US. A long time student of judo, she selects Japan to learn more about the concept of "wa," loosely translated as flow, or harmony.The book chronicles the relationships Muller has with the people she meets and the places she visits. She's an engaging, and descriptive writer, and she has a way of picking the meat of the story, so the travel-log doesn't lag, or feel too banal. She focuses on the complexity of the Japanese social system, which is so different to almost be at odds with American social culture. Fitting in is what Japanese culture is all about; obvious racial difference cause Caucasian Americans to stick out no matter how integrated they are with Japanese manners. Muller makes gaff after gaff, her best intentions apparent, but oftenthe most part, she writes about the details of Japanese life in a "news-reporter" style- very clear and factual. At times she veered into a narrative style, at which I think she is frankly less successful. During passages in which she offers opinions and cultural analysis, or where she uses metaphor to describe her observations and experiences, I found myself getting bored. On the other hand, where she wrote factually about Japanese history, traditions, and lifestyles, I was intrigued and felt informed. I was in Japan visiting my brother who has lived there for three years, and found that many of Muller's reports on Japanese society gelled well with my brother's experience. Muller is excellent at reporting the facts: she wrote a wonderful travellogue. However, I think needs