Cherry Blossoms, Sushi and Takarazuka
Seven Years in Japan
by Jill Rutherford
Jill Rutherford’s memoir covers seven years in Japan and is one woman’s story of how a middle-aged, rather gentrified British woman, with no influential friends in Japan, very little money, no job and no qualifications to get a job there, could realise her dream of living and working in Japan and survive and prosper in one of the world’s most ancient cultures, where real life is hidden under a veil of good manners and everything takes on a different meaning.
This funny, interesting and beautifully written book takes the reader into a different world, where the story revolves around the Japanese people themselves as their lives intermingle with the author’s as she endeavours to survive and prosper in this land of mystery, where incredible kindness goes hand in hand with institutionalised cruelty.
It also enables the reader to look behind the scenes of a unique theatre company, where 420 female performers play both the male and female parts on stage and millions of Japanese housewives fall in love with the ‘male’ players, many devoting their lives to supporting and helping their chosen star. It’s an intriguing world of entertainment in a fascinating, contradictory and unique country where nothing is as it seems and dreams really do come true.
