''For Fukui's Sake'' is a 2011 travel book by Sam Baldwin that describes the experiences of living in
Ono,
Fukui prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, whilst working as an
Assistant Language Teacher
An Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) is a foreign national serving as an assistant teacher (paraprofessional educator) in a classroom in Japan, particularly for English as a second language.
The role was created by the Japanese Ministry of Educati ...
(ALT) on the
JET Programme
The , shortly as , is a teaching program sponsored by the Japanese government that brings university graduates to Japan as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs), Sports Education Advisors (SEAs) or as Coordinators for International Relations (CI ...
.
Synopsis
The account features both the positive and negative aspects of life as an foreigner in a small Japanese community, and focuses on the local characters, places and wildlife in and around
Fukui prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...
, a largely rural area of Japan. The book also includes chapters on the
Fuji Rock Festival
is an annual music festival, rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash (Music promoters), Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it th ...
, climbing
Mount Fuji
is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
and
Mount Haku
, or Mount Hakusan (commonly referred to as simply Hakusan), is a dormant stratovolcano in Japan. It is located on the borders of Gifu and Ishikawa, on the island of Honshu. Mount Haku is thought to have first been active 300,000 to 400,000 y ...
, impressions of
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
and
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates HokkaidÅ fr ...
, as well as details of teaching at a Japanese Junior High School.
Reception
Skyscanner
Skyscanner Ltd. is a British search aggregator and travel agency based in Edinburgh, Scotland and operating since 2002. History
The company was formed by three information technology professionals. The Edinburgh office was opened in 2004.
In ...
gave a positive review of ''For Fukui's Sake'', saying that Baldwin "expertly captures what it feels like to be a foreigner in a strange land".
ABTA Magazine called it an "adventurous and humorous insight in to the Japanese countryside." Scotcampus Magazine described it as "a quirky autobiographical account of an area so far removed from life
..you'll scarcely believe it exists.". ''The Art of Japan Kanazawa'' commented that it was an "honest and very entertaining memoir" that "avoid
many of the stereotypes that often plague such chronicles
nddeftly straddles the line between subjective and objective reporting.".
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official Website
Travel books
Books about Japan