Japan: Profiles, Vignettes, Follies 1989-1993

The period of the late 1980s/early ‘90s was a fascinating time to live and work in Japan. The financial bubble ballooned beyond sustainability and burst spectacularly. One numbing real estate statistic in 1990 valued the land area of Tokyo higher than all of the United States west of the Mississippi River. The author had a front row seat to all of this as he traveled throughout Japan, working with Hitachi Construction Machinery in a joint marketing agreement with the construction equipment division of John Deere. He kept notes and wrote this short book on weekends, dusting it off more than 20 years later. The work is an eclectic mix of profiles on Japanese business practices and culture, and personal vignettes. In the “follies” segments, the author is often poking fun at himself as he wends his way around the country and the culture.

Miller is the author of the Vietnam War novel (2012) “Warrior, Wayfarer.” He can be contacted at rpmpar@hotmail.com.