The Armchair Traveller

Literature | Religion and Philosophy | Art

 

LITERATURE

I am a Cat
by Soseki Natsume
Charles E. Tuttle Company Inc.
Rutland Vermont and Tokyo, Japan
by special arrangement with the Asahi Shimbun Publishing Co.
First translation printing 1972
Translated by Aiko Ito and Graeme Wilson
Reviewed by Katie

Even if you don't like cats, this is worth reading. The book is written from the cat's point of view. A nameless cat, who is hungry and homeless, decides to attempt to move into a human's house. He is 'flung' out by the human owner's wife several times until the house master finally lets the cat stay.

However, this is not a usual human / pet relationship. The cat is fed rice cakes mainly, but is never given much notice around the house. The cat proceeds to observe the human's life from a comical yet somewhat cynical perspective.

 

The Tokaido Road
by Lucia St. Clair Robson
Ballantine Books, New York, New York
Random House of Canada Ltd.
Toronto, Canada, 1991.
Reviewed by Katie

This book is rated as "spectacular" in Cosmo Magazine, and "intoxicating" in the San Francisco Chronicle. Although I found it slow at times, it was a wonderful escapist style read with a Japanese twist. While the cover looks rather romance novelish, don't be put off if that is not your style.

This is a book which has it all, adventure, mystery, action and love. It is set in Feudal Japan and examines many aspects of Japanese society during the Tokugawa Era.

The story follows the adventures of a woman with aristocratic upbringing who sets out to avenge her father's execution. Disguised as a man, she gains access to a world denied to her as a woman. as she travels along the Tokaido Road, a journey which begins in EDO ( now called Tokyo) and ends in Kyoto (still called Kyoto!). Great for a rainy Sunday at the cottage.

 

Japan's Enduring Folk Arts
by Amaury Mingei Saint-Gilles
Charles E. Tuttle Company Inc.
Rutland Vermont and Tokyo, Japan
Reviewed by Katie

This is not a novel but rather a visual and written description of many traditional folk arts from various regions of Japan. It is a great reference guide which explains the stories and myths behind 116 folk arts.

Origami is probably one of the best known forms in the West but did you know its origins are Shinto and Buddhist drawn. Learning about the myths gives insight to Japanese culture.

Did you know that friends will spend hours, sometimes days making 1000 origami cranes for a friend or relative who is sick because 1000 cranes are said to bring good luck and restored health to the ill.

Many of these folk arts are unique to Japan but it is also interesting to identify links and cross overs from other culture`s myths and beliefs. For example, one of the best known in Japan, Jizo-sama, the patron saint and guardian of small children, also has a Sanskrit name associated with Indian deities.

Read on and discover why Jizo-sama, the child-like priest stone statue is usually found wearing many colourful bibs, or why people only paint in one eye when they acquire a Daurma and why almost all restaurants and shops in Japan have a little white and red cat greeting you in the window.

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

Zen Seeds, Reflections of a Female Priest
by Shundo Aoyama Kosei Publishing Company,Tokyo.
First English edition 1990.
Japanese title, Utsukushiki Hito Ni.
Translated by Patricia Daien Bennage.
Reviewed by Katie

This is one of my favourite books which I tend to consult for my words of wisdom on life. It is unique as this is a female Buddhist priest's perspective. I have never read it from beginning to end, instead, I tend to open it at random and find a story or a poem which fits my feelings for a particular situation or something which might help a friend. Her chapters read such titles as "We are all related", "As it Sloshes, there isn`t enough", "Walk Straight by Winding Along", and "The gift of a smiling face".

ART

Flight Paths of the Emperor
by Steven Heighton
The Porcupine's Quill
Erin, Ontario, 1992
Reviewed by Katie

Steve Heighton, an Ontario native, has won many awards for his short stories and poetry. This collection of short stories gives insight into the real experiences of a "gaijin" ( foreigner) living and teaching in Japan.

His writing style makes you feel like you are just sitting in a café with him, slowly sipping your latte and listening to his stories and the tales of the people around him. The stories have a wonderful human element to them. You can feel touch, see and smell the people he writes about.

Each story is a little snapshot of everyday life, schools, offices, restaurants, and love hotels. And each story, through its simplicity captures the complexities of Japanese society.