The Forgotten Japanese: Encounters with Rural Life and Folklore Hardcover – March 1, 2010

The Forgotten Japanese was first published in 1960 and this classic has remained in print in Japan until the present day with more than 57 printings, relating oral accounts of Japanese rural life from 1850-1960. In fact, it was an eyeopener for the Japanese who read the book in 1960 as the way of life described in this book had already mostly passed away.I love to read travelogues of Japan, but most of the modern ones (written by foreigners like Alan Booth, Alex Kerr, Donald Keene) in the 70s, 80s and 90s place the past on a pedestal and lament its passing. The notion of an idealized rural life does the real Japanese lifestyle a grave disservice as the reality, as depicted in this book is more nuanced, harsher yet more full of vitality and charm.When reading the book one learns that one has to carry one's own rice when travelling around the country for there is none to be spared, children are considered to be adults at 6 years old. Most farming families kept two years store of food and one only ate the unhusked rice from the year before. Those too poor to take care of their children were given away. There are the dangers of going out to sea, no matter how good a fisherman you were.But at the same time they would walk 8-10 miles if there was a beautiful girl and sneak into their houses, peeing on the runners when sneaking in so they wouldn't squeak. Singing competitions where the winner could sleep with the loser. Priests with the powers to see into people's hearts and stories of ghosts and fox spirits. There was immense beauty in that life also.For those who want to really understand rural Japan, beyond staying at the local ryokan, Jeffrey Irish has done a wonderful job of translating this into easily readable english. This is truly an indispensible resource and is well worth reading and re-reading.

thank You :)

Some interesting stories but it lacks a great deal in the breadth of cultural perspectives. Preoccupied with the banal and repetitive. Overpriced for what it is.

I am currently about halfway through this book and I am really loving it. I am 27 years old and have been living in Japan for around 2 years. The stories that he has to tell are very interesting and a great insight into Japanese life before everyone started living in big cities. For me, the content is pretty easy to understand and relate to, however maybe someone with no experience of Japanese culture will find it a bit hard to understand, however it is a great read never the less and I totally recommend it.All the measurements, distances etc in the book are given in Imperial (miles, pounds etc) thus can be a bit hard to percieve distances, weights etc. for a person who only has experience with the Metric system.Other than that, if you have any interest in history, Japan, or life in villages you should buy this book.とても面白い！

宮本常一の名作『忘れられた日本人』の英訳。非常に優しい英文に訳されている。稀代の民俗学者の遺した言葉が、国境を越えうるかどうかが、本書によって試されている。スペイン語圏に翻訳されたらどうか、アラビア語圏ではどうかと、想像は膨らむ。

名著中の名著忘れられた日本人世界に知って欲しいですね。