MAMA CHARI Lost and found in Tokyo eBook Philip J Cunningham
Download As PDF : MAMA CHARI Lost and found in Tokyo eBook Philip J Cunningham 
Lost and found in Tokyo.
Life in labyrinthine Tokyo, the "Big Mikan" is about losing one's way on the way to finding one's self. Mama-chari echoes a personal journey through the ups and downs of a high-maintenance relationship that was outlasted by a humble shopping bike, as hopes and dreams were lost and found, stolen and recovered, over and over again.
MAMA CHARI Lost and found in Tokyo eBook Philip J Cunningham
Mama Chari is endearing on so many levels. It's endearing as a record of a personal journey of an intrepid expat journalist--a "free writer"--and it's endearing as a fish-out-of-water narrative of the life of a gaijin in Tokyo, shedding light on many comical and sometimes cringe-worthy instances of culture shock, such as the dynamic that takes place between the wide-eyed new arrival and a few xenophobic police officers patrolling Tokyo's tranquil neighborhoods. But above all, Mama Chari is endearing as a love letter to Japan.The name roughly translates to "mommy bike" and--just as it suggests--it's intended for moms (not awe-inspiringly huge foreigners) who want to run errands around the labyrinthine, cluttered streets of Tokyo where traffic jams and a lack of parking spaces can conspire to make the city a motorist's nightmare.
To me, the little red Mama Chari itself--an inanimate object--was one of the most memorable characters in the story. Thanks to the author's brilliant and evocative prose, the bike comes to life on its own (as "a loyal retainer" in fact) and I couldn't help falling in love with it, just as the protaganist of the story does. It becomes charged with so much meaning by the end--after having been lost and found so many times--that it becomes symbolic of what's both good and bad about Japan, I felt.
The vivid descriptions of Tokyo are also very moving. If you know the city, you'll immediately feel a connection, but even if you don't you'll definitely still catch a glimpse of what makes the metropolis so special; a cluttered sprawl with pockets of soul-nurturing beauty, such as "majestic stone temples" neighboring "claptrap apartments and pungently fertilized vegetable plots." If seen with the right kind of eyes--the eternally visionary kind our hero has--Tokyo can become a sort of a spiritual gateway--a zen-like nowhere--where you can lose yourself only to find yourself again, brimming with more new insights into the human condition, gaijin or not.
Gotta get me a red one myself.
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MAMA CHARI Lost and found in Tokyo eBook Philip J Cunningham Reviews
I didn't like this story about a little red bike--I adored it! Actually, I'm having a hard time expressing how much I enjoyed it without sounding trite.
This charming little story (much longer than a flash memoir, but much shorter than your typical novel-length memoir) is moving, evocative, funny, and poignant. If you've ever lived in Japan, this story is a must-read. If you haven't lived in Japan, it's also a must-read. You'll learn so much about the culture and what it means to be a foreigner living in Japan. But don't hesitate to pick up this book even if you have zero interest in Japan. The issues and emotions raised are universal. You'll enjoy the richness and the sensory details of the story as well.
In the interest of full disclosure, I need to mention that the author gave me a review copy. But if I didn't like it, I wouldn't hesitate to say so. Or just not write a review.
Mama Chari is endearing on so many levels. It's endearing as a record of a personal journey of an intrepid expat journalist--a "free writer"--and it's endearing as a fish-out-of-water narrative of the life of a gaijin in Tokyo, shedding light on many comical and sometimes cringe-worthy instances of culture shock, such as the dynamic that takes place between the wide-eyed new arrival and a few xenophobic police officers patrolling Tokyo's tranquil neighborhoods. But above all, Mama Chari is endearing as a love letter to Japan.
The name roughly translates to "mommy bike" and--just as it suggests--it's intended for moms (not awe-inspiringly huge foreigners) who want to run errands around the labyrinthine, cluttered streets of Tokyo where traffic jams and a lack of parking spaces can conspire to make the city a motorist's nightmare.
To me, the little red Mama Chari itself--an inanimate object--was one of the most memorable characters in the story. Thanks to the author's brilliant and evocative prose, the bike comes to life on its own (as "a loyal retainer" in fact) and I couldn't help falling in love with it, just as the protaganist of the story does. It becomes charged with so much meaning by the end--after having been lost and found so many times--that it becomes symbolic of what's both good and bad about Japan, I felt.
The vivid descriptions of Tokyo are also very moving. If you know the city, you'll immediately feel a connection, but even if you don't you'll definitely still catch a glimpse of what makes the metropolis so special; a cluttered sprawl with pockets of soul-nurturing beauty, such as "majestic stone temples" neighboring "claptrap apartments and pungently fertilized vegetable plots." If seen with the right kind of eyes--the eternally visionary kind our hero has--Tokyo can become a sort of a spiritual gateway--a zen-like nowhere--where you can lose yourself only to find yourself again, brimming with more new insights into the human condition, gaijin or not.
Gotta get me a red one myself.
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