Anything printed by Stone Bridge Press is a must read for me and this collection of stories by Steve Alpert did not disappoint. Kyoto Stories provided a peek into live in 1970s Kyoto and I appreciated the pace of this book as it allowed the reader to appreciate the quieter moments of every day life in the magical city.

I thank Steve Alpert and Stone Bridge Press for kindly providing access to a temporary electronic review copy of this work. The description of the book was instantly engaging. I found it interesting enough to also recommend this book at my local library.

As other reviewers of pointed out, several attractions of this book include the exciting and somewhat exclusive experience of living in a foreign culture at a specific time and place which essentially no longer exists. To be sure, each person has different values of such experiences and hence it can be educational to read such about such anecdotes. It feels sort of like the book version of what happens when a bunch of ex-pat guys get together and try to top each other with their experiences of living in the "real Japan".

An interesting collection of essays based on life in 1970s Kyoto. While the stories have slow moments, the overall book is enjoyable, and I feel the difference between the time period presented and the time I lived there.

A lovely look at Kyoto in the 1970s. Alpert’s prose is gentle and filled with nostalgia. A lovely read

Thank you so much Netgalley, Stone Bridge Press and the author for the e-copy in exchange of honest opinion!

I always admired Japan- the people, the beautiful culture, innovative ideas and their work ethics but I swear Stone Bridge Press is making me get addicted to the country! I am utterly obsessed with Kanazawa by David Joiner, it was such, such , such a brilliant read. So, when I saw Kyoto Stories was available to request, I had to read it. I loved the stories, there were moments where it made me laugh and kept me hooked from the very beginning to the end. It might seem a bit messy because the stories aren't arranged in order of their occurrence in time but overall a good book.

Similar in vein to David Joiner's fairly recent novel 'Kanazawa', this 1970s-set collection of stories (fiction, but with a strong feel of autobiography or biography) is another interesting take on the Westerner-in-Japan trope. Several of the stories are connected by incidents or characters, and they are always not in chronological order, so I did feel at times that it could well have been polished up and presented as a novel. There were several occasions when the same facts were repeated over and over in several stories - but as it is these are fine to dip into and enjoy. There is some sexual content, to be expected given that our protagonist Don Ascher is a 20-something exploring a new life.

One for those who know or have an interest in Japan, this is an enjoyable and at times thought-provoking collection. Somewhere between 3.5 and 4, so rounded up to 4 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

This was such an amazing book. I just loved every minute of it. I just love how interesting a book the author created it is classed as a fiction book but I am totally convinced that this is the authors memoir. If I'm wrong it read just like one. The stories were brilliant, very interesting and funny at the same time. I was totally engrossed in this book that I had to finish it in one day yep another late night for me. If you want to emurse your self in Japanese culture then this book is definitely for you. I learnt so much from reading this book . I can definitely say I have not had this much run reading a multicultural book in a long time. The author really made Don Asher come to life . I lived it so much. I really can't recommend this book enough. 

Only the highest of praise goes out to the author and publishers for bringing us this magnificent collection of stories to emurse us in what sound like an amazing culture. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this amazing author and have everything crossed there is a part 2 for this book.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/kyoto-stories-by-steve-alpert-stone-bridge-press-ibpa-5-stars today either under my name or ladyreading365

Another fine book from Stone Bridge Press about an American living in Japan. While I didn't find it as involving as Kanazawa, I enjoyed the exploits of a young man immersing himself in life in Kyoto in the 1970's.

As a student of the Japanese language and a lover of its culture, this book was perfect. It is set in Kyoto in the 1970's and followed the experiences of Don Ascher. The stories do not follow in order, but I am unsure of that's how the book is arranged or a quirk of the advance text. It didn't matter, however. I found myself longing to explore Kyoto. If my family situation was different, I would brush to on my TEFL and go out to Japan to teach English and study Japanese! I can't wait to travel there as covid stopped me from going to Japan in march 2020.

3.5/5**

Kyoto Stories' biggest sell point for me personally was how it delved into the culture and landscape of Kyoto. It was not afraid to show the people, the language, and the history of Japan, but it seems fair to advise a bit of some previous basic knowledge of Japanese historical eras and geography. Otherwise, the reader will have to either pause the reading to search for certain names and words, or to do it at the end, and that takes some of the enjoyment out of the reading experience. (That, of course, depends on the type of reader.)
Story-wise, it was a bit disappointing. It has some plot, but I would have loved to glimpse a bit more inside the minds of the characters. Perhaps the idea was to create ambivalence in terms of how they were feeling and what they were thinking, but it lacked the necessary personalness which provides empathy towards them. The main thing which kept my little connection with these people was pure curiosity. Besides, some of the secondary characters were more interesting than the protagonist who I, as a reader, had to follow. The choice of a gaijin as the narrator makes sense because it allowed a tabula rasa perspective of Japan and Kyoto, but Don as a character was way too passive and his thoughts were not sufficiently explored. And, since he constitutes the link between all the short stories, it could have been better achieved.
Overall, a sweet, insightful reading of a thematic hopefully gains terrain in the literary field futurely.

#KyotoStories #NetGalley

1970s Kyoto and a young 20 something American man arrives to study the Japanese language. What follows are some humorous anecdotes involving visiting the public baths, his time as an extra in a brothel scene, working at a restaurant, breaking a historic tea house, his experiences at the language school and meeting a Geisha.

Each story is self-contained so is ideal for dipping into rather than needing to be read in one go. That said, there are a number of characters who appear in several stories so there’s some repetition. The stories aren’t always in chronological order - meeting his American girlfriend comes in a later story whereas on page 1, we learn how they broke up. I was left wondering what the point of this work was - is it just a publication of anecdotes or would the material have been better served as a novel given how interconnected the stories are? Given the stories also just stop, the reader is left wondering what happened to our American protagonist.

Best enjoyed as light holiday reading. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Kyoto Stories by Steve Alpert I enjoyed this book but perhaps it is because I live in Tokyo for three years and traveled many times per year for over 40 years to Japan. I love Japan as a land and for its people. This book is about being a young, poor American student in Japan who wishes to learn about Japan and survives teaching English as a second language. Many North Americans and English-speaking Australians, South Africans and British have done so in Japan and other parts of Asia. My experience is mostly males who also are intrigued by the differences of the Asian women. Just as the women are intrigued by the Western man. Where this book fell flat was the American male in the book was to tied up with an American woman for much of the book that I think takes away from the story-telling that Mr. Alpert demonstrates throughout the book. I think it would have been better without the American girlfriend who abandons him for another guy. Otherwise, the book does capture the spirit of Japan in the 70’s when they were on top of the world. I do not think this book is for everyone. Instead perhaps only for old Western guys who lived through this time in Japan.

A nice set of stories, even though I don't expect this to sell well. That's because these kinds of books generally don't, not because the stories aren't well written. This will obviously appeal largely to those interested in Japan from one man's perspective.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

'Kyoto Stories' by Steve Alpert is a collection of short stories featuring the same main character, Don Ascher. All the stories are based on annecdotes regarding the life of a friend of the author from when he studied and worked in Kyoto during the 1970s.

The stories are anachronistic and the whole story of Don's interpersonal relationships and knowledge of Kyoto become apparent slowly. Each story can be read as a stand-alone story with all backgroud knowledge given within each story. Characters are re-introduced each time they appear within a story and significant places are given a quick background check as well. Each story is entertaining by iteself as well as revealing tidbits of Kyoto and Japanese culture as it goes. It definitely builds up a great picture of the decade as well as the city - you can even follow Don's exploits along on the map included at the front of the book.

What I didn't enjoy was how much the stories revolve around the women Don encouters and the author's very detailed descriptions of their bodies. In some stories it's more ignorable than others but by the end - where Don has the opportunity to meet real Kyoto Geisha - I was skipping over the descriptions a little. That said, Don is a man in his 20s so it's understandable that what he notices and what I want to hear about are a little different.

Altogether, this collection of stories was a great look at Kyoto in the 70s and made me want to move there immediately!

You know what?!!, going to japan is kind of a dream that I have since I was a teen, one thing I like to do nowadays is watching YouTube channels that show living in japan (I watch Asian boss this is kind of documentaries about Asia, Elisa no japãoo a Brazilian kind of life blog in japan, life where I’m from, Shinichi's world, Tokyo lens, abroad in japan, and so many others, this is kind of a guilty pleasure) , and this book brought me right to the japan streets, to the problems that gaijin have when living there, I really enjoyed this book, I just wont give full stars because of the sex part, I mean, I do understand, but I don’t think it was needed… other thing that disturbed me was women description was really in full details but man in other hand… well it said if they were strong build and bearded… and that's about it… too much and too little at the same time…

thank you NetGalley for the free ARC and this is my honest review.

If you like reading about the conquests of Western men in Japan and what being in the right place at the right time with masses of privilege brings you, then this is your book.
Though the book is fiction, it is not hard to imagine that it is largely based on the author's own experiences as a young man in Kyoto. Many of his experiences are cringeworthy and there is a focus on his sexual conquests which I found gratuitous. He also describes in great detail many spots in Kyoto that he grew to love.

Is this a period of time worth remembering and writing about? I suppose it depends on your point of view and this is just one man's story of these times.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book and I presume extensive editing and proofreading will occur before this is released.