I do enjoy stories set in Japan and Spence does give a certain feel for the culture of this country but it seems very much a Westernised view of Japanese culture. At times the story was very disconnected and confusing and Glover often proves a less than reliable character. The attitudes towards Japanese women was pretty typical of the time for a Western man but their attitude towards his taking a Japanese wife seemed very accepting. If you enjoy novels about Japan and it's culture you'd be better reading Murakami or Dalby's novelised biography of Madame Murasaki, the woman who wrote the Japanese classic 'Tales of Genji', or 'Tales of Genji' itself.