I love Barthes, but most of what he says in here is questionable and... a reach.

Hard to understand it all, and sometimes dubious. Too much theory; plus, Barthes wants to apply his structuralist theory to Japan, which is, to me, quite strange.

Fascinating and captivating. Barthes essentially exposes what the ideal Western world looks like to him and decides to name it "Japan".

Nope. Maybe try 'Viewed Sideways' for a more grounded perspective.

So great, intriguing, beautiful book. Reading it was a pleasure and it was so hard to put it down that I had to finish it in one day. I really enjoyed his analyses of objects connected with Japan or what he was calling Japan (foodstuff, chopsticks, pachinko etc.) - in a manner that was unexpectedly brilliant, full of comparisons that had spoken to me. With all those, he has made clear, inspiring connections. Also, the way of writing here gives the feeling like I was reading a novel in Orhan Pamuk's manner (which for me places it really high). The edition (Hill and Wang which belongs to Farrar, Strauss and Giroux), with extra black-and-white photographies, was a wonderful addition in order to make it a piece of art.

Barthes tiene una forma de escribir que es hermosa, no importa de lo que esté hablando. Aunque el Japón de Barthes no es el Japón real (y lo advierte) aún así cae en el exotismo, pero eso no le quita el increíble análisis de signos vacíos/llenos que va elaborando a lo largo del ensayo.

Me encantó de forma particular toda la parte que habla de los Haikús.

le riflessioni sul senso, sullo zen e sul linguaggio sono fenomenali

I read this while very hungry. The section on sushi nearly undid me.
Barthes inciteful series of essays compares Western to 'Eastern' or Japanese culture. Japanese culture has been a source of inspiration, if I may use so vague a work, to French art and artists. Yet, Barthe's essays reveal, through a semiotic analysis, that the assimilation of Eastern culture by the French was really very limited. Indeed, he explores the dramatic arts and, as mentioned above, food. The cooked food of the west versus the uncooked/raw food the the east. These translate into signs and meanings to be deciphered by the cultural theorist. I recommend the read, even if you do not use it in essays or in methodological approaches, because Barthe's writing is important in the literature of structuralism to post-structuralism.