
More often than not, to read about life in Japan in English is to read accounts by present or former Western expatriates. While such writings may offer useful insights, they are shaped by the author's outsider perspective. This perspective may be interesting -- to other Western expatriates in particular! -- but is not representative of Japanese society, or even other expatriate communities.
This is why Megha Wadhwa's new book on Japan's small but growing Indian community is a welcome delight. It provides a fascinating, important and different perspective both on Japan and how non-Japanese fare with life there. Drawing on years of fieldwork primarily in Tokyo, "Indian Migrants in Tokyo" manages to affectionately convey a great deal of useful information in just under 200 pages.