BOOKS:Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan

Japenese Culture, still an enigma.

In an obscure line in Ian Fleming's 1964 James Bond novel, "You only Live Twice," James Bond says to his nemesis, "Spare me the Lafcadio Hearn, Blofeld." Bond was well read. Laficadio Hearn was one of the first Western journalists in the late 1800's to write about Japan. At the time Mejii Era Japan was an exotic and widely unknown place and Hearn filled that gap with vivid and accurate descriptions of Japan, its people and its landscape. In his 1894 book, "Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan," Hearn went beyond pedestrian type journalism and quickly became famous for his ability to render the Japanese character and aesthetic through the depth and originality of his writings. Even though published over 100 years ago Hearn's "Glimpses" is still widely regarded for its insights into Japanese culture that are still valid today. Hearn stayed in Japan becoming a teacher in a Middle School and then a professor of English at Tokyo University. During this time he studied every phase of Japanese life closely. This was Hearn's method, methodically analyzing all his subjects then rendering his analysis into a beautiful heart felt prose. Hearn published other books worth reading most notably, "Kokoro: Hints and Echos of Japanese Inner Life," in which he examines the inner spiritual life of the Japanese people. Again Hearn's attempt to figure out why Japan was and still is such a unique place. Even today some aspects of Japanese culture continue to baffle those in the West as well as the East. Hearn's books were the seminal works in a long line that have attempted to cast some light. The remarkable thing about Hearn's books is that his insights were so keen that they are still relevant today.