Survival in a Highly Civilized Country: My first Journey through Japan, 1992

In 1992, what was meant to be a five-week trip to Australia turned, by chance, into something far more life-changing: a first journey through Japan. Armed with a rail pass, a few phrasebooks, and more curiosity than confidence, Corinna Flaig sets out across a country that is at once bewildering, welcoming, beautiful, and unexpectedly demanding. From her late-night arrival in Tokyo to temple-filled days in Kyoto, from Hiroshima's quiet gravity to the eccentric energy of Harajuku, she navigates trains, youth hostels, hot springs, vending machines, factory tours, and the delicate rituals of everyday Japanese life. What begins as a travel adventure gradually becomes something deeper: a story of learning how to be alone in an unfamiliar world, how to accept help, how to look more carefully, and how a country can change the way one sees home. Warm, observant, and often funny, Survival Training in a Highly Civilized Country is a memoir of first encounters, lasting friendships, and the strange, unforgettable thrill of discovering Japan for the first time.

Pagina's: 108, Paperback, Independently published