Beauty and Chaos

“Tokyo is as complex as a long novel, as confusing as an avant-garde film and, sometimes, as strikingly beautiful as calligraphy.”

Part memoir, part travelogue, and part culture guide, Beauty and Chaos taps into the daily mysteries and poignant moments that make living in Tokyo a baffling delight. After two-plus decades writing, teaching, and living in Tokyo, American novelist and literature professor, Michael Pronko, reveals what’s beneath the gleaming, puzzling exteriors of the biggest city in the world. 

Whether contemplating Tokyo’s bonsai houses, pachinko parlors, chopstick ballet, or the perilous habit of running for trains, Pronko explores Tokyo’s back alleys and curious interactions to find the city’s deeper meanings and daily pleasures.

Tokyo emerges a fascinating city full of chaotic commotion and serene beauty—one of the most amazing, confusing places in the world.

Gold Award eLit Awards for Essays/Creative Non-Fiction

Gold Award Non-Fiction Author’s Association

Gold Award First Place Reader’s Favorite for Cultural Non-Fiction 

Best Nonfiction Books of 2015 Doing Dewey

“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.” Kirkus Reviews