Underground in Japan

Rezensionen / Stimmen

The world of Kotobuki, the Filipino enclave in Yokohama described here, is sordid in all its externals. And yet it is possible for its inhabitants to say, 'Koto is paradise.' What could be meant by such an expression is part of the subject of this book - for all its deprivations, the migrant worker's life has its seductive side, its own lure. A refined morality does not last long in Koto, but the somewhat battered outlook which does survive deserves, I think, such respect as it gets here. This is a book about ordinary life conducted under the extraordinary conditions of exile and secrecy. - James Fenton