Motions and Moments

Book excerpt: Motions and Moments: More Essays on TokyoMotions and Moments is the third book by Michael Pronko on the fluid feel and vibrant confusions of Tokyo life. These 42 new essays burrow into the unique intensities that suffuse the city and ponder what they mean to its millions of inhabitants. Based on Pronko's 18 years living, teaching and writing in Tokyo, these essays on how Tokyoites work, dress, commute, eat and sleep are steeped in insights into the city's odd structures, intricate pleasures and engaging undertow. Included are essays on living to size and loving the crowd, on Tokyo's dizzying uncertainties and daily satisfactions, and on the 2011 earthquake. As in his first two books, this collection captures the ceaseless flow and passing flashes of life in biggest city in the world with gentle humor and rich detail. Praise for the first collection, Beauty and Chaos: Slices and Morsels of Tokyo Life:"e;A clear-eyed but affectionate portrait of a city that reaches beyond simple stereotypes. An elegantly written, precisely observed portrait of a Japanese city and its culture."e; Kirkus Reviews"e;Beauty and Chaos is a spectacular read. Its essays are long enough to be cohesive and provocative while remaining short and sweet. The collection is masterful and unique."e; Stephanie Chandler, SPR Review"e;He notices the kinds of things that might be taken for granted by the Japanese and overlooked entirely by visitors."e; Rebecca Foster, The BookbagGold Award First Place for Cultural Non-Fiction (Reader's Favorite Awards 2015)Gold Award (Non-Fiction Authors Association 2015)Praise for the second collection, Tokyo's Mystery Deepens: Essays on Tokyo:"e;As chapters flow through Tokyo cultural experiences, readers receive a rare glimpse of the structure and nature of Tokyo's underlying psyche. It's a powerful, intimate consideration of many aspects of Japanese culture."e; D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review"e;An insider's view of what life is really like in this pulsing, densely populated Asian metropolis...this little book of short, easy to read essays delivers to its readers an education."e; Vera A. Pereskokova Luxury Reading Blog"e;Could one have a better guide? Anyone planning to work and live in Tokyo for a period of time will find Pronko indispensable."e; BookReview.com"e;Tokyo's Mystery Deepens is so much more than just a guidebook to Tokyo...it actually plunges into the minuscule details of what it is like to be a Tokyoite."e; OnlineBookClub.orgGold Award for Creative Non-Fiction (eLit Awards 2015)Silver Award for Travel Essay (eLit Award 2015)