My Awesome Japan Adventure

*Picked as one of the best books of 2013 by the Association of Booksellers for Children*

A perfect introduction to Japanese culture for kids, My Awesome Japan Adventure is the diary of an American fifth grader who travels to Japan to spend four exciting months with a Japanese family as an exchange student. He records all his adventures in this diary so that he can tell his friends back home about what he did and saw during his time in Japan. With the help of a Japanese foster brother and sister, he visits a Ninja village, tries new foods, learns brush painting, and gets the inside scoop on daily life in a Japanese school. Readers of all ages will love experiencing life in Japan from a kid's point of view!

Dan's adventures include: My First Week of School, Visiting a Ninja Village, Fun with Origami, Practicing Aikido, Making Mochi, and much more… As a multicultural children's book, My Awesome Japan Adventure is perfect for kids who want to explore another culture and have fun in the process!

Originally from California, Rebecca Otowa is a writer, painter and teacher who—during her thirty years in Japan—has become a wife, mother, grandmother, and the chatelaine of a 350-year-old farmhouse in Shiga, Japan. She is the author of At Home In Japan.

Going to Japan (On the plane ride over, Dan jots down all the questions he has about life in Japan.)
My First Impressions (Dan meets the Marutas and catches a few glimpses on the way home from the airport.)
A Japanese Breakfast (Japanese breakfast foods—a salty surprise!)
My First Week of School (Japanese school is sooooo different!)
Fun With Origami (Make a flower to give to someone you love.)
Daisuke's Grandfather (On "Respect for Elders Day", grandpa reminisces about olden times in Japan.)
The Rice Harvest (A family affair)
Making Onigiri (Japan's favorite "fast food")
Visiting a Budokan (Dan experiences Japanese martial arts first-hand.)
How to Bow Like a Japanese (Daisuke teaches Dan this timeless art.)
The Tea Ceremony (Mari invites Dan to see how the ancient rituals of Japan are still practiced.)
Micro Sushi (A great way to get used to the idea of raw fish!)
Daisuke's Brush Painting Class (The elegant art of shodo)
Writing in Japanese (The basics of kana and kanji)
Going to the Shrine (The Marutas take Dan to a local Shinto shrine to experience Japan's religious traditions.)
Family Fun (Dan compares his family's hobbies at home to those of the Daisuke family.)
Meet the Real Ninjas (Western kids can never get enough of these stealthy warriors!)
A Trip to Osaka (A day in a big city)
Christmas and New Year (One holiday is lots bigger than the other. Guess which!)
Karuta Cards (A traditional New Year's game)
Making Mochi (A culinary art that requires a lot of elbow grease!)
Kids on the Loose (What Japanese kids usually do for fun!)
Souvenirs of My Stay (Dan looks over all the souvenirs of his time in Japan.)
On My Next Trip…(Dan thinks about all the things he wants to do the next time he goes to Japan…)