Summary

The short story “Monster in a Ryokan” by Mary Roach begins with the narrator’s definition of a monster. According to her, being a monster means different things in different places, because the concept is relative. For example, the monster Godzilla might be seen as normal in the town it comes from, but it will be seen as dangerous once placed in Tokyo. The narrator connects this concept with her experiences as a traveler in Japan.

Because she is American and does not have any idea about the customs in Japan, the narrator makes mistake after mistake. At first, she enters a Japanese inn (a ryokan) with her dirty shoes on, not knowing that she should have removed them outside the door. Then, she keeps bumping into the furniture in her bedroom because...