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New reviews coming soon! I'll be importing my work from the past two years, but in the meantime,
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Friday, September 2, 2005

Non-Fiction/Memoir Review

31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park
by Larry K. & Lorna Collins
ISBN-10: 0595345840
Review by Heather Froeschl

What would you do if you were offered a chance to live in a different country for a few years, doing what you loved to do? Would you take a job that in effect immersed you into a completely different culture? Larry Collins did, and his wife did too. Universal Studios Japan was developed and built with the help of many people like Larry. The experience was rewarding and challenging and the couple offers their thoughts and reflections of the life changing time in their book, "31 Months in Japan."

Whether readers are interested in the building of theme parks or immersion into a different culture, the book is an intriguing read. From the very beginning, with Larry, a project engineer, learning the many momentary protocols of doing business in Japan (like the mandatory exchange of business cards with every meeting, the significance of where one sits in a conference room and the importance of signs of respect) to the bittersweet end, with Larry and Lorna saying goodbye to the dear friends they had made, the book offers a very personal look at the experience but also a detailed, inside look at the creation of a theme park.

There were many problems with the project, as is traditional, and many traditions the couple learned about while living in Japan. They had a head start on what to expect culturally, as they had hosted Japanese exchange students previously. I think perhaps though, that one can never be fully prepared for such differences in lifestyles. Barriers were bridged though. The Universal Park was completed and the Collins' returned home all the richer for the experience.

I liked the format of the book; somewhat alternating in chapters, with Lorna describing a good deal of the daily living challenges they encountered and Larry describing the challenges and rewards he found while working the project. But Lorna worked for Universal too, in Document Control and as general confessional, and she also describes her work obstacles and rewards. Larry relates his encounters of golf, surfing and the communal bath among other things. It is all interesting and well written. It almost feels like reading detailed letters from folks in the family gone to live abroad.

"31 Months in Japan" is a down to earth, friendly, travelogue/memoir/cultural exchange/inside glimpse at the makings of a theme park icon. You'll come to know the Collins', a little bit about the makings of your favorite Universal rides, a bit of Japanese culture and language, and even some of the nuances of chopsticks usage. This is a very well written and enjoyable book.

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