The Way We Do It in Japan

By Geneva Cobb Iijima and Paige Billin-Frye

Gregory and his family are moving to Japan for his dad's job. After the long flight, they arrive at their new apartment. Gregory is surprised to find lots of things that are different: but that's the way they do it in Japan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Release date: Jan 1, 2002
• ISBN: 9780807578216

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Reviews for The Way We Do It in Japan

[sceres1-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book for 2 main reasons, the point of view and the writing. The point of view was from the son of a Japanese man and an American woman. The family moved to Japan for his father's work. While there he was telling his story on how he felt being American while everyone there is Japanese. The son would ask his father why they do certain things, and his dad would respond, "That's the way we do it in Japan." The other thing I enjoyed was the writing style. It was very organized and paced well, also it had pronunciation key on the bottom of the page where a Japanese word was said. The main idea was to accept everyones differences as if you were in that same situation.

[annejohnson-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Way We Do It In Japan is a book discussing the differences between American and Japanese culture as a family of 3 moves to Japan. This book is very interesting because it includes Japanese words and important aspects of their culture. For example, the father says good morning to the son in Japanese. It is written in the book in Japanese and translated at the bottom so everyone can understand it. Some of the important cultural aspects included are the use of chopsticks instead of forks, tightly woven straw instead of carpet, and sleeping on the floor instead of mattresses. It is very enjoyable to go through this new experience with the young son as he learns all these new things about Japan. I learned a good amount from this book so I am sure that young children would gain a good amount of knowledge from this book. For example, I was unaware that it is custom to take a shower before a very hot bath. I think this book is very good for children to read because it allows them to recognize other cultures and learn a little bit about it. This book includes repetition, which I think can be important in children’s book depending on the main idea. In this book, it is key. The most repeated phrase is, “That’s the way they/we do it in Japan.” Whenever the son is confused about a new custom, the father explains it and then says this phrase. This shows the child that things are different then they are in America, but its okay to learn something new. In the end of the story, the other students in the Japanese classroom bring in peanut butter sandwiches for lunch because, “That’s the way you do it in America.” This helps show the big idea or main message of the story. The main message is that it’s okay to travel somewhere new and learn their customs. It’s important to acknowledge and be aware of other cultures and to make friends with them. I think this is a very important lesson. This book is wonderful for children because it will help them recognize other cultures so when they attend schools they are not surprised that other countries are different. This book was a good book and is a good teaching tool for teachers or parents.  

[catalinadiaz-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The way we do it in Japan is about a young Japanese-American boy who lives in San Francisco. It explains the differences of the Japanese culture to the American culture, through the eyes of a young Gregory. He isn't sure of how to become accustomed to the new lifestyle he'll have in Japan when he moves there with his parents. I liked how the very first page in the book explained certain words in Japanese and how to pronounce them, like "Hee-dee-ah-kee" for Hideaki as how to pronounce Gregory's dads name. I liked how they went over the differences that Gregory say such as using chopsticks to eat, calling Japanese money Yen, driving on the left side, sitting on pillows, and taking your shoes off to wear slippers. The big idea of this book is to learn different cultures, your own but also others.

[jeneeh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Moving away to another house can be difficult for a child, but moving away to a completely different country can be even harder. This story was about a young boy whose family had to move to Japan for his dad's new job.This experience allowed him to see the difference in the way they do things in Japan compared to the way things are done in America.This book had many reasons why I liked it. The first reason was because it displayed the pronunciation of the Japanese words on each page. I thought this was something great to incorporate because if they wanted, the reader is able to try to learn those vocabulary words in Japanese. The second reason I liked this book was because of the plot. One of the boys in the story became the main character's friend even though they were different and had different cultures. The third reason I liked this book was because of the main character's mindset. He stayed positive throughout the story and made an effort to learn/do the things the way they do it in Japan.

[ecahan1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book because it told a wonderful story, which also taught readers about the differences and similarities between Japanese and American culture. This book tells the story from an elementary aged boy whose family moved from America to Japan. The book had great colorful pictures as well as translations from English to Japanese at the bottom of the pages. For instance, as a reader I learned that “ohayoo gozaimaso” means “good morning” in Japanese. The main character is very judgmental about Japanese culture and immediately points out differences to his own lifestyle back in America. For example, he says that “Japanese like to keep their floors very clean so you wear slippers inside the house.” I think that some American children can relate to this custom because they might not be allowed to wear shoes in their own homes. Another difference that the boy noted was, “Japanese people drive on the wrong side of the street and that pillows are used as chairs.” I found it very interesting that Japanese people store their mattresses in the closet, and only bring them out when they are ready for bed.I feel that the overall message of this story is to not be judgmental and to have patience. At first the main character felt very alone in his new school, especially when he was at lunch eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The other children’s lunches contained traditional Japanese food including rice balls. Also, he was embarrassed that he couldn’t count to five in Japanese like the rest of his classmates, “inchi, ni, san, shi, go,” which means “one, two, three, four, and five.” The next day at school the cafeteria surprised everyone with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The Japanese children ended up loving them so much they shouted, “Amerikawa Sugo,” which means “America is wonderful.” The young soon made friends, and learned to like his new lifestyle. I think that young children will enjoy reading this book, and learning new words in Japanese.

[mmanzo2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I like this story a lot because it gives a perspective on the differences between American and Japanese culture when it comes to things like eating, sleeping and school. I think it is good for children to understand differences between cultures and to respect the differences. I also like the end of the story because the class comes together to make Gregory feel accepted by giving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch to bring a part of American culture into the classroom. This is a good lesson for children that they should accept other people even if they live differently and are from different cultures. The illustrations are also very good because it allows the reader to picture the situation and have a better understanding of the differences in the cultures. One of the illustrations was Gregory pulling out his mattress from the closet, which allows readers to really understand the difference in the sleep situation between the cultures. This story has a great lesson that people can and should be accepting of each other and their cultures and can be friends with anyone from any culture.

[teresacruz-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a fantastic book to help readers learn how it really is to live in Japan. Having lived in Japan for quite some time in my life, I found this book relatable in many ways. Great way to teach children about cultures.

[mattm50 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book really was an interesting one. Most often, books being read about other cultures are in the vein of "foreigner moves to America and we learn how their culture is different from American culture". this is the complete opposite in this book. In the book, the young boy who is half Japanese moves to Japan for the very first time. He is introduced to many different customs and practices that seem a little alien compared to American customs. That is one of the things that really interests me about this book is that it flips the usual "learn about another culture" book style on it's head. Another thing that is interesting is that the young boy is half Japanese and half American. It is often the case that the main character is "full" of a particular culture or race, contributing to their ignorance of another's culture. This is not the case with this book. While the main character is half Japanese half American, the Japanese culture is still very new to him. The main theme of the book is that while it is important to learn about others, others can also learn from us. Throughout the book the main character is learning about Japanese customs and "the way they do it in Japan". While he is excited at first, he then becomes kind of sad at being left out. It is only at the end where instead of eating the traditional Japanese meal for lunch (in school), to make him feel better, the school serves peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches to make him feel more at home. This is why I liek this book in particular.

[gaiagonzales · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion, I thought that this is a wonderful book. The story is about a young boy named Gregory who moves to Japan with his Japanese father and American mother. I really liked how this book notes the differences between the two cultures that are portrayed in this book. For example, the young boy often questions why things are the way they are in Japan such as the money, food, and even the fact that people sleep on the floor instead of on a bed. Each time Gregory questions the strangeness of the things that are unfamiliar to him, his father always replies with, “That’s the way we do it in Japan.” Throughout the story, it was nice to see Gregory’s positive response to the vast differences that he is experiencing. Also, I liked how the author included Japanese words within the text and the pronunciations and definitions of those words at the bottom of the page. The pronunciation key is very simple and easy to follow, which was very helpful to me. The main idea of this book is to detail the differences between two cultures and how a young child may react when he or she is immersed in a culture completely different from his or her own.

[remy_ferrell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you want to know some of the customs in Japan, then this book is for you. The story is about a little boy who goes to live in Japan and he must learn some of their ways. I know a lot about Japanese Culture and was happy to know that the author didn't stray from that. The story was excellent but the illustrations were not. Most of the paintings were bland and the faces of the people look horrendous which was disappointing because had the illustrator took more time and tried a new method, then maybe I would have felt like I was in Japan.

[jillian_magee-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book for two main reasons. First, it told a story about a family moving from America to Japan, yet it also gave facts about the differences between the two countries. I loved how the author had the main character ask many questions about the way of life in Japan. The little boy would ask “why do they drive on the wrong side of the road?” and the mother would always answer “well that’s how they do it in Japan.” Finally, I loved how the author would include Japanese words in the text and at the bottom of the page below the picture would be a definition of the word and how to pronounce it. The author’s message of the story is adjustment to moving to a new country or even to a new house. Even though the little boy in the story has doubts and questions about his new surroundings he learns how to accept these differences and he creates his new life in Japan.

[mdrumgold_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is good for many different purposes, not only does it teach children alot about the Japanese culture; this book is good for a student who is going to a new school, environment, or just trying to fit in. This is a great book to read to students.

[jrlandry1410 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very interesting book, I actually learned a good bit about Japan. It is about a boy named Gregory whose father is Japanese and whose mother is American. They live in San Francisco but that's about to change because Gregory's father got relocated to Japan for a new job. Now they are all going to be living in Tokyo, Japan. Gregory has to learn a whole new way of life, new money, new language, new customs, a whole new way of life! While Gregory is excited he can't help but feel a little bit scared too....how will he ever fit in if he can't even speak to his classmates? Gregory soon learns that some friendships go beyond words, and that customs may be different but kindness is a universal concept. A very sweet story, filled with many interesting facts about Japan. Students get a lesson on acceptance and a new culture all in one. Definitely a good read aloud.

[cedyr_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When you go to live in a different country, everything they do will confuse you. Even in a very westernized Japan! But don't worry, childrens learn and adapt very fast and become friends with no time.