On The DL

Japanland

by Lisa Tauber

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Karin Muller knows what it feels like to be illiterate. "It's like that incredibly uncomfortable nightmare ... when you can't find your locker and you've got an exam coming up," she says. No, Muller isn't poorly educated — she's Swiss. And her struggle with communication came during her stay in Japan.

A Peace Corps veteran, Muller set out for Japan in 2001 with a goal she now describes as naive — to essentially "become Japanese." By the end of her yearlong stay, however, Muller realized the cultural gap extended beyond just looking and speaking differently. Though Muller gained access to some unique events, including the training of a pre-Buddhist mountain ascetic cult, feelings of detachment never quite disappeared. "It was a helplessness I [wasn't] used to having," she says.

Muller has produced a documentary series and a book about her experience. Sponsored by the Geographical Society of Philadelphia, her multimedia presentation will explore the differences between Japanese and Western values through clips, slides and readings from her book.

"To truly get behind the mask— the public face that the Japanese wear to the world and to each other — is extraordinarily difficult for a foreigner," says Muller.

Wed., April 11, 5:45 p.m., $15-$20, Ethical Society Building, 1906 South Rittenhouse Square, 610-649-5220, www.geographicalsociety.org