Hearn certainly gives unfamiliar glimpses of Japan in this book. Exploring out-of-the-way villages and remote shrines, Hearn wrote about the country’s culture and tradition from the perspective, mostly, of a traveler so delighted, charmed and, eventually, bewitched by what he saw that he didn’t leave and settled in Japan for good. He discussed many aspects of the Japanese culture – from cemeteries to dolls; sacred groves to child raising; boating to suicide rituals – that one would be impressed by the great lengths he put into his writing, for he did took the trouble to write down names and some dialogues in Japanese. The text, though, focuses mostly on how ingrained Shinto and Buddhism had been in the lives of simple people who mostly hadn’t seen a European before. Hearn wrote in great details the temples he visited – their architecture, and economic and spiritual influences. He devoted great pages on folklore, pantheons of Shinto gods and goddesses, and religious rituals. Although he lamented a bit on how the big and busy cities are becoming Occidentalized, Hearn never judged nor looked down on the people he met. He described what he saw and left no room for editorializing. That is, no Me-Tarzan-you-Cheetah remarks in the book. However, the very fascination he held for the people and land didn’t leave much room for any negative traits either. (No wonder he was accused of romanticizing the Japanese to a fault.) And he seemed to have forgotten at times that his regret in the invasion of Western advancements was ironic considering that the very presence of Buddhism, which he explored in great details in this book, shows that an earlier invasion had come to the land – that before “occidentalization” “orientalization” had come first.
I was curious to read Hearn's perspective on Matsue, even though he lived only briefly in that samurai city. If you visit Matsue today, you would think otherwise, that the man spent his dying years in the Sanin region. He is one of the few Western authors who is regarded as a god by the Japanese people because of his fascination for the country and its peoples. Some of his observations of Japanese people remain relevant even in the 21st century. He describes the Japanese people of the late 19th century as "quite contrary" and antithetical to Western folk. In fact, he frequently calls them "fairy" people and "elvish" folk, a perspective shared by many Westerners who encounter Japan and Japanese people first hand. He also obsesses with the idea that he would never truly belong in Japan, forever a gaijin.He also keeps repeating the idea that the Japanese people he encountered were under "the spell of the dead." This is rather curious as Hearn was obsessed with myths and folklore around the world. He lived in areas ripe with occult knowledge and practices like New Orleans and Martinique in the Caribbean. Accordingly, he seemed "enchanted" or drawn to Japan primarily because of its rich folklore and gory stories, even though he was forever the outsider.The book was okay, although a bit patchy in some areas.
Do You like book Glimpses Of Unfamiliar Japan (2007)?
Considering this is available on Gutenberg, I`m surprised more, especially many of my friends on Goodreads who are avid readers of Japanese literature have not at least added this to their to-read list.Hearn`s definitely worth reading if you are interested in the Japanese culture of the past, and to some extent, the present.
—Capsguy
