Three Tigers, One Mountain: A Journey through the Bitter History and Current Conflicts of China, Korea and Japan Paperback – 14 Jan. 2021

I have been lucky enough to visit 3 of these countries - two of them very recently. I was surprised whilst in South Korea by the animosity still held by Koreans toward Japan based on the occupation that ended in 1945 and the atrocities, including the human trafficking of thousands of 'comfort women' to serve the Japanese army. This comes out very clearly in this book - indeed it is almost the theme of the book.The issue seems to be that Koreans don't believe that Japan has apologised sufficiently for its actions in Korea - it also seems likely that no apology could every be enough to dispel the bitterness At the same time young Koreans are drawn to Japanese contemporary culture and tourism levels from Korea to Japan are high.And then there are the neighbours across the 38th parallel - probably the most repressive country on earth - North Korea. Strangely South Koreans just don't seem to bother over much about them. Most of the book is about Japan and South Korea - two of my very favourite places, with a little less about mainland China and a little less still about Taiwan.Although the author had travelled around the key places in this book - except North Korea, entirely understandably - the book doesn't really read as travel writing for the most part. It is much more a consideration of the history and culture of and between these places, and a very interesting one, at that.The book has however made me want to visit Taiwan at the earliest opportunity - it seems like a fascinating blend of China and Japan - and strangely perhaps the Taiwanese are much more favourably disposed to Japan that to South Korea. It seems Confucianism - with its hierarchies, deference and sense of a strict social order comes into play with much of this. All of this covered in this book of just over 300 pages, which I enjoyed so much I read it in just three days, informed and entertained throughout.

Well written, in the form of a travelogue. The easily accessible information is covered, as are the main historical events. The style is good, with wit. Nice read.If you are not familiar with the region, it's a good place to start.However it does not dig under the surface, nor really involve any analysis. The 'new Chinese empire' , mostly in Africa, is not covered. The development of that empire is telling about Chinese government thinking.The post war industrial developments of Japan, S Korea, and Japan are similar, with government intervention and funding. ( But China didn't start until the 80s.).I'll throw in a bit about trade balances. The Japan population is about three times that of S. Korea. Japan exports to S. Korea are going on twice what Korea exports to Japan. Please discuss !

Michael Booth explores the relationships between China, Japan and Korea in this book, whose title derived from a Chinese saying “there is only room for one tiger on a mountain”. The book mixes travelogue with geopolitics as the author travels around the three countries, interviewing a mix of academics and ordinary people regarding how each of the three nations regards the other two. There are plenty of points of conflict explored: a museum to the Nanjing massacre, the notorious wartime Unit 731 Japanese biological weapons unit and more. There is also a lighter side as the author observes day to day life in a manner that reminded me, at times, of the great travel writer Bill Bryson. Even if you have travelled through these countries yourselves extensively there is plenty to learn, and the writing style is entertaining. Recommended.

How much you enjoy this book will depend on what you are hoping to get out of it. If you are looking for a travelogue then I would go for a different option, however if you are looking for an insight into the recent past and the social & cultural interactions of these 4/5 countries then it is a wonderful introduction.It's even more important and relevant these days as here in the UK we are still getting to grips with our own imperial legacy.As someone that has always had a fascination with this part of Asia, but has never visited I couldn't recommend this book more.The insights I felt when comparing this to Britain show just how difficult these topics are and how much further we all have to go to ensure we continue to revisit and explore both the 'good' and 'bad' parts of our respective history, while hopefully progressing to an equitable and shared future

Well researched and well written. Short chapters keep you interested.

I like the easy to read tone of the book, however gave a lot of researched information about this intriguing but complex part of world.

It’s such an enjoyable book, where you learn a lot and the author takes you along his adventure in Asia! Recommend

I learned a great deal reading this book which helped explain each countries culture and their individual stances. Good read.