The Japan Journals: 1947-2004

Donald Richie, an American, came to Japan via the military in the 1940s. He, perhaps to his surprise, and certainly to the many Japanese he encountered through the years, stayed on until his death (2013). The Japan Journals, I am convinced, only scratches the surface of Richie's singularly unique experience. He was, if one views it this way, fortunate enough to arrive in Japan after the war. He saw it rebuild itself. He embraced it, and yet he always maintained who he was.His writing is rich, evocative, sometimes a little too precious, often hysterically funny. He had a tendency to use phrases such as: "And so it was." "And so it did." "And so I am." etc. I found that annoying, but it was a stylistic choice and considering the incredible scope of what he covers (1947-2004), this is a very, very minor complaint.Richie was gay before it was "acceptable" to be so. But in Japan it was clear that no one really cared. Being a homosexual in Japan did not carry the religious, psychological and social stigma it once did in the U.S. (and sometimes still does). It was one of the reasons Richie stayed in Japan. As such, on occasion, he will share a somewhat veiled recollection of his interactions with some of the locals. I am convinced there were many, many more of these stories and he may not have felt they were appropriate and/or that they had value. I so wish he had kept them or published them. When he does take us into that world, it's only briefly, and we often have to read between the lines to know that, in fact, he is actually sharing with us a very intimate experience with another man.Richie was able to experience Japan in a way that few other Westerners did and he shares with us some observations that, had you not known they were written years ago, would still resonate today. These are the hidden gems in this book, which sometimes must be sought out amidst endless parties and dinners and meetings with celebrities of the day. I did find some of those stories interesting, but nowhere as much as his keen eye detailing what he was seeing on the street, in the train stations, on the faces of the people he encountered.I will kick myself to the end knowing this man was here and alive when I came to Japan and yet, I did not understand his importance or value until after he died. I really wish I could have met him.To anyone who has a strong interest in postwar Japan, this is a must-read. Again, sometimes he goes off on tangents and is occasionally a bit full of himself. But all is forgiven because he will often have you glued to the page with his spot-on observations of what was, what is, what works, what doesn't, in the Japan of yesterday... and yet, it really could be today. He will also have you laughing so hard you will not be able to read the book in a public place.Donald Richie---you were one of a kind. This book proves it.

I have only known Donal Richie as a film scholar having admired his commentaries on Bresson and Ozu DVDs. Naturally, I bacame interested in the man himself who continues to live in Japan. In this journal, he meets such notables as Kawabata, Kurosawa, Takemitsu, but what is more interesting is his interaction and friendship with regular people. Mr. Richie goes to a park in Tokyo (his usual hang out) and talks to a homeless, gives him his hamburger. He also befriends local prostitutes while he is also a guest of honor at emperors's palace. What is unique about this journal is that he tells as it is. Unlike some autobiography, Mr. Richie does not try to convince readers, does not explain, does not try to defend his actions, or does not offer advice. He simply dscribes his observation both his own personal life and what he sees and happens to him living in Japan as it moves from war destruction to economic bubble, and to decay.

I was sad to have finished this book. It really spanned Richie's life span in Japan. With his thoughts and insights, you can see Japan changing. A thoroughly enjoyable read, would loved to have met him in person!

For those interested in this period in Japan, a wonderful memoir. Great escapism. Reports from postwar Japan from a a viewpoint of another culture are worthwhile.

Ah, Donald Richie, you certainly lived an interesting life. Fleeing your small-town prison, arriving during the war as an occupier, you found in Japan the freedom of an outsider, one for whom the usual rules of society do not apply, one where your appetites could be satisfied. Friend to the famous and infamous, there is a "Forrest Gump" quality to your life story. If there was some mover-and-shaker in the Japanese art world, then you where there. (Mishima Yukio, Kurosawa Akira, Susan Sontag, Ozu Yasojiro, Kawabata Yasunari, Francis Ford Coppola...these are but a few of Richie's extensive network of friends and acquaintances.) Familiar with both the high and low, you are equally at home in the brothels (often) and the Emperor's palace (once).Beginning in 1947, "Japan Journals" is Richie's intermittent diary of his life, thoughts and the events around him. It paints an effective portrait of war-torn and devastated Tokyo, of the rift between the occupying US forces and the local Japanese with whom they were forbidden to talk. Here, Richie discovered the things that were to be his passion and his life's work. Japanese film was the foundation of his career, beginning as a reviewer for the occupier's newspaper "The Pacific Stars and Stripes." From there, a journalist, chronicler and observer for the island nation of Japan.Richie's writing is reserved and intelligent, commanding an intimacy with the reader, bringing you in like a confidant. He is usually considered a writer on Japan, but he is really a writer on himself. He observes himself observing Japan, and this is the wisdom that he imparts. An admirer of diarist Andre Gide, his journals attempt to emulate his achievements and become a work of literature in and of themselves. It a marked contrast to Joseph Campbell's "Sake & Satori: Asian Journals, Japan" which is largely a collection of daily data, meals and such.Knowing that they were being written for publication, the "Japan Journals" have been self-edited and combed through, removing the chaff and leaving the wheat. Some of this has been collected into not-included appendixes, such as "The Persian Journals," "Excluded Pages" and the tantalizing "Vitas Sexualis." Yes, the much anticipated "naughty bits" have been almost fully removed, on the advice of a friend. However, these is enough of a glimmer to give you an idea of what he has been up to, in the late night Ueno Park. But like any good erotica, the forbidden nature of the "Vitas Sexualis" has one longing for its publication.Unfortunately, like many of his generation, such as Edward Seidensticker and Alex Kerr, Donald Richie does not like the changes that he has seen in Japan over the years, and the book ends on a bitter note. However, Richie alone acknowledges that this bitterness is of his own making, as his beloved third world country, full of innocence and naive, open sexuality, transformed into a first world country with accompanying cynicism and coldness.Anyone interested in Japan, or just interested in good writing, should experience Donald Richie. He is a unique and valuable writer. "Japan Journals" is one of his major works, full of insight, history and experience. Anyone interested in Donald Richie should read "Japan Journals."

A selection of Ritchie's writings on postwar Japan offers a deeply personal and insightful view which avoids so many of the stereotypes usually perpetuated by western writers. I first encountered Ritchie's Inland Sea which you should read first to get a flavour of his style and approach.

Great read!

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This is totally enjoyable. Loved it. He could be a bit pretentious. But hey, who can't? In other news, I wish Amazon would pay tax in the UK. Taxes pay for schools that teach people to read. People who read buy books from Amazon. It's money they owe. Pay up Amazon!