"...A deft and seamless merging of genres: at once memoir, travel literature, and an unpretentious guide onto the terrain of Japanese poetry. It will appeal not just to poetry lovers, but to all readers who are curious about the world beyond their own borders."

-Foreword Magazine

"Friedman is an appealing guide through an alternate Japan where modern people make poems about teacups and temples but also about skyscrapers and kidney surgery."

--East Bay Express

"The book is not designed to make the reader a poet, but it does, perhaps, help us to pay more attention to our poetical eye."

--BiblioBuffet

"The Haiku Apprentice gives the reader an original, thoughtful and personal glimpse of one expat's productive encounter with Japan."

--Metropolis

"...Notable for its frankness and enthusiasm...Friedman has made a lively narrative out of the things she learned..."

--The Japan Times