu" is the story of Daniel Wells, an American who goes to teach English for a year in the titular backwaters Japanese town. He is the only foreigner for miles, except for a group of temple-dwelling European ex-pats whom he meets only briefly. Daniel himself hovers just this side of "loveable loser," a sympathetic character with emphasis on the pathetic. He is alone, barely speaks Japanese, and his job requirements are--to him--largely opaque. Read More Rating:  - Interesting bookTonoharu is interesting because it gives valuable insight into what it's like to be an extreme outsider. It's also dead-on when addressing one's desperate desire to converse with someone attune to his cultural sensibilities. The reader empathizes with Daniel because he is the town's lone American resident, his English teaching job description is annoyingly vague, and he strikes out with the American girl of a nearby town. On the other hand, he is somewhat of a downer - he struggles ... Read More Rating:  - true parody of the JET Experience!Tonoharu is a beautiful, true to life graphic novel. I taught English in Fukuoka for three years with the JET Programme, and even though this book presents some extreme examples of what can happen, the most outrageous thing is how factual it actually is. Nuanced, detailed, funny and sad, it really captures the spirit of what it's like to be a foreigner in Japan, the high highs and the lonely lows. I definitely recommend it to all JET alums and all those interested in seeing Japan through Western eyes. ... Read More Rating: - Offbeat and intriguingA serious minority - Daniel Wells is the only American in a rural Japanese Village, where he serves as an assistant junior high school teacher. "Tonoharu: Part One" is the start of his story as Daniel must deal with everything coming with his new job - language barriers, culture shock, it's a lonely existence. His only relief comes from the pursuit, although not effective, of an American girl who resides in a town not far from his own. His adventures often turn offbeat and intriguing, making "Tonoharu: ... Read More 
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